This short article by John Horgan for Scientific American is the lead-in to some lively responses. While some are complaining Horgan short-changed all the work done on DNA and RNA in the last two decades, he's right in saying there is still (and probably always will be) debate on exactly what happened billions of years ago. The recent trend is to suggest the simpler RNA gave rise to DNA, but it turns out RNA is unlikely to arise...
Monday, February 28, 2011
Chinese doctor dedicates himself to saving new snake
In 1984, doctor Chen Yuanhui treated an old man for snakebite and was curious when the man described the snake. It wasn't one he or anyone else with a scientific background had ever heard of. It was five years before he found someone who had captured a group of what are now called the Mangshan pit viper. Chen devoted his life to studying and protecting the endangered species. He kept seven in his home at one point. The local people,...
Thailand group reports 10 new lizards
The environmental preservation group Thailand Nature Explorer presented a varied and colorful group of 10 new lizard species to the public, emphasizing how these finds demonstrated the nation's diversity along with the need for quick protection of new species. The lizards were given what to the Western ear are exotic names in addition to their scientific ones. For example, a well-camouflaged rough-skinned brown species was christened...
Annoucning the newest bird species
The bird is Mentocrex beankaensis, a colorful rail from the Beanka Forest of Madagascar. Researchers from the Field Museum collected it during an expedition led by Steve Goodman. Neil Block said the bird wasn't entirely new to locals or researchers, but it was hard to collect a specimen for a formal description. “This bird they’ve known about for decades, but no one has been able to go find it and get a specimen of it. It’s not...
Prof reports 15 new fish species in US
They are not all confirmed yet, but I thought this university press release was interesting. One ichthyology professor, Austin Peay State University's Dr. Rebecca Johansen, is reporting that she and her students have gathered evidence of up to 15 new species from the southeastern U.S. Wouldn't you think that was an area where all the vertebrates are known? It's a good reminder that we rarely know the natural world as completely...
Understanding List Query Throttling Limits in SharePoint 2010
By now, most SharePoint developers will have come across the list query throttling settings in SharePoint 2010. Essentially, farm administrators can impose limits on the number of items returned by list queries, in order to protect the performance of the farm as a whole. Limits are applied on a per-Web application basis and are typically...
Cree expands broadest portfolio of lighting-class LEDs optimized for distributed illumination
DURHAM, USA: Cree Inc. has announced the commercial availability of the XLamp ML-B LED. Designed for quarter-watt operation, the XLamp ML-B LED brings lighting-class performance to distributed lighting applications where the light source is visible, such as panel lights and LED-based fluorescent tube replacements.Lighting manufacturers have tried to achieve a uniform lighting appearance by placing many low-power LEDs in close...
What Can You Learn by Visualizing Your Twitter Network? | Social Media Today
What Can You Learn by Visualizing Your Twitter Network? | Social Media To...
Curve Dental Demos Imaging & Image Storage
While at the MidWinter meeting, I had a chance to meet with Matt Dorey, the founder of Curve Dental and take a look at some of the things they've been doing with the program.In case you haven't heard, Curve is a web based practice software. This means you only need a web browser to make it run. It works on the same principle as online banking. They store your data and you access it via the web.Curve has...
element14 announces winners of online community contests
BANGALORE, INDIA: element14 (formerly Farnell), the industry’s first fusion of commerce and community supporting millions of engineers and purchasing professionals worldwide, recently engaged its online community forum members via two creative contests. Held as part of the new brand launch celebrations, it provided members of the community a chance to win $1,500 and $500 for its ‘Design an element14 T-shirt’ and ‘Be in Your Element’...
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Arrow announces global distribution agreement with Trident Microsystems
MELVILLE, USA: Arrow Electronics Inc. has announced a global distribution agreement with Trident Microsystems, Inc., a leading provider of semiconductor solutions in the digital home entertainment market.Arrow customers (outside of Japan and Korea) now have access to Trident’s innovative offerings designed for digital televisions and set-top boxes. Thanks to Trident technology, consumers can enjoy TV shows, HD, 2D and 3D movies,...
Happy Birthday, British Interplanetary Society
OK, not quite birthday time yet. This article notes that the venerable British Interplanetary Society (BIS) "the oldest space organisation in the world still in its original form," will be 80 years old in 2013. The BIS, whose most famous member was the late Arthur C. Clarke, did many pioneering studies of rocketry, beginning with a 1938 study of what it would take to send three astronauts to the Moon. The 1970's study Project...
Impressions from the Chicago MidWinter Meeting
I've just returned from Chicago where the MidWinter Dental Meeting has just concluded.This trip was a bit of a whirlwind for me. I went in one day early for a meeting with DPR and a separate meeting with Shofu and almost every waking moment was spent either giving lectures or in meetings. Despite my best efforts, I got very little time on the show floor.However, I did get a chance to speak to several vendors who told...
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Ships from 4 agencies docked at ISS
There is something cool about the shuttle Discovery's current mission to the ISS that I didn't realize: there are now craft from four space agencies docked together. Robotic supply vessels from Japan,Russia, and the European Space Agency (ESA) are docked along with NASA's shuttle. Europe's ATV-2, Johannes Kepler, is there, along with the Kounotori ("White Stork") from Japan and Russia's Progress 41. That's about as International...
DARPA's Robotic Cheetah
If you're a soldier pursuing an enemy, wouldn't you like to be able to tell a fast-running robot to "fetch?" The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) thinks so, too. The Cheetah will have four legs, an articulated head, and a flexible spine. This will be a proof of concept model, not an operational weapon, but think of the advances in robotics we've seen in recent yea...
Zaggmate for iPad
We all looking for the next best thing & when it comes to the iPad, it does have some deficiencies that can be cured with a little help. One of these problems is the built-in soft keyboard.The soft keyboard is "ok" as far as I'm concerned, but definitely not the best way to create a document or email. Apple even knew this as the have...
Friday, February 25, 2011
2010 worldwide HB LED market grew 93 percent
MOUNTAIN VIEW, USA: The worldwide high-brightness (HB) LED market leaped from $5.6 billion in 2009 to $10.8 billion in 2010, a growth rate of 93 percent, according to Strategies Unlimited, the leading market research firm in LEDs. LCD monitor and TV backlights led the growth spurt, followed by mobile display applications. Ten companies accounted for more than 75 percent of the HB-LED market. Strategies Unlimited arrived at these...
Critters caught up in the naming rights business
THis is always interesting to me, and I'm not even sure why. It's become commonplace to sell naming rights for new species as a way of funding research. The most famous example is the South American monkey Callicebus aureipalatti, whose specific name translates to "golden palace” — a gambling website that bought naming rights for $650,000. I didn't realize the fad included individual critters, though. Ford bought the right to...
Department of cool gadgets: PERISCOP
For a long time, marine biologists have used "slurp guns" of various types to suck in marine creatures and bring them back for examination. Keeping a deep-sea critter alive, though, is a tricky process. Changes in pressure are often fatal. French scientists have created a solution, the Projet d’Enceinte de Remontée Isobare Servant la Capture d’Organismes Profonds ("Enclosure project for isobaric ascent serving to capture deep...
Could IBM’s Watson Computer Aid the Work of Nonprofits? - Corporations - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas
Could IBM’s Watson Computer Aid the Work of Nonprofits? - Corporations - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "This week, roughly 100 government officials, medical researchers, nonprofit leaders, and others gathered at IBM’s research center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., to discuss the possibilities. After the event, Stanley S. Litow, president of the IBM International Foundation,...
Could IBM’s Watson Computer Aid the Work of Nonprofits? - Corporations - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas
Could IBM’s Watson Computer Aid the Work of Nonprofits? - Corporations - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "This week, roughly 100 government officials, medical researchers, nonprofit leaders, and others gathered at IBM’s research center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., to discuss the possibilities. After the event, Stanley S. Litow, president of the IBM International Foundation,...
Call for papers: Library Hi Tech
Call for papers: Library Hi TechLibrary Hi Tech is looking for articles specifically on the following topics:-- Plagiarism and libraries: specific case studies or software tools / tests are of special interest.-- Libraries using tablets: new applications and studies.-- Persuasive Technology in librariesWhile interest in these topics is ongoing, authors are encouraged to send a proposal by 31 March 2011. Potential due dates are...
Technolog - Google tool helps find Christchurch earthquake victims
Technolog - Google tool helps find Christchurch earthquake victims: "The Google Person Finder is a free, simple-to-use tool which was dreamt up after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. All someone needs to do is enter as much of a person's name as he or she knows and Google will provide any related information — including last known location, physical descriptions, last reported status and messages left by those searching for the ind...
Call for Contributors: Against the Grain Column on vendors and librarians who shifted ranks
Call for Contributors: Against the Grain Column on vendors and librarians who shifted ranksI'm editing a column in ATG entitled "The Grass is Often Greener." I'm looking for contributions from vendor types who have moved into librarianship or librarians who have joined the vendor ranks. Please contact me off of the list at linkf@tcnj.edu. Thanks!-- Forrest E. LinkAcquisitions LibrarianThe College...
HOW TO: Spend an Entire Year Giving to Charity - Yahoo! News
HOW TO: Spend an Entire Year Giving to Charity - Yahoo! News: "Every day, Garcia chooses a new charity and donates a small sum of money -- usually around $10, but never less than $5. He then documents that day's charity in a blog post on his Tumblr, where he describes the cause and provides some insights or personal stories to highlight its mission. Garcia, a Chicago-based actor and director, has minimal experience with blogging...
Ironman's Kor Water Bottle
I've always loved Ironman. From the time I was a little kid I've always had a special love of the story of Tony Stark and his invincible metal suit. I grew up on comic books and I was always thrilled to get my hands on the latest Ironman issue.So, needless to say, I was thrilled when Ironman began to hit the big screen. Between...
element14 and Littelfuse expand regional distribution agreement
BANGALORE, INDIA: element14, the industry’s first fusion of commerce and community supporting millions of engineers and purchasing professionals worldwide, has expanded its partnership with Littelfuse, the world’s leading manufacturer for high performance circuit protection devices. Offering the widest range of Littelfuse products stocked in Asia Pacific with no minimum order quantity required, element14 adds over 400 new products...
Thursday, February 24, 2011
People of the ancient Subarctic
In a trench dug into an ancient settlement site in central Alaska, archaeologists found something startling: the remains of a child, 11,000 years old, which had been cremated after death. The dwelling the child lived in was then abandoned. Was this reverence for the dead? Fear of a spirit? Fear of disease? The dwelling was not a simple nomadic camp, but a pole-supported structure dug about 30cm into the ground. Remains of animals,...
Hail Discovery!
STS-133, the last mission of the shuttle Discovery, is in orbit. Discovery has logged 39 space flights, more than any other orbiter. NASA reported,"Good to be here," Commander Steve Lindsey radioed soon after the three main engines shut off and the external fuel tank was jettisoned. The official launch time was 4:53:24 p.m. EST."COMMENT: The Shuttle was hampered by cost restrictions that kept it from being fully reusable, and...
Digi-Key expands product line with PCB LED dev kits compatible with Cree technology
THIEF RIVER FALLS, USA: Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corp. announced it has stock of Cree-based printed circuit board (PCB) LED development kits, often referred to as star boards.These kits, also known as star boards, are designed to simplify LED ease-of-use. PCB development kits, when combined with thermal heat sinks, can shorten time-to-market by forming the foundation for LED designs. PCB configurations are available...
Cree launches industry’s first surface mount 1200V silicon carbide Schottky diode
DURHAM, USA: Cree Inc. announced the availability of the industry’s first commercial 1200V surface mount SiC Schottky diode. Packaged in an industry-standard surface mount TO-252 D-Pak, the Schottky diodes deliver the same proven performance as Cree’s TO-220 through-hole devices, with a smaller board footprint and lower profile. This can enable the design of smaller, lower cost, and more efficient solar power micro-inverters,...
Announcement of latest European emission standards leaves lithium battery industry at a crossroad
TAIWAN: A ground breaking news for electric vehicles in Europe: the European congress has passed the latest emission standard for commercial vehicles. EnergyTrend, a research division of TrendForce, believes that low emission vehicles will become an essential development trend for car makers in the near future. Therefore, although concerns...
Twitter Co-Founder Pushes New Effort to Use Technology for Social Good - Social Philanthropy - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas | LinkedIn
Twitter Co-Founder Pushes New Effort to Use Technology for Social Good - Social Philanthropy - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas | Linke...
Call for Research Articles are needed for Academic Exchange Quarterly
Call for Research Articles are needed for Academic Exchange QuarterlyFeatured Editors: Alys Jordan and Matt Buckley We are looking for Research Manuscripts which are between 2000-5000 words that address some of the following questions:1. What are the best methods for successful instruction in a virtual environment?2. What are the most effective instruction practices, methods, and strategies...
Midas VeniceF mixing consoles include Propellerhead Record
Propellerhead Software today announced that their highly acclaimed Record software has been chosen by premium mixing console maker Midas to be included with all new VeniceF mixing consoles.The recently-launched VeniceF mixing console features the full functionality and sound quality of the much-loved Midas XL3 EQ and filter section, Midas mic preamps, 100mm faders, increased channel and input count, a dual 7x2 matrix and a reorganised...
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Intel's Light Peak to Debut Thursday
The technology world loves rumors, in fact, I think that they live, breath, eat and sleep rumors. I feel that if there were no internet rumors, then we would have a lot of depressed computer people out there with nothing to do to fill their free time. It's quite sad really. But, alas, we have another rumor floating around the internet that...
EBS artist Laurence Cottle to perform at the London Bass Guitar Show
EBS and UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd, are pleased to announce the hugely respected Laurence Cottle will appear on the Main Stage and deliver a Masterclass Session at the upcoming London Bass Guitar Show, 12-13th March, Olympia.Laurence has played with many of the worlds great musicians such as Sting, Cher, Seal, Eno and Jaco. And working...
LED backlighting drives double digit growth for DTV semiconductors in 2011
EL SEGUNDO, USA: Driven by the vibrant light-emitting diode (LED) backlighting segment, the global digital TV (DTV) semiconductor market is expected to expand by a robust 16.5 percent in 2011, according to new IHS iSuppli research.Revenue in 2011 for DTV semiconductors is projected to reach $15.5 billion, up from $13.3 billion in 2010. Without...
Five Ways Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Build Their e-Newsletter List | CharityHappenings Ticketing
Five Ways Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Build Their e-Newsletter List | CharityHappenings Ticketing: "Reports and predictions of the death of e-mail fluctuate seemingly on a quarterly basis.However, one thing that is certain is that the ROI (Return on Investment) from e-newsletters is still relatively high compared to other Web-based channels. For me, that ROI translates into webinar attendees and speaking engagements. For...
The Most Influential Women in Technology 2011 - Full list | Fast Company
The Most Influential Women in Technology 2011 - Full list | Fast Comp...
Journal of Library Innovation: Call for Review Authors
Journal of Library Innovation: Call for Review AuthorsThe editors of the Journal of Library Innovation (JOLI) are seeking librarians, library staff, and library school students to review materials such as books, conferences, and computer applications. Our reviews are designed to provide library professionals with information about items containing new and innovative ideas to try in theirlibraries or in their...
Ultradent Products, Inc. is excited to introduce unit dose Opalescence, Opalescence Oh! at the Chicago Dental Show (February 24–26, 2011)
Here's a sneak preview of a product being released at the Chicago MidWinter Meeting!Oh! That’s Easy!Oh! That’s Brilliant!Oh! That’s Opalescence!Opalescence Oh! is the latest craze in whitening! It is a unit dose size bulb filled with 0.6mls of Opalescence gel. Each bulb whitens one arch. The kits are available in 4 concentrations of carbamide...
Advanced tips for Reason's Kong courtesy of Sound On Sound
The latest issue of Sound On Sound (March 2011) showcases just how powerful Reason's Kong drum device is with a double-page advanced technique article."Last month’s column offered an introductory guide to Kong, Reason 5’s new dedicated drum instrument. This time we’re going to dig deeper into its complexities and possibilities, and hopefully...
Dave Spoon's Reason-based studio opens the "Studio of the Stars" series on musicradar.com
musicradar.com have poked their cameras into the "Home Studio's of the Stars". Heading up the feature is Dave Spoon's Reason-based studio.Dave Spoon (AKA Simon Neale) arrived at dance music’s top table in 2006 with the Reason-produced At Night (later re-released with a vocal by Lisa Maffia as Bad Girl (At Night)). As Dave explains, Reason...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
New Fab 42 from Intel
On Friday, February 18, Intel announced that they will be constructing a brand new $5 billion fab in Arizona. The fab will be used for the manufacturing of chips using a 14-nm manufacturing process and leading edge 300-mm wafers.In the statement that Intel released on Friday, it was said that the new fab would be called Fab 42. Construction...
Microspace: Music of the SPHERES
Remember SPHERES, those little free-floating nanosats sent up to the ISS in 2006? The trio of "helper" satellites is still up there, and DARPA has all kinds of cool experimental uses for them. The SPHERES power themselves around in the atmospheres inside the I...
Cree XLamp MT-G LED delivers unprecedented performance
DURHAM, USA: Cree Inc. announced a new lighting-class LED designed for high-output, small form-factor directional lighting applications. The XLamp MT-G LEDs are optimized for 35-50 Watt halogen MR16 retrofit bulbs and other accent, track, display and down lighting used in retail stores, residential settings, museums, art galleries, hospitality and landscapes and are the first commercial LEDs to deliver sufficient light output...
CFP: The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances Special Issue on Library Marketing and Strategic Market Planning
CFP: The Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances Special Issue on Library Marketing and Strategic Market PlanningThe Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances will be publishing a special issue on library marketing and strategic market planning. TBL is an Emerald publication that explores the business management side of libraries and it’s role in their success. The editor of this special issue is looking for articles that consider,...
SQL Server “Denali” Integration Services – Projects and Parameters
Some previous posts in this blog have discussed new features in the SQL Server “Denali” database engine. For this post however, I want to focus on some of the key enhancements in SQL Server “Denali” Integration Services (SSIS). SSIS first appeared in SQL Server 2005 as an evolution of the Data Transformation Services (DTS) component in previous...
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