A planet like ours?

Geoff Marcy, one of the worlds top astronomer and leading planet finder, has recently announced his discovery of a planet which might be similar to Earth. The planet in question is approximately 41 light-years away and 55 times bigger then Earth. So far, this is the closest resemblance to Earth that has been discovered. I find it funny how Marcy has already received two calls from the Vatican asking Marcy on details of the newly discovered planet. It has long been debated why the planet Earth was placed where it is and is no wonder why the Vatican are interested in it.

Although a planet like Earth has been discovered, it doesn’t seem like we will be seeing it any time soon. With our current technology, it would take a couple hundred of years to travel 41 light-years. It’s pretty amazing that we’re able to observe something that far in the first place. Despite this fact, three programs are being put in place to help achieve this goal one day. It’s amazing how far we’ve come in terms of the exploration of space. It’s interesting too how Marcy has fully planned out what to do if there ever is a situation when we humans interact with extraterrestrial beings. It really is something special to be able to live through the making of history.

Cell Phone Viruses

Cell phones are so popular now that over 80 percent of Americans own one. Yet it was unclear for some time why cell phone users had yet to be attacked by a major virus outbreak. Albert Laszlo-Barabasi for Northeastern University set out to find out why this was. Barabasi and his team of researchers have found that what has protected cell phone users so far is “…fragmented market share.” (ScienceDaily). The research was done by collecting data from six million cell phone users. However, Barabasi explains that cell phones will not be safe from virus outbreaks forever. He calculates that once a single market share is large enough, cell phones will likely be vulnerable to attack. It seems like this might happen soon especially since the ownership of smart phones is increasing 150 percent every year. The infection of one phone can affect others that come in contact with it quite quickly. Marta Gonzales, one of the researchers involved, explained that, “…a mobile phone virus can spread by two mechanisms: a Bluetooth virus can infect all Bluetooth-activated phones in a 10-30 meter radius, while Multimedia Messaging System (MMS) virus, like many computer viruses, spreads using the address book of the device. Not surprisingly, hybrid viruses, which can infect via both routes, pose the most significant danger.” (ScienceDaily). The researchers also found that the spread of viruses through Bluetooth could eventually affect all mobile phones, but the spread is slow. For this reason, they feel there will be enough time to develop anti-virus software for phones. Viruses can spread much quicker through MMS, but there is still a small amount of phones with the technology.

Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090521161531.htm

Nationwide Academic Experiment

In an attempt to clean up America’s education system, the US government is going to choose a small group of states to participate in an intensive training program – which includes a 5 billion dollar budget. As stated by the nation’s top education, I agree with him when he proposed a nation wide educational program. America is one country, not 50 individual ones. So why do we have 50 separate systems for education; all which differ slightly. However, California’s chances are not looking to great in the overall view. Although many superintendents are pushing for California’s enrollment in the program. However, with budget cuts which lead to less program and instructional hours, it won’t look like California will be helping their lower performing students succeed.

I find it very ironical that states, which need financial help to boost performance, are required to show proof of their success – which is not evident due to the lack of funding in the first place. This is the exact scenario that California is in right now. California desperately needs the extra funding to help the state get back on its feet, but most likely won’t be able to receive it due to the lack of funding in the first place. It’s unthinkable that Governor Schwarzenegger is proposing to reduce the school year by a week. A whole week doesn’t seem a lot, but for a student just entering high school, by the time s/he graduates, that will be one full month of instructional teaching that s/he loses. In my opinion, the government should split the budget according to the state’s population and distribute the funds to all of them.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/22/BAR617PKQK.DTL

Google for Music

Electrical engineers at UC San Diego are working on their music identification system. What adds a new twist to the formula is their efforts at taking a general, genre based approach at music selection. For example, when a user searches for "easy listening", the system will attempt to identify every song in its database that it determines to be "easy listening" and return the results as a recommended list to the user. The key point, of course, is to understand that the software (and to some extent, hardware) will be able to determine the genre by analyzing the digital information that represents the music. 

Apparently, the system had trouble with Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. I can't blame it.

The system will need initial parameters in order to determine what types of music fit into what types of genres. The researchers originally paid students to listen to songs and label them manually, but switched to a new model that involved members of the social-networking site Facebook playing a series of games which accomplishes the same objective. Named Herd-It, the game involves users listening to music, identifying instruments, and finally labeling the songs in order to earn points in a high score table. The closer a player's submission matches the normative answers among all players of the game, the higher the score.

The researchers are also saving money. Hiding a research effort in the guise of a game allows them to utilize a human computer farm at the cost of a few hours of programming.

From A Queen Song To A Better Music Search Engine [Science Daily]

Fire Ants

Fire ants are a pesky sub species of ants which sting to kill instead of just biting like normal ants. They inject a venom which gives a similar effect to being stung by a wasp. Within the past few years, the population of fire ants in the United States has exponential increased. Many researchers say that it’s specifically coming from Mexico and bringing an even stronger venomous sting.

Fire ants, unlike normal ants, are widely accepted as a non beneficial species. Thus, control has been attempted and strived for in order to manage the species’ population. A discovery has been made where a special fly named the phorid flies. These flies are able to easily kill off fire ants through injecting larva eggs into the fire ant’s brain. The larva eats away at the fire ant’s brain and severs the head off by releasing an acid that eats away at the neck. While still in the head, the larva will then hatch, using the hollowed head as shelter, after about 40 days. This process, although sounds great, is an extremely slow process for the amount of fire ants already in existent. One of the more interesting details about the process is that the larva, after injected into the brain, is actually able to control the fire ants. This is one of the few forms of the concept of zombies.

A group of professors have released two separate batches of these phorid flies in the United States last year in hopes of helping control the fire ant population. If the flies fail, there are scientists currently working on alternative methods of killing off the fire ants, such as fungi and viruses.

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090515-zombie-ants-flies.html

Life's Rocky Road: The History of Life on Earth

The Lecture Life’s Rocky Road: The History of Life on Earth was given this past Thursday by Nigel Hughes. The lecture’s theme was that even though we cannot travel into the past to observe things as they actually occurred, we can use things occurring in the present to understand the past. Hughes explained this by pointing out that the number of tree rings on a tree trunk is equal to how old the tree is. The age of a rock can be found by examining the type of fossils that are found within it. Hughes then went on to list the earliest forms of life that we currently know of. The earliest fossils that have been uncovered are 3400 million years old. However, these fossils are on a microscopic scale and cannot be seen with the naked eye. Since then, fossils of other types of bacteria and organisms have been found that help explain the process of growth in plants and animals. An organisms’ fossil estimated to be 570 million years old, is thought to be a very early example of sexual reproduction. It is still unknown whether the organism was a plant or an animal, however it was large enough to be seen with the naked eye. Those that discovered the organism believe it reproduced sexually because of the fossils that were found. The fossil showed groups of large spores next to a cluster of smaller spores. The larger spores seem to represent the older generation while the smaller ones appear to represent the younger generation. Hughes lightly touched on the fact that organisms on earth have extremely similar genes even those with drastically different body types. This is evidence for our common ancestry with other organisms. The lecture concluded with the topic of anthropogenic global warming. The temperatures on earth are rising at an alarming rate and promise to continue to do so. Although all we have to do to continue our run on earth is to adapt, the reality is that most organisms do not adapt in time. Only time will tell whether humans will survive or not.

Do Biofuels Really Help Save the Environment?

The production of ethanol will be increased as a result of a federal requirement. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) requires that the use of ethanol be augmented by the year 2015. “The Energy Independence and Security Act requires the United States to produce 15 billion gallons of corn-derived ethanol annually by 2015 and 16 billion gallons of fuel from cellulosic crops, such as switchgrass, by 2016” (ScienceDaily). However, several professors have found that this increase will have negative consequences. Water and its quality will be affected in particular. First of all, a large quantity of water is necessary to produce ethanol. The researchers involved in the recent study found that corn grown in Nebraska, “…would require 50 gallons of water per mile driven, when all the water needed in irrigation of crops and processing into ethanol is considered” (ScienceDaily). Fuel produced from sorghum grown in Nebraska would require up to 115 gallons of water per mile. The researchers also pointed out that increased demand for ethanol will most likely create more water pollution. This is because of the larger amount of pesticides that will be used to help grow enough crops and because of soil erosion. Dr. Joel G. Burken, one of the researchers involved, knows that it is unlikely that the EISA will be revoked. Instead, the researchers hope that these findings will lead lawmakers to consider other consequences mandates may have. It is important that we help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, but we must be conscious of any “environmental trade-offs” that may result.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090501204627.htm

UCB Hacked

One of the servers at The University of California Berkeley (UCB) has been compromised by hackers. This was not discovered until April 9th of last month and has been going on since October 6th of 2008. It’s amazing how the hackers were able to maintain control of the servers for such a long time of such a big educational institute. It was discovered, by tracing and technological forensic experts, that the hackers originated from China.

The hackers were discovered when a system maintenance worker discovered a message left behind by the hackers. Apparently, it is common for hackers to leave behind secret hidden messages that tell the victim they are being hacked, similar to provoking or playing with the pray. I don’t really understand why they would want to give away the fact that the victim is being hacked since the hackers could have probably maintained control of the server if there were no traces left behind.

It appears that similar incidents has happened before where information has been stolen from UCB, however those cases usually were resolved before anything too major happened. This time, it seems like the thefts got away with 97,000 social security numbers of the staff, facility, and students there. It is also interesting to note that the notifying email sent out to the students and staff warning them of the security breach was not sent out until two days after the discovery of the hacking. Something as major as identity theft should be reported immediately to the victims.


Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090508/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_uc_data_theft

USB 3.0

This entry details the new USB 3.0 standard, with an emphasis on it’s 2.0 standard.

The new USB standard, published at the end of last year and expected to first hit markets at the end of 2009 or early 2010, is a significant improvement over the previous and current version, 2.0. USB 3.0, dubbed “Super-Speed” (as opposed to the previous “High-Speed”), has several important features that will allow it to be adapted into the marked. Probably one of the most important features is backwards compatibility: All current 2.0 devices are usable with the new system. This is accomplished by making two sub systems: one is the 3.0, and one is the 2.0. The two systems are pin compatible, so they share the same USB port. Any 2.0 will be usable with 3.0, and vice versa.

Probably the most notable difference with the new standard is the high speed: 5Gbits/s! Compared to the previous 480 Mbits/s, the speed increase is substantial. The increase is accomplished by adding four more wires to the cable. This will make 3.0 cables substantially larger than the previous 2.0 version, enough so that the different cables can be visually separated.

Another notable change is in the power delivery capabilities of the system. In the prior version, 2.0, devices were guaranteed a maximum of 500 ma, with more negotiable. The threshold has now been raised to 900 ma, with more negotiable. The increase is in recognition of the fact that more and more embedded systems are using USB to charge batteries.

Source: “USB 3.0 SuperSpeed” by José Luis Rupérez Fombellida, published in the May 2009 elector.

Cody

Invisibility Cloaks

In science fiction stories, the power to become invisible is not rare. Perhaps one of the most well known stories where this occurs is Harry Potter. Wizards can disappear from view simply by covering themselves with an invisibility cloak. What was once considered only possible in the realm of science fiction is now closer to becoming a reality. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have developed what they call a “carpet cloak” which allows objects placed underneath it to become undetectable to the eye. The carpet, made from nanostructured silicon, remains visible itself. However, the bulge created by the object hidden underneath appears flat as a beam of light hits the surface of the carpet. Xian Zhang believes that this development can lead to “…manipulating light at will for the creation of powerful new microscopes and faster computers.” Zhang and his team had previously found that complex metamaterials can be used to bend light backwards. The team had attempted to use these metamaterials to achieve invisibility however it could not be done because the metal elements take in a large amount of light. Eventually the team began working with diaelectric materials and created the new “carpet cloak.” Although invisibility of objects currently occurs for light between 1400 and 1800 nanometers is wavelength, Zhang remains hopeful about what can be achieved in the future. “…with more precise fabrication this all dielectric approach to cloaking should yield a material that operates for visible light - in other words, true invisibility to the naked eye.” (ScienceDaily).

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090501154143.htm

Proofreading CPS

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) encompasses all instances of interaction between a physical object and some computational portion of that object in the modern world. A specific example of a CPS would be the interaction between an airplane and its collision detection system.

As with any piece of computer software, a given design with an apparent flaw will ideally be fixed to working order in while still in the design stage. If the flaws proceed into the manufacturing state, then the only way to find those flaws would be to employ trial-and-error. In the case of an airplane collision detection system, such trials would be expensive, time-consuming and ultimately impractical.

A research team at Carnegie Mellon have developed a piece of software that, provided with some initial parameters, will attempt to find a counterexample which illustrates a flaw in a given design. For example, an airplane on a collision course with another airplane will recieve evasion instructions from its collision detection system in order to avoid a universally fatal plane crash. The software, after recieving the parameters of the collision detection system, will attempt to find a scenario where the two planes will crash into each other.

Employing typical "brute-force" methods to this problem would be a computational nightmare, if not outright impossible. This is due to the infinitely many variables present in the real world that can affect the outcome of the system. The method employed in the software attempts to bypass this difficulty by extrapolating "differential invariants", or basic pieces of the problem that never change regardless of the variables. Using the many differential invariants in the collision problem, the software will attempt to piece together a counterexample or prove that the design is sound when no such counterexample can exist.

The latter is obviously the difficult part.

Method For Verifying Safety Of Computer-controlled Devices Developed [Science Daily]

Magazine Rundown

I thought that I’d give a rundown of some of the magazines that I read regularly. This isn’t all of them, but a summary of the ones that I have on hand. There isn’t any particular order.

Seed: This is a science magazine. I like this magazine for the somewhat new age articles that they run, with enough in-depth analysis to be interesting but not overwhelming.

Circuit Cellar: This is a computer and electrical engineering magazine. This is a rather advanced publication, without too much emphasis on beginning students. It focuses on specific architectures and applications (within an article). It’s a good magazine for learning some of the more traditional techniques.

Servo: This is an (in my opinion) amateur robotics magazine. The articles are clearly made for a beginner, without very much depth. It’s interesting in a “getting back to basics” sort of way, but not something that you can learn too much from.

American Scientist: This is my favorite science magazine. It covers all sorts of science and engineering, and has in particular two columns that I look forward to: Computing Science and Engineering. The magazine presents excellent analysis on current topics.

IEEE Spectrum: This magazine is the IEEE general interest magazine. It lacks the significant depths of the more specific journals, but it generally has interesting articles of a tech forum category.

Elector: This electronics magazine is well formatted, and perhaps that’s why I like it. The articles are generally fairly in depth (a little less than Circuit Cellar), but it’s a well published magazine.

Scientific American: This magazine is a bastion of the science magazines that I read. It’s a little too Pop-Sci to be truly reputable, but it has intermediate level articles that with some dedication can be well to read.

Nuts and Volts: I like this electronics engineering magazine for the well written and informative articles. There isn’t anything overwhelming here, but the contributors generally provide a good analysis of modern electronics (the breadboard kind), and it does have a column that occasionally deals with the Propeller that I like.

Communications of the ACM: I really like this Computer Science magazine. It has (basically) journal articles that are cleaned up to the density, and republished with more pictures. This is a good magazine in which to learn a specific topic in computing.

Make Magazine: This magazine (really almost a soft cover book) is a hobbyist technology magazine. It’s almost what Popular Mechanics was back in the day, before it was corrupted by bad articles. Make has many unique and interesting projects that, while I’ll never build most of them, are inspiring to do something of my own. Add in the culture that they nourish, and it’s an enjoyable read. Think Portland.

Cheers,

Cody

US Pollution

A recent survey has ranked Bakersfield, California as the most polluted city in all of America. Originally ranked third a just last year, Bakersfield now has surpassed both Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. Surprisingly, when interviewed, local citizens of Bakersfield say that the smog in the city actually contributes to their way of life. Located and surrounded by farming lands in Central Valley, the large amount of smog has numerous amounts of contributing factors. Since it is surrounded by vast amounts of farmland, most of the machinery used to manage the farms, such as tractors and planes, emit large quantities of smog. The mist from the fertilizers and pesticides, which greatly protect our crops, also contribute greatly to the increasing pollution. Not only does the farming lifestyle contribute to the smog but so does the natural environment and geographic location of the town. Because it is located within a valley, it’s surrounded on three of its four sides by large mountains. This essentially boxes in the town and forces all the bad air to the ground – and keeps it there. Also, due to the mountains, there is little to no wind to carry the polluted air away.

Although there have been plans to help reduce and prevent pollution, there are limitations that the town does not have control over. It’s also known that cleaning up the air and adding regulations and the sort costs a large amount of fees. Even though corporations like Apple and Google are adapting green policies, cities around America will continue to pollute itself.