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beantown179

Technology

Decoded Corn Genome Promises Higher Yields, Better Biofuels, New Plastics

By Stuart Fox Posted on 11.19.2009 3 Comments
With its annual output of over 330 million tons a year feeding animals, running cars, and decorating South Dakota tourist attractions, maize is clearly Americas most important crop. That's why the newly published complete corn genome could drastically change the food, automotive and plastic industries.

11.21.2009 at 12:03pm - Comment by beantown179

God - spelled with a capital G. I'm atheist but I'm not rude. Can we get an editor over here? Anyone?
Technology

IBM's Blue Gene Supercomputer Models a Cat's Entire Brain

By Jeremy Hsu Posted on 11.18.2009 26 Comments
Cats may retain an aura of mystery about their smug selves, but that could change with scientists using a supercomputer to simulate the the feline brain. That translates into 144 terabytes of working memory for the digital kitty mind.

11.21.2009 at 10:15am - Comment by beantown179

The comments are fascinating and in a funny way - Brian H nailed it. With advancements today - we'll miniaturize this down to something easier to transport. Maybe by then they will have improved upon the logic, the intelligence and the processing power so that they can make a dog. YES!!! Canine lovers unite!
Technology

Happy 40th Birthday, Internet! Five Milestones in the Ever-Evolving History of the Web

By Stuart Fox Posted on 10.29.2009 8 Comments
Yes, hard to believe, but it was 40 years ago today that the first two nodes of what would become Arpanet connected, thus beginning the Internet As We Know It. In the ensuing four decades, the Internet would change our world as profoundly as radio and the printing press had before it. So to celebrate, we’ve compiled five milestones in the Internet's young life.

10.31.2009 at 08:38am - Comment by beantown179

It's a shame that you didn't actually use the Internet to research how the Internet came to be 40 years old. For all of you Al Gore haters... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Gore_and_information_technology Helps clarify a few things.
DIY

Mesmerizing Tube Bender Looks Like It's Pooping Steel

By Vin Marshall Posted on 10.23.2009 5 Comments
Bent tubing is key. Roll cages need it. Tube frame chassis need it. Even the storage arrangement for my welding clamps needed it. There are a number of ways to go about bending tubing. Rotary draw benders like the Hossfeld Universal bender make a tight bend at one point. Three-roll benders create more gradual curves. But none of them compare to this automated CNC tube bender that just spits out steel in any shape you want. I could watch it all day.

10.23.2009 at 06:09pm - Comment by beantown179

Yes I'm with the both of you. Seriously bending tube is difficult without fine sand to help you out. But pooping? Who has poop for brains in making that the headline. What poophead thought that was professional. Can we cut this poop and try to focus on something a little more above board? I mean really...what kind of poopy editing is happening here.
Science

Singularity Summit 2009: Ten Unanswered Questions For Our Future Robot Overlords

By Stuart Fox Posted on 10.7.2009 20 Comments
While I undoubtedly learned a lot at the Singularity Summit, the conference's greatest benefit was the questions it didn't answer. Unresolved issues regarding the Singularity have provided a lot of philosophical grist for my admittedly limited intellectual mill, and working through those problems has been as exciting as any talk I saw at the Summit. To wrap up our coverage of the Singularity Summit, I'm going to count down my ten most vexing unanswered questions about Kurzweil's theoretical baby, the eventual merge of human and artificial intellifnece, and I am interested to hear any opinions, questions or (hopefully) answers you all have about any or all of these still unexplained facets of our future.

10.7.2009 at 03:14pm - Comment by beantown179

In answer to the question how will they kill us? It won't be nukes - the emp I bet would wipe out their systems. And they won't go chemical - the chemicals could affect their systems as well. Biological is out - by the time we reach the singularity, we'll be using biological components in the processors. No they will create 12 human look alikes, and take us out the old fashioned way. And yes I just saw BSG again.
Technology

VASIMR Plasma Rocket Passes Power Test, Announces Launch Date

By Jeremy Hsu Posted on 10.5.2009 16 Comments
Spacecraft headed to Mars or beyond may harness a new source of propulsion that could refuel almost anywhere in the solar system. Last week, the VASIMR prototype plasma rocket achieved 200 kilowatts of power, the milestone the team was striving for. Now they are beginning development of a flight-capable version, slated for launch in 2013.

10.7.2009 at 11:33am - Comment by beantown179

I just read an article that this would shrink the trip to mars to about 39 days. Is that true and if so - why isn't that in this article. Let's make this practical - we just made mars a reality. Submariners spend 6 months in a tiny capsule...39 days is cake. Can anyone confirm?
Technology

Dread Zeppelin: The Army's New Surveillance Blimp

By Dan Smith Posted on 6.9.2009 22 Comments
Since the airship glory days of the early part of the century, blimps have certainly lost some of their cachet, relegated to hovering over sporting events and not much else. However, the Army is about to test launch an unmanned hybrid airship to be used for surveillance missions in Afghanistan.

9.5.2009 at 09:04am - Comment by beantown179

Up here in the Boston metro area - something like this could be used for our cell towers. Some residential areas don't want the towers in their back yards so pop this up there and you are all set. I would imagine anywhere there are helicopters - this could come into play. How expensive are they to build? So using this in for military surveillance and comm is not to different than over here. Plus you can probably reduce the radar signature and throw some anti-missile defense systems on board. Put on some solar panels up top and add in the power source. But I agree with the one poster - another blimp getting shot down by someone who doesn't think blimps are sexy and cool.
The Environment

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Seeks To Sue EPA Over Global Warming

By Stuart Fox Posted on 8.25.2009 57 Comments
In an attempt to head off new emissions standards, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is threatening to sue the Environmental Protection Agency. The Chamber is calling it the Scopes Monkey Trial of the 21st Century, and wants to put the evidence supporting global warming on trial in a court of law.

8.29.2009 at 10:16pm - Comment by beantown179

MITej - just...I'm sorry. Just shake your head and yeah it's like talking to a rock. You nailed it with the "wow" comment. I just move on. Perhaps we all should.
Technology

Launch Your Own Personal Satellite

By Dan Smith Posted on 8.4.2009 5 Comments
Ever wanted to launch your own satellite into low earth orbit, then track it on ham radio for a few weeks before it burns up on re-entry? Well, 52 years after the launch of Sputnik, you can. Interorbital Systems is offering YOU the chance (by the end of 2010) to send up a TubeSat Personal Satellite Kit for the low introductory price of just $8,000.

8.4.2009 at 09:17pm - Comment by beantown179

So an email or file server that sits in space. Who has legal jurisdiction over this?
Technology

The Massive Ordnance Penetrator Will Be the Largest Non-Nuclear Bomb Ever

By Dan Smith Posted on 8.3.2009 25 Comments
The Pentagon is trying to speed up the deployment of an ultra-large bunker-busting bomb, which would constitute the largest non-nuclear bomb the U.S. has ever used. The Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, is a 30,000-pound bomb that would dive deeper than any previous bomb, and could be strapped to B-2 or B-52 bombers by July of 2010.

8.4.2009 at 09:12pm - Comment by beantown179

I'm curious how well this works. I've heard that many bunkers are far far deeper than any bomb could reach. I also heard that most of the bunker busting bombs used in the Iraq war did not work. The china was still on the shelves (next to the Swedish, German and French electronic equipment.) But booms are always fun.