We all use them, those handy little gadgets that make it so easy to transfer media from one computer to another.
USB’s are also a prime source of spreading infections between machines and in this case into orbit.
Topic at SpaceRef Space, a news website.
NASA Discovers Computer Virus Aboard the International Space Station
W32.Gammima.AG worm is a level 0 gaming virus intended to gather personal information. Virus was never a threat to any of the computers used for cmd and cntl and no adverse effect on ISS Ops. Theory is virus either in initial software load or possibly transferred from personal compact flash card. Working with Russians (and other partners) regarding ground procedures to protect flown equipment in the future. It was noted that most of the IP laptops and some of the payload laptops do NOT provide virus protection/detection software.
NASA spokesperson Kelly Humphries was quoted by Wired’s Ryan Singel, “This is not the first time we have had a worm or a virus, it’s not a frequent occurrence, but this isn’t the first time.”
Thursday, July 17 2008, the world’s first commercial-scale tidal turbine briefly delivered electricity into the UK’s national grid.
SeaGen was designed and built by the Bristol based tidal energy company Marine Current Turbines (MCT).
2. SeaGen works in principle much like an “underwater windmill” with the rotors driven by the power of the tidal currents rather than the wind. Strangford Lough has a highly energetic tide race and so is recognised as one of the main tidal “hotspots” in UK and Irish waters. Other areas are the waters off Anglesey, the Pentland Firth and the Channel Islands.
SeaGen Project
MCT-Turning The Tide
GreenPeace - Renewable energy
Now researchers at Intel believe that they can double a laptop’s battery life without changing the battery itself. Instead, they would optimize power management–system wide–of the operating system, screen, mouse, chips inside the motherboard, and devices attached to USB ports.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/20901/?a=f
An extensive genetic study suggests human beings were close to extinction 150,000 years ago.
Perhaps as few as 2,000 individuals split into small groups living in isolation for nearly a hundred thousand years before regrouping and migrating out of Africa.
Studies using mitochondrial DNA which is passed down through mothers, have traced modern humans to a single mitochondrial female, living in Africa about 200,000 years ago.
Separate Ways
Around 200,000 years ago, modern humans emerged as a distinct species. All people alive today can trace their ancestry back to these humans, according to previous studies.
By the time the first great migrations out of Africa began, around 60,000 years ago, humanity had split into distinct populations with unique genetic lineages.
So what happened between 200,000 years ago and 60,000 years ago?
National Geographic News
Google Sky was formerly available only within the Google Earth software, but with the launch of the web version your browser can become a virtual telescope, zooming and panning across the cosmos.
- Powerful search that lets you browse tens of thousands of named objects.
- Three optical sky surveys that show you what your naked eye would see if it had a really good zoom lens. Try switching to infrared, microwave, ultraviolet, or x-ray to see the sky in a completely different light. Or blend between these views to create unique visualizations on the fly.
- Galleries highlighting the best images from Hubble and many other telescopes.
- Current planet positions and constellations.
- Overlays of custom KML content. (Simply paste a Sky KML URL into the search box, just like on Google Maps.)
- Last but not least, the Earth & Sky podcasts gallery is not to be missed, particularly for those who run a classroom.
Google Lat Long Blog
Technology Review magazine published its annual list of the top ten emerging technologies, posed as most likely to change the way we live.
The TR10 technologies are: Probabilistic Chips, NanoRadio, Wireless Power, Atomic Magnetometers, Offline Web Applications, Graphene Transistors, Connectomics, Reality Mining, Cellulolytic Enzymes.
Technology Review 10, March/April edition.
