"Despite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage." Haven't heard this song in awhile, feeling in tune with the lyrics at the moment.

Physicist Proposes New Method for Quantum Propulsion

According to quantum mechanics, any vacuum will be filled with electromagnetic waves leaping in and out of existence. This approach exploits aspects of quantum vacuum to create propulsive force. Article is on MIT's Technology Review.

Single-Atom Transistor Discovered

Science Daily reports that a research team has succeeded in building a working transistor "whose active region composes only of a single phosphorus atom in silicon". This research is working towards enabling quantum computing, with the idea of utilizing the spin degree of freedom of an electron of the phosphorus donor as a quantum bit, a qubit.


The researchers were able to observe in their experiments spin up and down states for a single phosphorus donor for the first time. This is a crucial step towards the control of these states, that is, the realization of a qubit.

A particularly interesting thought mentioned in the story that isn't heard often outside of the scientific community is that "the rapid development of computers, which created the present information society, has been mainly based on the reduction of the size of transistors." In other words, much of our way of life in the 21st century is substantially due to the historical and ongoing miniaturization of transistors.

Usability defined

I ran across a very good definition of usability from Jakob Nielsen:

"a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use. The word 'usability' also refers to methods for improving ease-of-use during the design process." He defines five quality components of usability:
• Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design?
• Efficiency: Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?
• Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they reestablish proficiency?
• Errors: How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors?
• Satisfaction: How pleasant is it to use the design?"

I'm done, lets start the weekend.

Check out this global Map of Social Web Involvement http://ping.fm/LSA97

Superconductivity Achieved at Household Freezer Temperatures

Superconductor.org reports that superconductivity was achieved in a compound called 242K at 254 degrees Kelvin, which is about -2 degrees Fahrenheit.

Only about 74 degrees F away now from room temperature superconductors, superconducting batteries, etc.

What's Augmented Reality's Killer App?

Kristina Grifantini writes in MIT's Technology Review about Augmented Reality and cell phones, but doesn't really answer the question posed in the story's title.

Researchers plan to offer more than just directions with innovations in software and hardware.

First paragraph: "Augmented reality (AR), which involves superimposing virtual objects and information on top of the real world, may be coming to a phone near you. As mobile phones become packed with more sensors, better video capabilities, and faster processing power, many experts predict that AR will become increasingly common. But in a panel discussion today at EmTech@MIT in Cambridge, MA, panelists will admit that several obstacles still remain and that the "killer app" for augmented reality has yet to emerge."

Is the Singularity A Load of Crap?

Alfred Nordmann writing in IEEE Spectrum seems to think so.

According to Mr. Nordmann "The story of the Singularity is sweeping, dramatic, simple--and wrong". He makes some good points around the acceleration of technological progress. However, his arguments seem anecdotal in nature, and are counter to my own experience working in the world of Internet businesses.

The most common definition of the Singularity is "the technological creation of smarter-than-human intelligence". My opinion is that this event is inevitable, the question is timing. If one assumes that technological progress continues at a linear pace and not an accelerating one, the Singularity would still occur, just at a point farther off in time.

Read the first portion of the article below, click through for the rest:

BY Alfred Nordmann // June 2008

This is part of IEEE Spectrum's SPECIAL REPORT: THE SINGULARITY

"Take the idea of exponential technological growth, work it through to its logical conclusion, and there you have the singularity. Its bold incredibility pushes aside incredulity, as it challenges us to confront all the things we thought could never come true—the creation of superintelligent, conscious organisms, nanorobots that can swim in our bloodstreams and fix what ails us, and direct communication from mind to mind. And the pièce de résistance: a posthuman existence of disembodied uploaded minds, living on indefinitely without fear, sickness, or want in a virtual paradise ingeniously designed to delight, thrill, and stimulate.

This vision argues that machines will become conscious and then perfect themselves, as described elsewhere in this issue. Yet for all its show of tough-minded audacity, the argument is shot through with sloppy reasoning, wishful thinking, and irresponsibility. Infatuated with statistics and seduced by the power of extrapolation, ­singularitarians abduct the moral imagination into a speculative no-man’s-land. To be sure, they are hardly the first to spread fanciful technological prophecies, but among enthusiasts and doomsayers alike their ­proposition enjoys an inexplicable popularity. Perhaps the real question is how they have gotten away with it."

Click here for the rest of the article

Augmented Reality in a Contact Lens

From IEEE Spectrum

A new generation of contact lenses built with very small circuits and LEDs promises bionic eyesight.

BY Babak A. Parviz // September 2009

The human eye is a perceptual powerhouse. It can see millions of colors, adjust easily to shifting light conditions, and transmit information to the brain at a rate exceeding that of a high-speed Internet connection.

But why stop there?

In the Terminator movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character sees the world with data superimposed on his visual field—virtual captions that enhance the cyborg’s scan of a scene. In stories by the science fiction author Vernor Vinge, characters rely on electronic contact lenses, rather than smartphones or brain implants, for seamless access to information that appears right before their eyes.

Click through for the rest of the story

Life Expectancy in the USA has Increased and Total Deaths have Fallen

From Next Big Future, original post here


The preliminary number of deaths in the United States for 2007 was 2,423,995, representing a decrease of 2,269 from the 2006 total. The crude death rate of 803.7 per 100,000 population was 0.83 percent less than the rate of 810.4 per 100,000 in 2006. The estimated age-adjusted death rate, which accounts for changes in the age distribution of the population, reached a record low of 760.3 per 100,000 U.S. standard population, 2.1 percent lower than the 2006 rate of 776.5. illustrates the pattern of decline in both crude and age-adjusted death rates from 1980 through 2007. In 2007, age-adjusted death rates decreased from 2006 by 2.1 percent for males and by 2.2 percent for females. All of the sex, race, and Hispanic origin groups described in this report showed significant decreases in the age-adjusted death rate in 2007 from 2006, with the exception of AIAN males, who experienced a decrease that was not statistically significant.

Michael Darling at the Speculist rightly points out that these statistics are really for the actual life expectancy of people born around 1929 who ended up in America at the time of their death. Average age of death of those who died in 2007. Back in 1929 the estimate of life expectancy was 58, which was the actual of amount of life expectancy for people born in 1871. So people born in 1929 did 21 years better than those born in 1871. How will those born in 2009 actually do in terms of average lifespan ? Probably a lot better than 78 years. How about the average of the likely number of years of life left for people who are now 40 ? It is a lot more than 38 years because those alive now at 40 have made it past all infant and childhood and early adult risks. If you do a few things right (don't smoke, drink only in moderation, exercise, get checkups and know your family medical history and actively work to prevent or detect your personal risks) then you have a very good chance of making to 90+ years of age even without breakthroughs.

Nanotube Based Super Muscles

Pretty incredible stuff - very lightweight and stronger than steel, but can expand and contract incredibly fast when a current is applied, generating "30 times as much force as natural muscle".

Bionics, here we come! Full story here on Discover.

More about Nanotubes: 9 Ways Carbon Nanotubes Just Might Rock the World

The Army has a New Helicopter Sniper Drone

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/04/army-tests-new.html

HULC Exoskeleton from Lockheed Getting Closer to Viability

Nuclear Bomb Powered Spacecraft

I have read at least two science-fiction novels that featured the concept of spacecraft powered by nuclear explosions, but this is the first scientific paper that I have seen discuss the idea, full version can be seen here at Next Big Future.

Who Owns More Cars than Anyone Else in the World?

It's not the Americans, as most would think, we are not even close. Turns out to be the people of Luxembourg, owning 647 cars for every 1000 people. The USA comes in 16th at about 460 per thousand. See the original story here at the Economist.com.

Russian Kleptocracy

Hows this for scary stats:

The government in Moscow estimates the Russian mafia controls 40% of private business and 60% of state-owned companies.

Unofficial sources say 80% of Russian banks are controlled either directly or indirectly by criminals.
Source

Interesting surf trail to follow:
Russian mafia

Chechen Mafia


Murder of American journalist Paul Klebnikov

One particularly disturbing note - as I was doing the research on this topic, I received some sort of malware attack. I don't know if it is related, but I wouldn't put it past either Putin or his mob buddies to set some traps out there just to discourage those who might be digging for info. Not that I'm paranoid or anything.

40 Days of Freedom - the Kengir Uprising

I read today of a fascinating historical event, the Kengir uprising, and am surprised that a movie has not yet been about Kengir. It would make for exciting, dramatic, and ultimately tragic material.

In May and June of 1954 the prisoners in a Soviet prison labor camp called Kengir in what is now Kazakhstan rebelled against their captors and seized the entire camp. They had 40 days of glorious freedom, until the uprising was finally crushed by the authorities.

What makes this especially interesting is that most of the prisoners were there for political reasons, and as a result what they did with their short-lived freedom is nothing short of remarkable. Art, music, and democratic government all flourished during until the end of the 40 days.

Nobel laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn chronicled the Kengir uprising in his book the Gulag Archipelago, which I personally intend to obtain and read soon. One particularly chilling fact from this book - more than 25% of the entire population of Leningrad was sent to the Gulag's between 1930-1939.

I'm back

I have been buried at work for the last month and took a hiatus, but am now ready to roll again, mucho posts in the next few days.

Up first, Next Big Future's summary of 2008's key advances in technology and developments to watch over the next year or so:

Computers, Robotic and Communication Developments to Watch in 2009 and a Little Beyond

DNA/biotech/synthetic biology, nanotechnology topics are here
Energy and transportation

The Science of the Future of War

Book excerpt from Wired:

TODAY'S MOST BRUTAL WARS are also the most primal. They are fought with machetes in West Africa, with fire and rape and fear in Darfur, and with suicide bombs and improvised explosive devices in Israel, Iraq, and elsewhere. But as horrifying as these conflicts are, they are not the greatest threat to our survival as a species. We humans are a frightening animal. Throughout our species’s existence, we have used each new technology we have developed to boost the destructive power of our ancient predisposition for killing members of our own species. From hands and teeth tearing at isolated individuals, to coordinated raids with clubs and bows and arrows, to pitched battles, prolonged sieges, and on into the age of firearms, the impulse has remained the same but as the efficiency of our weapons has increased, the consequences have grown ever more extreme.

The evidence of history is that no advance which can be applied to the killing of other human beings goes unused. As scientific knowledge continues to explode, it would be naïve, to expect any different. As if we needed any more reasons to confront the role of warfare in our lives, the present supply and future potential of WMDs should convince us that the time has come once and for all to bring our long, violent history of warring against each other to an end.

The nineteenth century was dominated by discoveries in chemistry, from dyes to dynamite. The twentieth century belonged to physics, from subatomic particles and black holes to nuclear weapons. The twenty-first century is set to see great advances in biological knowledge, from our growing understanding of the genome and stem cells to, it’s a shame to say, new and expanded forms of ...

Click here to read the rest of the article