Google Going After Twitter: Google Could Unveil Gmail's Social Features Tomorrow http://ping.fm/sn3O4

My first ever mid-air status update! Like the mile-high club, but much less fun. The last bastion of solitude is now gone with inflight wifi

Found this a little late for Christmas, but interesting nonethelesss: Scientist deduces physics behind Santa's sleigh ride - from Small Times http://ping.fm/fRpuJ

Why no Flash on iPad or iPhone? (thanks to Tripp Wiggins for the tip) http://ping.fm/dpheG

Feeding the iPad Frenzy

Yudu is quick out of the gate with a white paper comparing all current and soon to be forthcoming major e-readers including the iPad along with some commentary regarding the e-publishing industry. Clearly there is a little cheerleading involved as rapid market adoption of e-readers is certainly favorable for Yudu, but one quote did strike me: “every fifth book now sold in U.S. is now sold as an ebook” according to the U.S. Book Industry Study Group.

Vampires apparently have it right - blood from younger mice reverse signs of aging http://ping.fm/auGaO

The Apple iPad: It's just ahead of its time | Molly Rants - CNET News http://ping.fm/UOQbV

The Apple Tablet Interface Must Be Like This - apple tablet - Gizmodo (a lengthy discertation) http://ping.fm/Lh9IU

With Redesign, Reuters.com Goes After Consumer Audience, interesting approach, they only 3 add positions on most pages http://ping.fm/sEq8s

Could Humans Detonate the Sun?

A Russian scientist has advanced a theory that we could indeed "nova" the sun utilizing thermonuclear weapons (nod to Next Big Future). This would require new technology to enable delivery of the warhead deep into the sun, but given the pace of technological development it's not outside the realm of possibility within 50 years or less.

I'm not competent to judge the soundness of his science, but I am bit skeptical. One reason is that objects of significant size traveling at great speeds and therefore delivering massive amounts of energy impact the sun on a semi-frequent basis and as far as we now haven't produced any catastrophic results.

A decent size asteroid smacking into the sun would likely produce energies orders of magnitude greater than a current day thermonuclear detonation. Additionally, one composed substantially of typical metals such as iron/nickel would likely penetrate a reasonable distance into the sun before dissipating.

10 Sci-Fi Weapons That Actually Exist

Cool story from Wired on advanced weaponry

Nanocapacitors could be the next big step in energy storage - and in explosives

According to Dr. Alfred W. Hubler, Director of the Center for Complex Systems Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, nanocapacitors i.e. digital batteries could store substantially more energy than chemical systems. Dr. Hubler states "The maximum density of retrievable energy in nano capacitors is comparable with the density of retrievable energy from nuclear reactions."

They could also have potential as explosives "The rapid energy release of nano capacitors discharged by an electrical short makes them potent explosives, potentially exceeding the power of any chemical explosive."

You can read Dr. Hubler's article here and find some interesting conversation on this topic at Next Big Future.

Oregon profs plan giant robotic space cockroach warriors, http://tiny.cc/Nwap0. I love the sarcasm from the Register!

"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.