Just in case you have not come across this well publicized report already, head on over to the BBC’s article detailing how an Australian man was caught by the police and subsequently fined for having alcohol in the car. No, not some USA-like charge of having an open container in a moving vehicle, this driver had decided it was more important to use the remaining seat belt in the back of his car to secure a crate of beer, rather than the five year old child! Whilst we’re on the topic of Australia, we won’t be seeing DavidG this week, as he is away, and also, don’t forget to check out AlexC’s blog – Dryad Musings. Recent posts have covered her photography project, the diverse range of nature around her, their new transport, and Australia’s flavour of Big Brother!
May 13 2008
Wrinkly Teens Rejoicing
At least those that smoke and live in Japan they are…
The BBC have a report on how Japanese cigarette vending machine companies are coping with a new law. (Did you know you have to be over 20 to buy fags there?!?). Anyway, pretty soon, any companies responsible for selling tobacco products to under age consumers can be fined, even if the sale is automatic, rather than in a shop with a real live sales assistant.
The idea is that onboard cameras will check the face of the purchaser, and if they don’t have the right sags, wrinkles and facial structure of someone who is at least 20, the machine will ask for ID to approve the sale. This does raise the question of how the machine would ever know if one (old looking) person in a young group was to purchase multiple packs for their baby-faced friends, but it is a start…
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Apr 30 2008
More Power Generation
Following on from the previous post, we have another article from the BBC on innovative ways to harvest power from activities people already carry out. This one is all about utilizing a potentially huge source of energy – children. As mothers everywhere will attest, kids can sometimes seem to run around all day, with no specific aim, and all this energy can now help charge electrical cells (batteries), to power lights etc. into the evening, where villages aren’t on a power grid already. Obviously remote locations in Africa where what the inventor had in mind, but the uses could well spread far and wide – in terms of eco-friendly power, you could create systems to light up childrens play areas in the west, without relying on conventional electricity systems, which involve burning fossil fuels, or nuclear power.
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Apr 29 2008
Kazakh Pride
Check out this video from the BBC for a report on how Kazakhstan is aiming to revive its national identity. I have not heard any more news about the President’s aim to have the Kazakh language written with Latin style letters, rather than Cyrillic (???? ???? ??? ??????? :)), though other former Soviet-ruled territories have made the change in the past.
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Apr 25 2008
Not So Volatile
In case you have not already come across this recently, the BBC have an article on the fact that information stored in your computer’s RAM is not lost the moment you turn your PC off. Given that some passwords, and even contents of some documents that are otherwise encrypted (on the hard drive) are stored in RAM, this has security implications for many companies, and even some private individuals. Check out the link for more details, but basically a team has created some software that can be used whilst booting from a CD or thumbdrive, which can automatically search for, then extract, passwords and other sensitive information.
I did notice one error in the piece though – “… or while it is in sleeping or hibernation mode,” said Professor Felten. In these modes the laptop is not running, but information is still stored in RAM to allow it to “wake up” quickly.” Now unless I’ve misunderstood hibernation mode entirely, you will not find information permanently stored there. For me at least, the whole point of hibernation is that you can completely remove the power source for your PC, and still have it wake up very quickly when you do turn it on once more. If the information was actually left in RAM, then your PC would boot up correctly after you had removed and then later reattached the power lead. Anyway, still an interesting read IMO.
Apr 21 2008
You Are Feeling Sleepy – I Am Feeling Rich!
Imagine you are a Paul McKenna type hypnotist . Now suppose you don’t earn a lot of money selling lose weight / stop smoking / self belief DVDs. What would be next on your list of money making schemes?
Well, one guy in Italy has been caught dipping his hands into shop tills, right in front of the cashiers! The BBC have some details, and you can check the video here to see the guy working his ‘magic’. So, when out and about in Italy, if any of your conversations start involving lines like ‘count backwards from ten’, then you need to make a move, quickly 😉
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Apr 13 2008
Peter Kay As An Absorbalof Again
I know, I know, I originally posted this video 18 months ago, but it has just been shown on BBC Prime, and I still think this is one of the best Dr Who episodes ever, certainly of the modern series. It is taken from the end of Series 2, Episode 10 (Love and Monsters), and I just love this little monologue section.
Mar 13 2008
Greens Embrace Military Technology?
Technology that has previously been used to mark out minefields may have found a new use in life – keeping (some) sea life out of fishing nets. The BBC article describes how the animals that use sonar for navigation could be helped by making it obvious that the net involved some physical barrier; currently the nets do not bounce enough sonar back to the animal, and so can entangle, and slowly kill dolphins, porpoises, smaller whales etc.
Previously, battery powered devices were used to mark out mine fields, however these have obvious drawbacks when the battery runs out and needs replacing.
Mar 13 2008
Running On Air?
That’s a pretty impressive claim for a car, no? Well the BBC has a report on such vehicle. The premise is reasonably simple – filled a tank with compressed air, and then use that pressure to power the engine. It is more of a hybrid car TBH, as it can also use more traditional liquid based fuels to increase its range, and performance. Check out the video for a demonstration. Obviously it will need to pass safety tests, and I’d be particularly interested to find out how well the carbon fibre tank for storing the compressed air will survive side impacts etc., but that said, it certainly looks like a promising direction for the motor industry to be facing.
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