Sunday, July 24, 2005

Book of the Week: "Accelerando" by Charles Stross

Keywords: Charles Stross, technological singularity

Accelerando review in Library Journal:
"Manfred Macx, a 21st-century intelligence amplification entrepreneur, lives partly in the physical world and partly in the virtual world of artificial intelligences, the Internet, biotechnology, and molecular nanotechnology. His 12-year-old daughter Amber, who seeks independence from her controlling mother, indentures herself to a company aiming to extract a fortune from the resources of Jupiter. Decades later, Amber's son Sirhan, a victim of multiple virtual childhoods, researches his dysfunctional family and uncovers a sinister new life form that threatens the continuation of biological life in the universe.

Expanding on his award-winning short story cycle that appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, Stross (Singularity Sky) reveals a vision of the future that encompasses and expands on the newest technologies and explores the possibilities of humanity's future. Joining the ranks of William Gibson (Neuromancer), Neal Stephenson (Snow Crash), and Bruce Sterling (Schismatrix), Stross fuses ideas and characters with cheerful abandon and creates a high-tech galactic adventure that belongs in most libraries."
Source: Accelerando

Blogs:
Accelerando - Technorati
Accelerando - BlogPulse
Accelerando - Feedster
Accelerando - IceRocket
Accelerando - Bloglines

Friday, July 15, 2005

Cold Fusion is back?

Keywords: cold fusion

"A very reputable, very careful group of scientists at the University of Los Angeles (Brian Naranjo, Jim Gimzewski, Seth Putterman) has initiated a fusion reaction using a laboratory device that's not much bigger than a breadbox, and works at roughly room temperature. This time, it looks like the real thing."
Source: Christian Science Monitor
[via TJ's Weblog]



News:
Purdue Findings Support Earlier Nuclear Fusion Experiments - ScienceDaily

Blogs:
Energy Blogs - The World 2 Come

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Wikipedia vs. Google

Keywords: Wikipedia, wiki, Google, open source

"Wikipedia is an open source attack on Google.

Wikipedia is an open source search engine that lets anyone implicitly modify the search algorithm because it lets anyone modify the results of the search.

Wikipedia is an open source web service that lets anyone improve what may be the most advanced search algorithm on the web.

If I want to learn about San Francisco, I could type 'San Francisco' into Google and see what Google’s computers spew out. I can trudge through the results and hopefully find what I want if I spend enough time.

Or I can go to Wikipedia and read an article about San Francisco that has been collaboratively written by experts on the topic. The article ends with a list of authoritative links to more information on San Francisco.

Google uses closed-source, proprietary algorithms to give you information about a subject. Wikipedia uses open-source collaboration to give you better information on that subject."
Source: Nivi

"Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
Source: Google

Discussion:
AlwaysOn
Google Finance and Business Operations - WebmasterWorld

Reviews:
Profile - Wikipedia - TechCrunch

Audio:
Jimmy Wales - IT Conversations
Jimmy Wales - ETech 2005 - IT Conversations

News:
The Book Stops Here - Wired

Tags:
Wikipedia - Technorati

Blogs:
Wikipedia:Wikipedia in blogs - Wikipedia
Wikipedia Blog
Many-to-Many
Ross Mayfield's Weblog

Learn:
How Wikis Work - Howstuffworks

Monday, July 11, 2005

Interview of the Day: John Battelle

Image: Google Blogoscoped

"This is the final interview in the Boing Boing Bubble Gum Card series. John Battelle is known as the Band Manager of the group. However, he’s way more than that, he is a cofounding editor of Wired and the founder of The Industry Standard, as well as TheStandard.com. He is currently program chair for the Web 2.0 conference for O’Reilly, a columnist for Business 2.0, and the founder, chairman, and publisher of his new company Federated Media Publishing, Inc. His book, The Search is just about to be published, and he runs the Searchblog. We talk about his background and his current projects from his wooden floored office near the Bay."
Source: The Gadget Show - ThePodcastNetwork
[via Google Blogoscoped]

Blogs:
John Battelle - Technorati

Audio:
John Battelle - Gillmor Gang

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Person of the Day: Nikola Tesla

"Nikola Tesla was an inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer. He is often regarded as one of the greatest engineers of the 19th century and 20th century and he was a pioneer of electromechanics. He was of Serb descent and, while conducting his work in the United States, became an American citizen in 1891.

His patents and theoretical work still form the basis of modern alternating current electric power (AC) systems including the polyphase power distribution system, with which he helped usher in the Second Industrial Revolution. After his demonstration of wireless communication in 1893 and winning the 'War of Currents', he was widely respected."
Source: Wikipedia

Discussion:
Tesla and Highvoltage - tribe.net

How the Future Force Warrior Will Work

Keywords: Future Combat Systems

"For the battlefield of the future, the U.S. Army is developing an infantry uniform that will provide superhuman strength, advanced communications and greater ballistic protection than any uniform to date."
Source: HowStuffWorks

Blogs:
Defense Tech
Defense Industry Daily

See also:
The Global War of the 21st Century - The World 2 Come
The Pentagon's Robotic Army - The World 2 Come
EasyTech SafeTrek: A Modular Wearable System of Mountaineering Devices - Smart Mobs

Friday, July 08, 2005

Interview of the Day: Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO

Keywords: Microsoft, Steve Ballmer

Questions?

Why does Microsoft care about developers?
01:11 Why does Microsoft have an evangelism team?
01:48 What is your call to action for developers right now?
02:44 Microsoft is a leader in transparency and blogging. Why did you allow blogging?
03:38 Time for some tough questions. On the blogs there are those that say that Microsoft doesn't innovate, can you give us some examples of where Microsoft is innovating?
05:42 Coming up with tough questions for you is hard. If you were in my position what tough questions would you ask Microsoft's CEO?
07:22 Since a lot of Microsoft employees watch Channel 9, what would you say to all the Microsoft employees around the world?
08:48 What do you want to be remembered as?
Source: Channel9

Transcript:
Channel9

Discussion:
Ballmer on Innovation - Slashdot

Blogs:
Robert Scoble
Inside Microsoft

News:
Microsoft - Topix.net

Tags:
Microsoft - Technorati

Hungary bomb threats

Keywords: Hungary

"Three large Budapest shopping centers were evacuated on Thursday due to bomb threats but there was no link to suspected terror attacks in London, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany said.

'We have not found any indication of a link between the London and Budapest events,' Gyurcsany told a news conference. He gave no details.

Bomb threats have been frequent in Budapest in recent years, but so far all have proved to be hoaxes.

Interior minister Monika Lamperth said police received a phone call at 0720 GMT from a public payphone informing that bombs would go off at the shopping centers at 1400 GMT, prompting officials to order evacuation of the buildings.

Police were searching the centers while hundreds of people patiently waited outside for an all-clear to go back in."
Source: Swissinfo

News:
Hungary - Topix.net

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Londoners Rule

"We are not terrorised.

We are just annoyed.

The Germans tried to terrorise Londoners for 40 nights. Londoners just camped out in the Tube singing songs.

The IRA tried to terrorise the British for decades. The British just used the destruction of buildings as unplanned town planning and revamped their bombed cities.

Now these amateurs think they can scare us by messing up the transport system? Bah. We're just pissed off that we can't meet our friend for coffee in the West End.

Piss off, terrorists. Go pick on someone who gives a shit.... You'll get the reaction you want from Americans. Try them again.*

* not really, obviously"
Source: gia's blog
[via Argumente]

Polish government building on fire

Keywords: Poland

"Poland's main government building is on fire and is being evacuated, government and fire brigade officials said on Thursday.

'It is not clear if it is the result of the ongoing construction work there or something else,' PAP news agency quoted Deputy Prime Minister Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka as saying."
Source: Reuters

London, Poland...A major Al Qaeda offensive?

News:
Poland - Topix.net

Bombs in London

Keywords: London, terrorism

Photos:
Flickr
Wikipedia
GlobalSecurity.org

News:
BBC News
Wikipedia
CNN
News Sources On London Bombings - Search Engine Watch Blog
Terrorism - Topix.net

Blogs:
Newsblog - Guardian
Instapundit
Londonist
Metroblogging London
A Fistful of Euros
Boing Boing
London bombings: blogs covering from the frontline - The Blog Herald
London Bloggers
Bloggers and Photographers Chronicle Chaos in London - WSJ.com
Muslim Blogosphere Reacts to London Blast - Global Voices Online
An update on the blogosphere's reactions (and resources) to the London Bombings - Sifry's Alerts
London Bombings Overwhelm Blogosophere - BlogPulse
London Bombings blog from Yahoo! News

Tags:
London - Technorati
London Bombings - Technorati

Map of London:
Google Maps
London Terrorist Attacks: 7 July 2005 - geepster

Analysis:
The Disruption of London - Global Guerrillas
On London town - Thomas Barnett
London Falling - Winds of Change.NET

Audio:
Eyewitness account from Underground Bomb in London - Reaching for Lucidity
Bruce Schneier - Beyond Fear - IT Conversations

Video:
Google Video

Discussion:
Six Bomb Blasts Around Central London - Slashdot
We Mourn with the Citizens of London - Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal

See also:
Security Blogs - The World 2 Come

Monday, July 04, 2005

Live 8


Live 8
Originally uploaded by divedi.
Keywords: Live 8

Description:
Bob Geldof:
"This is not Live Aid 2.

These concerts are the start point for The Long Walk To Justice, the one way we can all make our voices heard in unison.

This is without doubt a moment in history where ordinary people can grasp the chance to achieve something truly monumental and demand from the 8 world leaders at G8 an end to poverty.

The G8 leaders have it within their power to alter history. They will only have the will to do so if tens of thousands of people show them that enough is enough.

By doubling aid, fully cancelling debt, and delivering trade justice for Africa, the G8 could change the future for millions of men, women and children."
Source: LIVE 8 – The Long Walk to Justice

Video:
LIVE 8 Concerts - AOL Music

Blogs:
Live8 Insider
Why I’m not supporting Live 8 - The Blog Herald
African bloggers slam Live 8 - The Blog Herald

News:
The Live 8 Event - BBC

Photos:
Live 8 - Flickr

Tags:
Live 8 - Technorati

Downloads:
BitTorrents