Science & Technology
Knowing poplar's DNA expected to yield biofuel advances
By DAVID TEMPLETON
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
The genetic makeup of the poplar or black cottonwood tree is spelled out with 480 million letters arranged in 7.5 million groups. And what it spells is "biofuel."
The U.S.
Testosterone-triggered brain-cell death behind ''roid rage'
By LEE BOWMAN
In a new finding that appears to confirm observations of "'roid rage" in steroid users, Yale University researchers report that high levels of testosterone can result in a catastrophic loss of brain cells.
Taking large doses of androgens, or steroids, is known to cause hyper-excitability, a highly aggressive nature and suicidal tendencies.
The motion is the notion
By RYAN KIM
Andy Alamano first learned how to play the arcade game whack-a-mole by wielding a toy mallet at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant.
Re-creating that experience, in which a player hits a mechanical mole, as a three-dimensional videogame proved to be a lot harder than playing the original.
"It was hard getting the depth of field," said Alamano, an associate producer for videogame publisher Sega of America.
The Web: Changing society's dial
By JAMES DERK
What if you needed to borrow a couple thousand bucks to replace your washer and dryer but didn't want to pay 18 percent interest on a credit card?
What if you had a couple thousand bucks but wanted to earn more than 2 percent on your money than you would on passbook savings account at a bank?
Such is the idea behind Prosper.com, a Web site designed to anonymously link borrowers and lenders in the spirit of eBay.
Of course, the best idea is not to borrow money at all (see also: financial guru Dave Ramsey), but if you have to this is one interesting concept.
Prosper was founded by Chris Larsen, the founder of E-Loan, an online mortgage broker.
Some see a tech rebellion coming
By ROGER FILLION
Call them digital-age Luddites or, in the most extreme case, techno terrorists.
A new survey of Internet gurus predicts that a cultural group will emerge by 2020 that will swear off the World Wide Web altogether as a way to limit information overload _ and some will retaliate against technology.
"The expectation among our respondents is that it will not be a large percentage that will turn to violence," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
The nonprofit conducted the survey with North Carolina-based Elon University.
"It's more like a lifestyle phenomenon rather than a violence-and-lashing-out phenomenon."
Pew and Elon surveyed 742 high-tech experts and analysts for their views of what's to come.
Participants were asked if they agreed or disagreed with seven scenarios about the future.
High-speed speech calls for hardware
By DAVID TEMPLETON
Imagine a computer understanding everything you say, regardless of how fast you speak or the words you use.
And while you're talking to that computer, it's also turning your words immediately into type.
Then imagine technology that can do this a thousand times faster than real time as a means of processing thousands of hours of recorded speech in a fraction of the time.
These are the goals of Rob A.
Why tlk whn u cn txt?
By CAROLYNE ZIINKO
Sitting outside Stanford University's Meyer Library after a recent SAT tutorial, Eric Dacorro mused on the merits of text messaging.
"I feel more comfortable texting friends, because face-to-face you run out of things to talk about," said the 17-year-old high school senior from San Mateo, Calif.
Mercury accumulates in animals
By JANE KAY
Mercury pollution from power plants and other industrial sources has accumulated in birds, mammals and reptiles across the country, according to a national environmental group.
The report is the first major compilation of studies investigating mercury buildup in such wildlife as California clapper rails, Maine's bald eagles, Canadian loons and Florida panthers.
Make multimedia masterpieces using one software package
By MIKE BERMAN
Add a splash of color here, a video there and maybe a bit of artwork and what do you get? A multimedia masterpiece worthy of praise from your peers and exposure in cyberspace.
Thankfully, the folks at Adobe Systems Inc have assembled all of the software you need in one convenient package, fully integrating all of their most popular products so they can work together seamlessly, making it easier for you to produce that masterpiece.
The Adobe Production Studio Premium ($1,699) combines the power of Photoshop CS2, Illustrator CS2, After Effects Professional 7.0, Premier 2.0, Audition 2.0, Encore, Adobe Dynamic Link and Adobe Bridge allowing you to create, edit and combine all of the elements that make up an impressive multimedia presentation.
A robot that has to be seen to be believed
By DAVID TEMPLETON
For people who aren't circus performers it's a ridiculous notion: Balancing atop a soccer ball as an efficient means of traveling across a room.
The floor is flat and the ball is round, so it's obviously unstable and goes against all common sense.
Unless you are Ralph Hollis.
The Carnegie Mellon University research professor of robotics has created a 5-foot, 95-pound robot that travels atop a single aluminum sphere coated in urethane.
Introducing "Ballbot" _ a self-contained, battery-operated robot that goes in any direction without the need for extra maneuvering room.
