from the space-creatures-II dept.
David Coutts writes "I was writing A Crude Guide To Energy Levels In Our Solar System, and my mind started racing with ideas related to nanotechnology. Perhaps they are far-fetched and extreme, perhaps not. So I thought I'd subject them to Nanodot.org readers for some constructive criticism. Please be gentle… As you can see, this time I re-read some sections of Engines Of Creation before submitting my article."
from the space-creatures-are-coming dept.
Waldemar Perez pointed out a New Scientist article on space scientists developing reprogrammable electronics using genetic algorithms. "Electronics engineers are giving birth to a new species of space probes that will adapt to harsh environments, heal themselves and even evolve into better, smarter machines." Read more for the rest of an excerpt from the article introduction.
from the tools-for-design-ahead dept.
Nikodem Kuznik wrote in about his Linux4Chemistry website. The goal of this website is to provide the most up-to-date links to the chemical software running on linux. I hope it will be helpful to you. You are very welcome to send me your comments, new URLs and so on. Nikodem Kuznik"
Most (79%) of the 259 packages on this page of the WWW Virtual Library are listed as available without charge, at least for academic use, though the site doesn't specify which are under the GPL or other Free or Open Source licenses. The bottom of the page lists links to other chemistry software resources.
from the better-batteries-needed dept.
Waldemar Perez writes "Are we making progress in robotics or what? This robot developed by Sandia National Labs is even smaller than MIT's nanowalker presented in MIT's Nanotechnology conference last September. The machine weighs less than an ounce and occupies a 1/4 inch cubic space. Powered by three watch batteries, it rides on track wheels and consists of an 8K ROM processor, temperature sensor, and two motors that drive the wheels. Enhancements being considered include a miniature camera, microphone, communication device, and chemical micro-sensor."
from the stuff-that-dreams-are-made-of dept.
vik writes "The BBC are carrying an article about successful experiments by Professor Daniela Rus and colleagues from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, US, to produce a Utility Fog robot. They call them robotic molecules and the prototypes are 5cm cubes currently capable of moving in two dimensions. However they clearly recognise the 3D development path to Utility Fog and have created software to manage the morphing of one formation to another. There are also animations of the existing hardware in action and associated publications off the same link.
from the transparent-society-or-one-way-mirror? dept.
MarkGubrud writes "The Washington Post reports that police used video surveillance and face-recognition technology to scan for "known criminals and suspected terrorists" among attendees at the Super Bowl."
from the Bt-corn-strikes-again dept.
VAB writes "MSN is running a story about GE planting regulation compliance by farmers. Basically, a survey of 501 farmers revealed that about 29% (or close to a third) of them failed to follow FDA regulations related to their planting of Monsanto's genetically engineered Bt corn. …He notes the earlier problems with Bt corn and asks "Are all of these GE technology stewardship failures a bad sign for the future impact of MNT?"Read more for the rest of his comment.
