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A couple of my articles are included in a new book, The New York Times Reader: Science and Technology. Edited by S. Holly Stocking, it’s an anthology that can stand on its own, or serve as reading for a journalism class. Here’s a description of the book from the publisher’s web site:

Science writing poses specific challenges: Science writers must engage their audiences while also explaining unfamiliar scientific concepts and processes. Further, they must illuminate arcane research methods and statistics and at the same time cope with scientific ignorance and uncertainty. Stocking’s volume not only tackles these challenges, but also includes extraordinary breadth in story selection, from prize-winning narratives, profiles and explanatory pieces to accounts of scientific meetings and new discoveries, Q&A’s, traditional trend and issue stories, reviews, essays and blog posts. These Times exemplars, together with Stocking’s guide to reading stories about science and technology, are perfect for science writers who aspire to diversify and hone their reporting and writing skills in a changing media climate. Holly Stocking is an experienced science writer, award-winning teacher, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

You can order it from CQ Press. Here’s the Amazon page, too.

(Hat tip: Leigh Boerner)

Let’s talk Bluetooth headsets for a second, shall we? They’re not exactly everybody’s favorite thing to use, but they’re a must-have in the car if you want to stay safe and legal. After the break, we take a look at the Motorola Endeavor HX1 Bluetooth headset.

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Apple’s just sent an invite “for a sneak peek of the next generation of iPhone OS software” on April 8 at 10AM Pacific. That’s in three days! We’ll be there. Start your predictions now. More »

Even in our electronic age, paper is still with us. It brings us our morning news (some of us still arrive at work with ink-stained fingers), great literature and gossip magazines, personal hygiene and playing cards. But producing and disposing of paper has huge and wide-ranging environmental impacts, from damage to forests to energy and water consumption to air and water pollution and solid waste.

Unless you’re an expert, it can be difficult to sort out the complex environmental issues associated with paper production and disposal.

Using less paper is the obvious first step (and at the top of the “reduce, reuse, recycle” environmental hierarchy) but what’s next? You want to include postconsumer recycled content, but how much is available in the grades you need? You want to protect endangered forests, but which certification schemes are credible? What about toxics in paper production – how do you avoid those? And where can you find paper that meets your environmental criteria? All great questions, but one that you might not have yet asked is What’s in Your Paper?

What’s In Your Paper is an online resource for businesses and individuals who want to reduce the environmental impact of their paper use.

It offers a comprehensive purchaser toolkit including model purchasing policies, letters to suppliers, specifications for environmentally preferable papers and links to additional resources such as Canopy’s eco-paper database, Conservatree’s paper listings and EDF’s Paper Calculator. What’s In Your Paper is produced by the Environmental Paper Network – a coalition of several hundred national and international NGOs working for a more sustainable paper industry.

Paper purchasers large and small have the power to shift paper production in a positive direction, one that leads to systemic reductions in environmental impacts. But they need to know how.

Until paper comes printed with the environmental equivalent of a nutritional label, you need to ask what’s in your paper. Now you can use Whatsinyourpaper.com to get answers.

The Science of Aesthetics by Keith Lang (video) is a talk Lang gave at UXAustralia in 2009. In it, he talks about how some shapes are naturally friendly looking, like the rounded rectangle, while other shapes are harsher and more unfriendly. Here’s a cool example of how a UI could take advantage of this by using an aggressive, spiky shape:

Interesting idea. People would definitely think twice before clicking a button that looks like it’s going to carve up fingertips.

If you’re anything like me then all this talk about Android development, source code, root, version, etc., is all completely over your head. If you don’t know who Cyanogen is, it’s okay. Well, for now. So, what’s the real deal about Android phones? So far, only the geekiest have them, right? I mean, who else is going to sit at a computer all day fiddling with source code to come up with some new doohickey thingamabob that changes a single light on a phone? Well, my husband, the biggest geek I’ve ever met, and thousands more.

I never really paid attention to operating systems until my husband got his first Android phone. Even then, I didn’t really care. The phone wasn’t nearly as cute as the one that I had! All of that changed the day my cats ate my charger. I was forced into using a rooted G1. I had a hard time with the touch screen at first, I couldn’t get used to it. However, the keyboard was a vast improvement over my previous one, and I now had a phone that could operate as fast as  I was texting. There was no longer a lag as the phone struggled to keep up with me. Now though, I can text on a soft keyboard almost as quickly as I used to text on a hard keyboard.

I am no longer afraid of geek-speak. I can jump in with some of the noobs and actually feel like the smart girl! My husband has created a monster, though. I am now on my third Android phone in a matter of six months. I keep wanting a more advanced version!  I don’t root, and I definitely don’t mess with source code, but at least I can understand some of what my husband is saying now. If I have a question about my phone, I am just a few short clicks away from an answer. No longer do I stay on the phone for hours at a time with some no name operator trying to resolve an issue with my phone. By the time I can even get someone on the line, I have already found the answer within the Android community and fixed the problem myself.

I am now fixated on Hubby’s Nexus One and counting down until it becomes mine! Android is no longer just for the geeks. This operating system  is amazing for anyone and everyone. My purse is so much lighter now, too. I no longer have to carry a day planner, magazine, book, or toys for my preschooler. These phones are  all of that and so much more. Never before has something been so easy for even the most technologically challenged to use. I am anxiously awaiting the latest and greatest development to become available.

Maybe one of these days, I’ll be writing source code too. For now, I am perfectly content telling Hubby what I want and having him create the code that allows my phone to do it. It’s pretty incredible to have a phone that you can get to do exactly what you want it to. I will never be able to return to the prehistoric ages of feature phones. I am now and forever more a devoted Android fan.

If you’re anything like me then all this talk about Android development, source code, root, version, etc., is all completely over your head. If you don’t know who Cyanogen is, it’s okay. Well, for now. So, what’s the real deal about Android phones? So far, only the geekiest have them, right? I mean, who else is going to sit at a computer all day fiddling with source code to come up with some new doohickey thingamabob that changes a single light on a phone? Well, my husband, the biggest geek I’ve ever met, and thousands more.

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So, you got your shiny new iPad on Saturday and you’ve done all the basic stuff on it: web browsing, email, video. But now that the awesomeness of that has worn off, it’s time to get some new apps. Here are the ones you should buy first.

Netflix

Imagine holding the entire Netflix instant watch database in your hands. This is it. The app is free, but you’ll need a Netflix subscription if you don’t already have one.

IMDb

IMDb is an iPad-friendly version of the Independent Movie Database. So, while you’re watching movies with Netflix, you can settle arguments about them with this. Free.

ABC Player

A perfectly optimized version of ABC’s website, so you can watch the iPad on Modern Family with an actual iPad. (Ironically, ABC currently has a Flash banner on its website advertising this app.)

StumbleUpon

The popular browser-based content discovery extension has its first foray into the mobile app market. Free.

NetNewsWire

Because every device needs an RSS reader. This one is a port of the popular Mac RSS reader of the same name. Syncs across your Mac, iPhone, and iPad via Google Reader. $9.99.

Tweetdeck

Much like the desktop version, with its multi-column interface. Supports as many accounts as you want, has geo-location and a dedicated map interface built-in, and it syncs between the iPhone and desktop clients. Free.

NPR

The interface is a clean, magazine-like representation of NPR’s content, and unlike other news apps that are charging ridiculous monthly subscription fees (ahem, Wall Street Journal), it’s free. You can also listen to audio while you’re reading.

Scrabble

The classic board game is even more fun on a bigger screen. And, if you’ve got a spare iPhone or iPod touch, you can use them as trays for your letters with the free Scrabble Tile Rack app. Seriously. $9.99.

Plants V. Zombies HD

One of the most popular tower-defense games on the iPhone, optimized for the iPad, though it’s not really HD. $9.99.

Civilization Revolution

Adapted from the iPhone app and optimized for the iPad. If you’re familiar with Sid Meier’s Civilization series, or just like conquering stuff, then this app should be a revelation of how a touchscreen can bring old gaming mechanisms to life. $12.99.

Related iPad Content from GigaOM Pro (subscription required)

Remember this epic, 70-minute video review of Star Wars: Episode I? Well, at long last the followup review of Episode II is out, and it’s everything you hoped it would be and more. More »

Microsoft’s sent out invites for an event on April 12th, plastered with the phrase “It’s time to share.” Double entendre! More »

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Technology, Videos, Hatchback, Renault

Renault has gone ahead and answered the prayers of elderly Europeans everywhere by introducing the EU’s first OEM front passenger swivel seat. The French automaker recently introduced the option for its Clio hatch as part of a “Mobility for All” campaign, making it a cinch for anyone to get in or out of the car. Folks riding shotgun can simply pull up on a small lever and the seat’s base will turn a full 75 degrees to allow easy ingress/egress.

The new option will hit dealers in six countries across Europe, including markets in Spain, Italy, Germany and Renault’s motherland, France, starting this year. If you have your heart set on a turning passenger seat, it will set you back a full $2,157 at current exchange rates, though Renault says that’s about half of what it would cost to have a similar seat installed by an aftermarket shop. We’re in the wrong business.

Old-tyme Autoblog readers will note that this is hardly the first time that swiveling front seats have been offered by an automaker, but it is the first such seat we can think of to be offered in the modern era of crash testing.

Since Renault and Nissan are conjoined twins at the moment, there’s some buzz about whether or not the Japanese manufacturer will adopt a similar option for its products. So far, Nissan has kept its secrets to itself, though. Follow the jump to see the seat swivel its little heart out.

[Source: Renault]

Continue reading Video: Renault introduces first modern front swivel seat

Video: Renault introduces first modern front swivel seat originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want to start cutting your company's greenhouse gas emissions but feeling overwhelmed by your options? Here at EDF we know how you feel. That’s why we put together a new Roadmap to Corporate GHG Programs [PDF], a step-by-step guide to help companies develop a strategy for GHG emissions that can lead to credible and lasting reductions. The Caution! sidebars highlight some of the trickier parts – such as how to avoid green-washing scams.

Read more on EDF's Innovation Exchange blog, and let us know if we've missed any. You'll be glad you did!

By Phil Giraldi

A new bit of Senatorial mischief was initiated a month ago by the redoubtable duo John McCain and Joe Lieberman.  It is called the “Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention and Prosecution Act of 2010.” The proposed law appears to have bipartisan support though it is not clear if it has enough votes to pass in the full Senate and the position of the Obama Administration regarding it has not been declared, though the president has not been shy about expanding presidential authority up until now. 

The act would make it possible for the US military to seize and imprison anyone anywhere in the world, including American citizens, on suspicion of involvement in terrorism.  This includes “material support” which is not otherwise defined and could prove to be extremely elastic.  The imprisonment would be under the authority of the president as commander in chief. McCain and Lieberman’s bill defines the detainees as “unprivileged enemy belligerents,” which is apparently what the Obama justice department prefers rather than the Bush and Cheney designation “unlawful enemy combatants.”  The bill’s language identifies and includes not only actual terrorists but also individuals of “potential intelligence value” and other categories “as the president considers appropriate.” Part of the bill, “Detention Without Trial of Unprivileged Enemy Belligerents,” authorizes suspects to “be detained without criminal charges and without trial for the duration of hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners.” As proponents of the bill support a “long war” against so-called Islamofascism, that could mean effectively forever.

The McCain-Lieberman bill would create a new category of prisoner for whom there will be no charges, no trial, and no civilian judicial review.  It would be a de facto suspension of the US Bill of Rights.

By Tim Shoemaker

The New York Times reported today that over the weekend, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai stepped up his anti-Western rhetoric in a speech to roughly 60 members of Parliament, mostly his supporters.  According to one member Mr. Karzai said, “If you and the international community pressure me more, I swear that I am going to join the Taliban.” 

Last Thursday, Karzai publicly accused the West and the United Nations of perpetrating fraud against him in the recent Presidential elections.  The outcome of the election resulted in Karzai securing another 5-year term.

The US and Nato propping up an unstable regime, in an unstable, war-torn, impoverished, tribal region will never result in a “secure”, centralized, pro-western state as the Western powers would like to see. Nation-building is foolishness in and of itself and attempting it in a country such as Afghanistan is madness.

Almost a decade after the war began we are no closer to seeing “democracy” emerge in Afghanistan.  There are fewer than 100 al-Qaeda in the country and the “Taliban” that exists there today is not even the same group that was around in 2001.  How many more lives must be sacrificed to save face on an impossible mission?

I’ll be giving a talk at the Museum of Science in Boston on Saturday, April 17. It’s the keynote address at the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Academy of Science. I’m going to talk about spangled dinosaurs, how scientists are splashing colors all over the history of life, and what all that color can tell us about evolution.

My talk is just one part of an all-day celebration of science for all ages. (The entire Zimmer clan will be in attendance.) For information on registration and tickets, visit the meeting web site.

Erin Kutz wrote:

CareFusion (NYSE: CFN), a San Diego-based medical device company, announced today that it will acquire Medegen, a maker of disposable systems for delivering medication intravenously, for $225 million in cash. The acquisition of Ontario, CA-based Medegen will be the first for CareFusion, which became a publicly traded company in September 2009 after spinning off from Cardinal Health. CareFusion said Medegen’s systems, which help reduce blood infections associated with intravenous systems, will be a strategic fit with its portfolio of infusion products.

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The FCC just released their agenda for the open meeting planned for April 21 – a plan to discussion implementation of the National Broadband Plan. Here’s their tentative short list of topics, taken from their press release…

• USF Reform NPRM and NOI: A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes common-sense reforms to the existing high-cost support mechanisms to identify funds that can be refocused toward broadband, and a Notice of Inquiry that seeks comment on the use of a model to determine efficient and targeted support levels for broadband deployment in high-cost areas.

• Mobile Roaming Order and FNPRM: An Order implementing rules to ensure the availability of reasonable automatic roaming arrangements for voice service and a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on roaming arrangements for mobile broadband services.

• Network Gateway NOI: A Notice of Inquiry seeking comment on best approaches to assure the commercial availability of smart video devices and other equipment used to access the services of multi-channel video programming distributors.

• CableCARD NPRM: A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes changes to the CableCARD rules for set-top boxes used with cable services, to improve the operation of that framework pending the development of a successor framework.

• Survivability NOI: A Notice of Inquiry seeking comment on the present state of survivability in broadband networks and potential measures to reduce vulnerability to network failures.

• Cybersecurity Certification NOI: A Notice of Inquiry seeking comment on whether the Commission should establish a voluntary program under which participating communications service providers would be certified by the FCC or a third party for adherence to cybersecurity objectives and/or practices.

I see a lot of broadband plans but I always think the devil is in the deployment. We can pay lip service to an awful lot – but we can only accomplish so much at a time.

On a completely unrelated note, I’m having one of those days where broadband makes or breaks me. I’m on a bus from Dublin to Belfast and I’m online – or at least I will be until I cross the border into Northern Ireland. Ironically last week I was in Minnesota and completely offline one day. I realized that proximity is no longer a factor in my job. I can work anywhere so long as I can get online. I’m like so many other small businesses. If/when I consider relocation (temporary or permanent) only those towns with broadband make the cut for me.

As an added unrelated note, I’m making my slow way to Scotland where I hope to visit Dundee, one of the top ranking Intelligent communities.

University Center on Aging and Health Funds New Project

Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and School of Medicine will look for evidence within the brain for human beta defensin peptide function —proteins important to the peripheral body’s natural defense system against infection from the outside environment.

They will examine brain tissues to explore the possibility that the beta defensins contribute to degenerative brain diseases and in particular Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

“Chronic inflammation within the aging human brain and in the brains of individuals suffering from a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, is now recognized as a major contributor to neuronal cell death and subsequent decline in cognitive function,” said Wesley M. Williams, a neurobiologist and researcher in the Department of Biological Science at the dental school.

Williams and Mark A. Smith, a professor from the Department of Pathology at the medical school, are co-investigators for the University Center on Aging and Health-funded pilot study, “Beta defensin antimicrobial peptides — compromised immunomodulators of inflammation within the aging and Alzheimer’s brain.” Sandy Richardson and Sandi Siedlak, both research assistants, are also engaged on the project.

Williams became interested in beta defensins through studies with gingival epithelial cells in the mouth and his work on diabetes, a risk factor for AD.

Preliminary findings by the researchers suggest that beta defensins may be adversely affected by AD, thus contributing to chronic inflammation that can lead to neuronal cell death.

While the blood-brain barrier generally blocks harmful pathogens from reaching brain tissue, Williams said not all parts of the brain have this protection.

Those pathogens reaching the brain can produce an inflammatory response, which is known to have a role in brain cell death.

Beyond AD, neuronal cell death is a part of the degenerative process in Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and in normal aging and contributes to cognitive memory loss among combat veterans and accident victims who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.

The big question is what role, if any, do beta defensins play in the development of chronic inflammatory response in the brain, Williams said.

“We don’t know what we will find. This study is thinking outside the box for something that has not been studied previously,” said Williams.

The researchers received a $20,000 launch grant to pilot a study to gather evidence that they hope leads to further research projects. They will investigate if beta defensins influence the immune response by the brains resident immune cells, the astrocytes and microglia. This project focuses on the most commonly found defensins, HBD1 and HBD2, both prevalent in the mouth and skin, and whether they are found in two types of brain cells.

Beta defensins are found in the skin and in lung, kidney, intestines, mouth, stomach, and vagina. Whenever a wound occurs in these areas, the beta defensins kick in to fight off infection.

Some 20-beta defensins are known to exist in humans, other mammals and plants.

The researchers will work with brain tissue generously donated by individuals with and without AD.

This study is among a number of funded projects by the University Center on Aging and Health supported by the President’s Strategic Initiatives Fund and McGregor Foundation, located in the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and under the direction of Diana Morris, that encourage interdisciplinary research projects among campus researchers.

For more information contact Susan Griffith, 216.368.1004.

We all know about the obsession with booting speed that Ubuntu has. Since the last two Ubuntu releases, the Ubuntu developers have been consciously pushing for lower boot time.

The upcoming release of Ubuntu, i.e Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx, is already showing signs that it boots fast – very very fast if you are using SSD. The Ubuntu developers will probably not be able to achieve the 10-second boot that they were aiming for in Ubuntu 10.04, but an Ubuntu Developer, Benjamin Drung, has managed to boot Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx in 3.6 seconds using SSD. On a normal spindle-based hard disk, such kind of booting times, of course, cannot be achieved of due to the mechanical parts that are involved.

Using an Super Talent Ultradrive GX 64 GB, Benjamin rebooted Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx 30 times. The fastest booting time he achieved was a blistering 3.65 seconds. The overall average boot time however came out to be 4.5 seconds, which is not bad at all too.

After everything is installed, the same setup understandably took a little more time to boot at 6 seconds.

All in all, Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx, which is to be releaed less than a month from now, is shaping up to be a release to watch out for.

[You can view the full boot chart at Benjamin Drung’s blog]

Don’t miss these Related Posts:

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• Lucid Lynx includes manual for Beginners
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