UAB Hits Top 25 in Federal Funds Received for Science & Engineering

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has earned a place among the nation's top 25 research universities receiving federal funding for the advancement of science and engineering, according to the National Science Foundation's recently released report Federal Science and Engineering (S&E) Support to Universities, Colleges and Nonprofit Institutions for Fiscal Year 2002. While Federal S&E obligations include six categories, more than 90 percent ($224,000-plus) of UAB's 2002 S&E funding received was granted in research and development. Overall research funding received by UAB has consistently doubled each decade and currently totals more than $433 million. Read the report

Supercomputer 'Jaguar' Making Headway

Associated Press, 30 Mar 2005 Big orange and white cabinets that will form one of the world's fastest supercomputers for open science research are arriving at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The high-performance units are part of a new Cray Corp. XT3 supercomputer, nicknamed "Jaguar," that could be reaching record speed before year's end. Read the article

Eternal Sunshine for Your Cell

by David LaGesse U.S. News & World Report, 4 Apr 2005 The hot Hawaiian sun wasn't enough to lull Randolph Gray to sleep. No, the Round Rock, Texas, engineer was distracted by a group of teen girls fretting about dying cellphone batteries. "People were already running around the beach with bags and coolers," says Gray. "So why not add solar panels?" A few years after that vacation, Gray has his own company, Innovus Designs, that makes the Eclipse Solar Gear line of products with built-in, electricity-generating panels. Read the article

Ocean Power Fights Current Thinking

by John Gartner TechnologyReview.com, 28 Mar 2005 Ocean waves provide a predictable source of energy that is easily tapped, and will likely have minimal impact on the environment, but the U.S. government is not pursuing this renewable resource. Read the article

GM to Develop Fuel Cell Vehicles with Energy Department

MercuryNews.com, 30 Mar 2005 General Motors Corp. and the U.S. Energy Department have signed a five-year, $88 million deal to build a fleet of 40 hydrogen fuel vehicles, the world's largest automaker said Wednesday Read the article

Laying the Foundation for the Next-Generation Web

PhysOrg, 30 Mar 2005 The Semantic Web lies at the heart of Tim Berners-Lee’s vision for the future of the Web, enabling a wide range of intelligent services. Thanks to the development of the infrastructure needed for the large-scale deployment of ontologies as the bedrock of the Semantic Web, that vision is much closer to reality. Read the article

The Personalised Traffic Jam Buster

by Duncan Graham-Rowe New Scientist, 26 Mar 2005 Tailored software and a network of road sensors will choose the route which avoids the worst of the snarl-ups. Read the article

Membraneless Fuel Cell Created

New Scientist, 2 Apr 2005 A fuel cell that promises to be both cheaper and more efficient than existing designs has been developed by Paul Kenis of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In a typical fuel cell, one chamber contains fuel that reacts across a porous membrane with oxygen in a second chamber, liberating electrons that provide electrical power. Kenis's system does away with the membrane by exploiting a phenomenon known as "laminar flow", where tiny streams of liquid behave so viscously they do not mix when squeezed past one another. That not only simplifies the cell's design, but might lead to efficiency increases of up to 40 per cent.

Camera Zoom Operated by Eyelid Movement

New Scientist, 2 Apr 2005 Talk about having an eye for a picture. Japanese company Sharp has designed a camera that allows you to zoom in simply by partially closing your eyelid. Sharp's automatic zoom technology, developed at its US lab in Washington state, uses an optical sensor just below the viewfinder to detect how much of the white of your eye, the sclera, is visible. Partially closing your eye for longer than the time it takes to blink activates the zoom, and doing this again zooms back out.

Metallic Glass: A Drop of the Hard Stuff

by Catherine Zandonella NewScientist.com, 2 Apr 2005 In the movie Terminator 2, the villain is a robot made of liquid metal. He morphs from human form to helicopter and back again with ease, moulds himself into any shape without breaking, and can even flow under doorways. Now a similar-sounding futuristic material is about to turn up everywhere. It is called metallic glass. In the past year, researchers have made metallic glass three times stronger than the best industrial steel and 10 times springier. Almost a match for the Terminator, in other words Read the article

World’s Most Sensitive Scales Weigh a Zeptogram

by Celeste Biever NewScientist.com, 30 Mar 2005 The world’s most sensitive scales can now detect a cluster of xenon atoms a billion, trillion times lighter than a gram. A zeptogram is roughly the mass of a single protein molecule and its detection has set a new record. The feat opens up the prospect of future devices that could identify single molecules by weight, providing a sensor of extreme sensitivity that would be valuable in medical and environmental testing. Read the article

Introducing the Glooper Computer

by Duncan Graham-Rowe New Scientist, 26 Mar 2005 How do you turn a blob of jelly into a thinking, feeling liquid brain? Most of us find a shot of caffeine or a brisk walk does the trick. But when Andrew Adamatzky feels his brain needs a little extra stimulation, he gets a robot to dabble its metal fingers in it. Read the article

Unconventional Superconductivity in PuCoGa5

by N. J. Curro et al. Nature, 31 Mar 2005 In the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory of superconductivity, electrons form (Cooper) pairs through an interaction mediated by vibrations in the underlying crystal structure. Like lattice vibrations, antiferromagnetic fluctuations can also produce an attractive interaction creating Cooper pairs, though with spin and angular momentum properties different from those of conventional superconductors. Such interactions have been implicated for two disparate classes of materials -- the copper oxides and a set of Ce- and U-based compounds. But because their transition temperatures differ by nearly two orders of magnitude, this raises the question of whether a common pairing mechanism applies. PuCoGa5 has a transition temperature intermediate between those classes and therefore may bridge these extremes. Here we report measurements of the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate and Knight shift in PuCoGa5, which demonstrate that it is an unconventional superconductor with properties as expected for antiferromagnetically mediated superconductivity. Scaling of the relaxation rates among all of these materials (a feature not exhibited by their Knight shifts) establishes antiferromagnetic fluctuations as a likely mechanism for their unconventional superconductivity and suggests that related classes of exotic superconductors may yet be discovered. Read the article

Chemical Detection with a Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Capacitor

by E. S. Snow et al. Science, 25 Mar 2005 We show that the capacitance of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is highly sensitive to a broad class of chemical vapors and that this transduction mechanism can form the basis for a fast, low-power sorption-based chemical sensor. In the presence of a dilute chemical vapor, molecular adsorbates are polarized by the fringing electric fields radiating from the surface of a SWNT electrode, which causes an increase in its capacitance. We use this effect to construct a high-performance chemical sensor by thinly coating the SWNTs with chemoselective materials that provide a large, class-specific gain to the capacitance response. Such SWNT chemicapacitors are fast, highly sensitive, and completely reversible. Read the article

WDM Systems Fashion Next-Generation SANs

by Christian Illmer fibers.org News, 29 Mar 2005 Effective and affordable storage-area networking solutions are now becoming available to enable both large and small companies to reap the commercial benefits of business-continuity and disaster-recovery services. Read the article

MPLS Migration Transforms Metro and Access Networks

by Colin Evans fibers.org News, 30 Mar 2005 With MPLS technology now being rolled into metro and access networks, it's clear that innovative service providers are gearing to create end-to-end architectures for the cost-effective delivery of data-centric services. Read the article

Intel Rolls Out Xeon MPs with 64-Bit Features

by Jeffrey Burt eWeek, 29 Mar 2005 Intel on Tuesday brought 64-bit capabilities to its Xeon MP processors, rolling out five models that offer a range of frequencies and cache sizes. Unveiling the chips at an event in San Francisco, Intel officials were joined onstage by a number of OEMs rolling out new systems powered by the chips. Read the article

AMD Previews 'Pacifica' Virtualization Technology

by Jeffrey Burt eWeek, 30 Mar 2005 Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is giving the industry a look at its upcoming chip virtualization technology during a Reviewer's Day on Wednesday. The event, in Austin, Texas, is designed to give analysts and software developers a look at "Pacifica" before the first specification of the technology is released next month. Read the article

Lithium Ion Battery Recharges in One Minute

by Yoshiko Hara EE Times, 29 Mar 2005 Toshiba Corp. has developed a lithium-ion battery the company said features the short rechargeable time of capacitors and the energy capacity of conventional lithium-ion batteries. Read the article

Company Introduces RFID-Embedded Medical Test Tubes

by Laurie Sullivan InformationWeek, 28 Mar 2005 The test tubes are pricey, but the automated information collection helps avoid human error and can help health-care companies meet FDA regulations. Read the article

Robosurgeons May Sew Up Soldiers

Wired News, 28 Mar 2005 The Pentagon is awarding $12 million in grants to develop unmanned "trauma pod" robots to perform full scalpel-and-stitch surgeries on wounded soldiers in battlefield conditions. Read the article

Robots Are Ready to Rumble

by Daniel Terdiman Wired News, 28 Mar 2005 If you happen to be anywhere near the gymnasium at San Francisco State University this weekend and hear a series of very loud crashes or the sound of saw blades cutting violently through metal, it's probably from RoboGames, a gathering of robot-combat enthusiasts from all over the world. Read the article

Silicon Shortage Stalls Solar

by John Gartner Wired News, 28 Mar 2005 As demand for clean energy continues to grow, the solar industry forecasts millions of photovoltaic systems will dot the landscape by the end of the decade. However, a severe shortage of the silicon used in the systems threatens to dampen solar's growth. Read the article

BigBelly Has Appetite for Trash

by Abby Christopher Wired News, 28 Mar 2005 A new trash-compacting invention has garnered raves from resort owners, quizzical looks from city dwellers and the cold shoulder from big waste-management companies. Read the article

World’s Largest Computing Grid Surpasses 100 Sites

Scientific Computing, accessed 28 Mar 2005 British physicists and computer scientists are playing a key role in facing one of the biggest computing problems in the world — how to process the massive data volumes expected from the world's biggest particle physics experiment, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at CERN in Switzerland. When the LHC becomes operational in 2007,it will produce Petabytes (millions of Gigabytes) of data. To manage this, researchers have been creating a Grid to distribute the processing and storage of data around the world. Read the article

Superconductors Set Course for Wireless

by Chappell Brown CommsDesign, 28 Mar 2005 Is software-defined radio the killer application for superconducting electronics? That question is on the minds of executives at Hypres Inc. as they scout markets for the specialized technology. Read the article

Newest Chip Is Combination of Fiber Optics and Electronics

by John Markoff New York Times, 28 Mar 2005 Luxtera, a small start-up based on technology pioneered at the California Institute of Technology, plans to announce today a new class of silicon chips that blur the line between electronic computing and optical communications. Read the article

City to Buy Diesel-Electric Buses, Not Natural Gas Ones

by Sewell Chan New York Times, 28 Mar 2005 New York City Transit, which has been under pressure for years to reduce harmful emissions from its bus fleet, has decided to buy hybrid-electric buses instead of those that use compressed natural gas, a significant shift in its strategy for gradually replacing diesel fuels with cleaner ones. Read the article

A Front End for Wideband A/D Converters

by Rob Reeder EE Times, 28 Mar 2005 Analog-to-digital (A/D) converters are being used to sample increasingly higher frequencies, making the front-end design in a receiver more important than ever. Read the article

There Are Rules, Then There Are Suggestions

by Ron Wilson EE Times, 23 Mar 2005 There are now two, and sometimes three, layers of design rules: mandatory, recommended, and suggested. Read the article

Rolling Out Next Generation's Net

BBC News, 26 Mar 2005 The body that oversees how the net works, grows and evolves says it has coped well with its growth in the last 10 years, but it is just the start. Read the article

Center for Advancing Science & Engineering Capacity

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has awarded AAAS a three-year, $400,000 grant to help establish a new Center for Advancing Science & Engineering Capacity. The Center will provide consulting services to individual universities and colleges seeking to increase the participation of U.S. students, especially women and underrepresented minorities, in science and engineering careers. Visit the website

Lampposts To Provide Location-Based Services?

by Graeme Wearden ZDNet News, 23 Mar 2005 In what sounds like a tale from the heady days of the dot-com boom, a British company plans to roll out high-speed wireless networks and location-based services using street lampposts. Read the article

Hybrid Locomotive Gains Traction

by Stephen Leahy Wired News, 25 Mar 2005 Hybrid cars, trucks and buses have already hit the road. Now, make way for the Green Goat, the world's biggest hybrid. It's a 2,000-horsepower locomotive that radically reduces fuel consumption and emissions of pollutants. Read the article

Fastest Supercomputer Gets Faster

BBC News, 25 Mar, 2005 Blue Gene/L, the fastest supercomputer in the world, has broken its own speed record, reaching 135.5 teraflops -- a trillion calculations a second. Read the article

Cyborg Technology

Discussions of cyborg technology tend to be relegated to science fiction literature and TV programs like Star Trek. This Topic in Depth looks into current issues and developments in the area of cyborg technology. The first website, from the UC Santa Barbara Department of English, lists a variety of resources on cyborgs, from philosophical articles and literary criticism to current scientific practices. A related area of research is brain-computer interfacing (BCI), which is described on this website from the Helsinki Institute of Technology. Research on neural engineering, which combines work in electrical and computer engineering, tissue engineering, materials science, and nanotechnology, is also described on this website from USC. The next website from National Public Radio provides a current look at applications of cyber technology, most of which are in the area of healthcare. For example, this program reports on how "scientists make it possible for quadriplegics to control a television, play simple computer games and check e-mail . . . by just thinking about it." Another interesting experiment -- Project Cyborg -- involves the neuro-surgical implantation of a device into the median nerves of this researchers' left arm and is described this website. [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 25 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005]

Resources on Engineering Education

On this website, Dr. Richard M. Felder, the Hoechst Celanese Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University, offers guidance, tips and resources for using techniques that he has found effective in teaching college level engineering courses. Numerous articles on learning styles, assessment, and instructional techniques are available here to download free of charge. Topics include active learning, cooperative learning and an Index of Learning Styles, which is "an on-line instrument used to assess preferences on four dimensions (active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global) of a learning style model formulated by Richard M. Felder and Linda K. Silverman." Also posted here are some handouts for students with titles such as "How to Survive Engineering School" and "Tips on Test-Taking." [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 25 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005] Visit the website

Building Toolbox

The Department of Energy's Building Technologies Program engages in research and regulatory activities aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings. This section of the organization's website called the Building Toolbox provides guidelines, tools, success stories, and links "to guide you through the process of designing, constructing, or renovating high-performance buildings." Topics addressed include how to plan and finance a project, how to design, construct, and renovate high-performance buildings using "the whole building approach" and design tools, as well as suggested ways to choose building components and to operate and maintain buildings in order to get the most out of energy dollars. Finally, several software tools are available to help researchers, designers, architects, engineers, builders, code officials, and others evaluate and rank potential energy-efficiency technologies and renewable energy strategies. [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 25 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005] Visit the website

Modeling and Simulation Information Analysis Center

The Modeling and Simulation Information Analysis Center (MSIAC) assists the Department of Defense (DoD) in meeting its M&S needs "by providing scientific, technical, and operational support information and services." Through the Help Desk, MSIAC also answers technical inquiries from non-DoD customers, who agree to pay for their service beyond the first two hours. The group has experience in weapons technology including WMD, information management, modeling and simulation, operations analysis, chemical and explosive sciences, material sciences, spectrum engineering, wireless communication, life sciences, medical informatics and telemedicine, transportation systems, and reliability, availability, and maintainability. A wealth of resources are available from this website, including the Modeling & Simulation Resource Repository (MSRR), which is described as "the first place to go for answers to M&S" and Glossary of Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Terms, information on special topics of interest within M&S, and links to related websites. The MSIAC's M&S Journal Online offers quarterly articles of interest to the M&S community free of charge. [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 25 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005] Visit the website

Microelectronics Research Center

The mission of the Microelectronics Research Center of Georgia Tech is "to facilitate research on a variety of new materials, device structures, and micro-electromechanical systems." The group has established a silicon CMOS processing baseline and a procedure for equipment and processing training, which it calls the Platform. The Center makes the Platform available to the Georgia Tech community and to other research communities worldwide. The components of the Platform, which include baselines, research, people, training and services, are described on this website. The Documents section includes information on the equipment as well as recipes and seminar notes, which are free to download. Some sections of the website are only accessible to group members. [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 25 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005] Visit the website

High-Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research

High-Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HAIPER) is an advanced airborne research platform which is currently being built and modified for application in environmental research. The aircraft is maintained and operated for the National Science Foundation by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo. HIAPER is described as "a new research aircraft with exceptional capabilities." The series of missions for this aircraft, which is scheduled to arrive at NCAR's Jefferson County Airport (JeffCo) facility on Friday, March 11, are beginning in 2005. The website provides information on the research project and the aircraft specifications, as well as photos of the aircraft, a glossary of terms used in aviation and in the atmospheric research community, and links to related websites. [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 25 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005] Visit the website

Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center

With support from the National Science Foundation, the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) brings together researchers from Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California, Santa Barbara and the Museum of Science in Boston with participation by Delft University of Technology (Netherlands), the University of Basel (Switzerland), the University of Tokyo (Japan), and Brookhaven, Oak Ridge and Sandia National Laboratories "to construct novel electronic and magnetic devices with nanoscale sizes and understand their behavior, including quantum phenomena." The Center's main activities include research, education, and public outreach. The website lists the group's overlapping interdisciplinary research areas as Synthesis and Growth of Nanoscale Structures; Imaging Electrons inside Nanostructures; and Spins and Charges in Coherent Electronics. The links section provides information on NCES nanotechnology educational activities as well as other online resources and information on upcoming conferences in nanotechnology. The Highlights section provides just an overview of recently published research, but some of the websites for individual participants include articles and conference papers. The Annual Report also reviews recent activities and research from NSEC. [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 25 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005] Visit the website

Cutting-Edge Robots Take Center Stage At World's Fair

by Audrey McAvoy InformationWeek, 23 Mar 2005 Developers who showcased humanoid robots believe the mechanical beings will move from factories into home, office, medical, and entertainment uses. Read the areticle

NJIT Team Designs Driverless Vehicle to Enter the Grand Challenge

PhysOrg, 24 Mar 2005 A team of students from New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is designing a driverless vehicle that will compete in a national race in which it must navigate 175-miles of daunting desert terrain. If the unmanned vehicle is the first to cross the finish line in a 10-hour deadline, the NJIT team will get $2 million from The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the race's sponsor. Read the article

Point-Contact Spectroscopy Deepens Mystery of Heavy-Fermion Superconductors

PhysOrg, 24 Mar 2005 Theoretical understanding of heavy-fermion superconductors has just slipped a notch or two, says a team of experimentalists. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Los Alamos National Laboratory recently used a sensitive technique called point-contact spectroscopy to explore Andreev reflection between a normal metal and a heavy-fermion superconductor. Conventional theories cannot account for their data, the scientists report. Read the article

NNSA/LLNL Supercomputer Breaks Computing Record: Exceeds 100 Teraflops

PhysOrg, 24 Mar 2005 National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Administrator Linton F. Brooks announced today that a supercomputer developed through the Advanced Simulation and Computing program for NNSA’s Stockpile Stewardship efforts has performed 135.3 trillion floating point operations per second (teraflops) on the industry standard LINPACK benchmark, making it the fastest supercomputer in the world. Read the article

Cell Phone with Built-in Projector

PhysOrg, 24 Mar 2005 Siemens researchers have developed a cell phone featuring a built-in projector system. The system makes it possible to project a complete keypad or display onto a surface. With a special pen, users can write on the virtual keypad and operate the phone’s functions. Read the article

A New Company to Focus on Artificial Intelligence

by John Markoff New York Times, 24 Mar 2005 The technologist and the marketing executive who co-founded Palm Computing in 1992 are starting a new company that plans to license software technologies based on a novel theory of how the mind works. Read the article

Cracks May Force Shutdown of UK Reactors

by Rob Edwards New Scientist, 24 Mar 2005 Reactors in many UK nuclear power stations are in danger of developing cracks in their graphite cores. This could force some plants to close down earlier than expected, dealing a blow to the idea that nuclear power can become a "green" option in the fight against global warming. Read the article

Bacteria Act as Glue in Nanomachines

by Prachi Patel Predd news@nature.com, 21 Mar 2005 Electric currents are being used to move bacteria around silicon chips and trap them at specific locations. The technique could help to assemble nanomachines from miniature parts, and to create a new generation of biological sensors. Read the article

Nanomaterials Draw Electricity from Heat

by Philip Ball Nature Materials Update, 24 Mar 2005 Nanostructured materials could acquire better thermoelectric properties than their bulk counterparts, two researchers claim, and could attain the kind of performance needed for widespread application of thermoelectric technology in power generation and refrigeration. Read article

Centennial Challenges

Centennial Challenges is NASA's program of prize contests to stimulate innovation and competition in solar system exploration and ongoing NASA mission areas. By making awards based on actual achievements, instead of proposals, Centennial Challenges seeks novel solutions to NASA's mission challenges from non-traditional sources of innovation in academia, industry and the public. Visit the website

Spintronic Materials Show Their First Move

PhysOrg, 23 Mar 2005 How much energy does it take for an electron to hop from atom to atom, and how do the magnetic properties of the material influence the rate or ease of hopping? Answers to those questions could help explain why some materials, like those used in a computer hard drive, become conductors only in a magnetic field while they are very strong insulators otherwise. They might also help scientists learn how to use the electron’s "spin", as well as its charge, to carry information in a new field known as spintronics. Read the article

Wearable Computers You Can Slip Into

by Olga Kharif BusinessWeek Online, 8 Mar 2005 The latest generation of these ever-smarter garments look like ordinary clothes, not something only a cyborg would don. Read the article

Non-Blinding Headlights

innovations-report, 1 Mar 2005 Russian scientists from Dimitrovgrad have designed a new non-blinding headlight system. Its use in cars will significantly decrease the risk of driving at night, because the oncoming light will be duller, while the road in front will be lightened brighter. Read the article

Femtosecond Light Transmission and Subradiant Damping in Plasmonic Crystals

by C. Ropers et al. Physical Review Letters, 25 Mar 2005 We report the first observation of subradiance in plasmonic nanocrystals. Amplitude- and phase-resolved ultrafast transmission experiments directly reveal the coherent coupling between surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) induced by periodic variations in the dielectric function. This interaction results in the formation of plasmonic band gaps and coupled SPP eigenmodes with different symmetries, as directly shown by near-field imaging. In antisymmetric modes, radiative SPP damping is strongly suppressed, increasing the SPP lifetime from 30 fs to more than 200 fs. The findings are analyzed within a coupled resonance model. Read the article

Compact, Stable and Efficient All-Fibre Gas Cells Using Hollow-Core Photonic Crystal Fibres

by F. Benabid et al. Nature, 24 Mar 2005 Gas-phase materials are used in a variety of laser-based applications -- for example, in high-precision frequency measurement, quantum optics and nonlinear optics. Their full potential has however not been realized because of the lack of a suitable technology for creating gas cells that can guide light over long lengths in a single transverse mode while still offering a high level of integration in a practical and compact set-up or device. As a result, solid-phase materials are still often favoured, even when their performance compares unfavourably with gas-phase systems. Here we report the development of all-fibre gas cells that meet these challenges. Our structures are based on gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibres, in which we have recently demonstrated substantially enhanced stimulated Raman scattering, and which exhibit high performance, excellent long-term pressure stability and ease of use. To illustrate the practical potential of these structures, we report two different devices: a hydrogen-filled cell for efficient generation of rotational Raman scattering using only quasi-continuous-wave laser pulses; and acetylene-filled cells, which we use for absolute frequency-locking of diode lasers with very high signal-to-noise ratios. The stable performance of these compact gas-phase devices could permit, for example, gas-phase laser devices incorporated in a 'credit card' or even in a laser pointer. Read the article

New Spin on Correlated Electrons

by Ronald M. Potok & David Goldhaber-Gordon Nature, 24 Mar 2005 In the Kondo effect, the flow of electrons in a solid is modulated by magnetic impurities. Nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes can be designed to obtain even more complex versions of this intriguing effect. Read the article

Orbital Kondo Effect in Carbon Nanotubes

by Pablo Jarillo-Herrero et al. Nature, 24 Mar 2005 Progress in the fabrication of nanometre-scale electronic devices is opening new opportunities to uncover deeper aspects of the Kondo effect -- a characteristic phenomenon in the physics of strongly correlated electrons. Artificial single-impurity Kondo systems have been realized in various nanostructures, including semiconductor quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, and individual molecules. The Kondo effect is usually regarded as a spin-related phenomenon, namely the coherent exchange of the spin between a localized state and a Fermi sea of delocalized electrons. In principle, however, the role of the spin could be replaced by other degrees of freedom, such as an orbital quantum number. Here we show that the unique electronic structure of carbon nanotubes enables the observation of a purely orbital Kondo effect. We use a magnetic field to tune spin-polarized states into orbital degeneracy and conclude that the orbital quantum number is conserved during tunnelling. When orbital and spin degeneracies are present simultaneously, we observe a strongly enhanced Kondo effect, with a multiple splitting of the Kondo resonance at finite field and predicted to obey a so-called SU(4) symmetry. Read the article

Subnets of Scale-Free Networks Are Not Scale-Free: Sampling Properties of Networks

by Michael P. H. Stumpf, Carsten Wiuf, & Robert M. May Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 22 Mar 2005 Most studies of networks have only looked at small subsets of the true network. Here, we discuss the sampling properties of a network's degree distribution under the most parsimonious sampling scheme. Only if the degree distributions of the network and randomly sampled subnets belong to the same family of probability distributions is it possible to extrapolate from subnet data to properties of the global network. We show that this condition is indeed satisfied for some important classes of networks, notably classical random graphs and exponential random graphs. For scale-free degree distributions, however, this is not the case. Thus, inferences about the scale-free nature of a network may have to be treated with some caution. The work presented here has important implications for the analysis of molecular networks as well as for graph theory and the theory of networks in general. Read the article

IEEE Settles On Single 802.11n Standard

by Mark Hachman ExtremeTech, 18 Mar 2005 The IEEE working group dedicated to the next-generation 802.11n standard has settled on a single proposal, TGn Sync, members said late Thursday night. Read the article

Hybrids Hed2Hed

by Paul A. Eisenstein Wired Magazine, April 2005 Five years ago, the first hybrid gas-electric vehicles hit the market, generating a lot of hype but not many sales. The faux futuristic designs, tight quarters, and sluggish performance of Honda's Insight and Toyota's original Prius were all about self-denial. Perfect for limousine liberals looking to downsize, but hardly cars for the suburban masses. And certainly nothing for Detroit to worry about. There are now a fleet of hybrids on the market, from compacts to sedans to SUVs and pickups. Unlike their predecessors, members of the new breed have the features, pep, and polish of their pure-gas cousins. Read the article

Big Hopes for Tiny, New Hydrogen Storage Material

PhysOrg, 22 Mar 2005 Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are taking a new approach to "filling up" a fuel cell car with a nanoscale solid, hydrogen storage material. Their discovery could hasten a day when our vehicles will run on hydrogen-powered, environmentally friendly fuel cells instead of gasoline engines. Read the article

Scientists Model 'Lord of the Nanorings'

PhysOrg, 22 Mar 2005 It's possible that no one gets more use out of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's PrairieFire supercomputer, than Xiao Cheng Zeng and his collaborators. In the past five years, they have used PrairieFire to model a list of previously unknown nanoscale substances and structures, from two-dimensional ice that shrinks when it freezes to silicon nanotubes that behave like metals and four new kinds of one-dimensional ice crystals. Read the article

Snake-Like Robot Conquers Obstacles

PhysOrg, 22 Mar 2005 A virtually unstoppable "snakebot" developed by a University of Michigan team that resembles a high-tech slinky as it climbs pipes and stairs, rolls over rough terrain and spans wide gaps to reach the other side. Read the article

Patent Highlights, 23 Mar 2005

optics.org News, 23 Mar 2005 The pick of this week’s applications including a device from Airbus that could enhance aircraft braking. Read the article

Meant for Space, but Useful on Earth

by The Associated Press New York Times, 22 Mar 2005 After nearly two decades of research, NASA is testing a device that would recycle astronauts' sweat, urine and even the moisture from their breath into drinking water. Read the article

Material as Tough as Steel? The Abalone Fits the Bill

by Charles Petit New York Times, 22 Mar 2005 When Kenneth Vecchio was a boy in the 70's, racing around Atlantic Beach on Long Island, he could not believe how hard it was to break seashells. Now a mechanical and aerospace engineer at the University of California, San Diego, Dr. Vecchio still marvels at seashells, but he now uses them for practical inspiration. His aim is to create synthetic materials that match what nature has cranked out in stupendous quantities. Read the article

Personalised Robot Aircraft for US Soldiers

New Scientist, 26 March 2005 One day soon every US soldier could go into battle equipped with their own robot aircraft. The backpack-sized Micro Air Vehicle, developed by Honeywell for the Pentagon's DARPA research agency, will begin flight tests this month at the company's flight base in Albuquerque. The MAV is 30 centimetres tall, weighs just over 5.5 kilograms and can be carried by a single soldier. It takes off vertically and flies like a helicopter, drawing air through an upright fan to provide lift. The unit also carries both ordinary and night-vision cameras for remote reconnaissance. Visit the website

Snooze Button Addicts Defeated by Runaway Clock

New Scientist, 26 Mar 2005 If you have an unhealthy addiction to the snooze button on your alarm clock, you may appreciate the latest invention from MIT's Media Lab. Clocky is an alarm with an ingenious method for rousing even the most dedicated morning dozer. After you hit the snooze button, the contraption rolls off the bedside table and zooms away on a set of wheels to some other part of the room, finding a new hiding place every day. When the alarm sounds again, simply finding Clocky ought to be strenuous enough to prevent even the doziest owner from going back to sleep. Visit the website

Simple Twist Untangles Quantum Computing

by Mark Buchanan New Scientist, 12 Mar 2005 A technique that does away with the most difficult part of quantum computing has been made to work for the first time. It may open the way for practical quantum computers. Read the article

3D Printer to Churn Out Copies of Itself

by Celeste Biever NewScientist.com, 18 Mar 2005 A self-replicating 3D printer that spawns new, improved versions of itself is in development at the University of Bath in the UK. The "self replicating rapid prototyper" or RepRap could vastly reduce the cost of 3D printers, paving the way for a future where broken objects and spare parts are simply "re-printed" at home. New and unique objects could also be created. Read the article

First Membrane-Free Alkaline Fuel Cell Built

by Celeste Biever NewScientist.com, 22 March 2005 The first membraneless alkaline fuel cell has been built by exploiting the way liquids do not mix in ultra-narrow channels. It could offer cheaper and more efficient fuel cells. Read the article

Phase-Change Memory Chips Could Win Global Jackpot

by Jenny Hogan New Scientist, 19 Mar 2005 Digital memory. We want more of it. Memory in your cellphone that will store every message you have ever received, or that will keep computer data safe if the plug is pulled. Read the article

Crazy About Transistor Crystals

by Eugenie Samuel Reich New Scientist, 19 Mar 2005 Vitaly Podzorov's desk is decked with transparent boxes containing brightly coloured crystals hovering on hair-fine silver wires. Each is a transistor, similar to the ones that switch current in the circuits of every computer. he difference is that they are not made of silicon but organic materials -- crystals of hydrocarbons, in fact. And their path from idea to reality could not be stranger. Read the article

Surface-Tension-Driven Nanoelectromechanical Relaxation Oscillator

by B. C. Regan et al. Applied Physics Letters, 21 March 2005 Because of its linear dependence on length scale, surface tension can be a dominant force for small systems. Properly harnessed, this force is uniquely suited for nanomechanical applications. We have developed a nanoelectromechanical relaxation oscillator with a surface-tension-driven power stroke. The oscillator consists of two liquid metal droplets exchanging mass, and its frequency is directly controlled with a low-level dc electrical voltage. Read the article

Thermal Transport in Au-Core Polymer-Shell Nanoparticles

by Zhenbin Ge et al. Nano Letters, 1 Feb 2005 (Web Release) Thermal transport in aqueous suspensions of Au-core polymer-shell nanoparticles is investigated by time-resolved measurements of optical absorption. The addition of an organic cosolvent to the suspension causes the polystyrene component of the polymer shell to swell, and this change in the microstructure of the shell increases the effective thermal conductivity of the shell by a factor of approximately 2. The corresponding time scale for the cooling of the nanoparticle decreases from 200 ps to approximately 100 ps. The threshold concentration of cosolvent that creates the changes in thermal conductivity, 5 vol % tetrahydrofuran in water or 40 vol % N,N-dimethylformamide in water, is identical to the threshold concentrations for producing small shifts in the frequency of the plasmon resonance. Because the maximum fraction of solvent in the polymer shell is less than 20 vol %, the increase in the effective thermal conductivity of the shell cannot be easily explained by contributions to heat transport by the solvent or enhanced alignment of the polystyrene backbone along the radial direction. Read the article

Blades: The Edge Of Acceptance

by Darrell Dunn InformationWeek, 21 Mar 2005 The nascent blade-server market continues on its evolutionary path, moving beyond the early-adopter stage to an era in which software innovation is helping the technology become a mainstream option for IT enterprise applications. But for businesses to adopt blade platforms faster, the technology needs to make good on some of its early promises that it's a cheaper and -- most critically -- more manageable alternative for server implementations. Read the article

Bandwidth 'Engine' Eyes Ethernet PONs

by Meghan Fuller fibers.org News, 21 Mar 2005 All PON architectures can benefit from a dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) engine. A PON is based on shared architecture; bandwidth is split between as many as 32 separate users. The DBA engine enables the service provider to adjust the bandwidth going to any one user by reallocating unused bandwidth. It also helps to enforce quality-of-service rules. Santa Clara, CA-based Passavé claims it has broken new ground with the development of "the industry's first truly programmable DBA engine" for Ethernet PONs (EPONs). Read the article

Next-Generation SDH: The Future Looks Bright

fibers.org News, 22 Mar 2005 During the telecoms investment bubble of 2000-2001, it was common to hear SDH (and SONET, the North American version) being described as "legacy" technology. Over the past few years, however, it has become apparent that public network operators regard next-generation SDH/SONET as key to their future. Indeed, in some quarters it has been hailed as The Next Big Thing. Read the article

Samsung Claims First 1-Gbit DRAM for Mobile Apps

EE Times, 22 Mar 2005 Flexing its muscles on the mobile chip front, South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. unveiled a raft of products, including what the company claims is the world's first 1-gigabit DRAM for mobile applications. Read the article

In Search of Wireless Nirvana

by Martin Brampton ZDNet News, 22 Mar 2005 A major attraction of Bluetooth is the elimination of wires. Most computers are a mess of connections and a rat's nest of cables. Quite apart from wanting to be tidy, the messiness and inflexibility of cable limits flexibility in offices. Although wireless might eliminate cabled data connections, we are left with the problem that so many devices need a power supply. Offering this through the Ethernet link has attractions but only if the network link is a cable. Unfortunately wireless power supply looks to have insuperable problems at the levels currently required. Read the article

Hackers Tilt PowerBook for Tricks

by Ian Betteridge Wired News, 22 Mar 2005 Introduced with the company's most recent round of PowerBook updates, Apple's Sudden Motion Sensor is designed to detect any strong vibration or sudden motion -- such as the laptop being dropped from a desk -- and park the drive heads, lessening the chances of damage to the drive. But the motion sensor does more than just notice sudden movement: It can be used to determine the angle the PowerBook is tilted at in any direction, along with the velocity at which the computer is being moved. Enterprising hackers have discovered that because the new motion sensor returns reasonably accurate measurements to Mac OS X, it can be used to do some cool tricks. Read the article

Researchers Pursue Blast-Resistant Steel Using New Tomograph

PhysicsOrg, 21 Mar 2005 Materials scientists and engineers at Northwestern University are developing a new "high-security" steel that would be resistant to bomb blasts such as the one that struck -- and nearly sank -- the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000. The researchers now have a state-of-the-art instrument that enables them to get a precise look at steel's composition on the nanoscale: a $2 million atom-probe tomograph that is only the fourth of its kind in the world. Read the article

Intel's 64-Bit Pentium 4s Hit The Streets

by Mark Hachman ExtremeTech, 21 Mar 2005 Intel's first 64-bit Pentium 4 microprocessors were quietly added to the company's price lists on Sunday, heralding their entrance into the marketplace. Read the article

Patent Highlights, 10 Mar 2005

optics.org News, 10 Mar 2005 The pick of this week's applications including a device from Nokia that operates using Morse code. Read the article

Plasmonic Computer Chips Move Closer

by Celeste Biever NewScientist.com, 17 Mar 2005 Computer chips capable of speeding data around by rippling the electrons on the surface of metal wires just got a step closer, researchers say. Read the article

Module with AlGaN LEDs purifies flowing water

Compound Semiconductor News, 17 Mar 2005 Water purification modules based on UV LEDs are a step closer after the first demonstration of bacterial destruction in flowing water with the technology. Read the article

Nanofactories a Few Years Away from Realization?

by Chappell Brown InformationWeek, 21 Mar 2005 When the notion of nanotechnology first hit public consciousness a decade ago, exciting concepts of molecular-scale nanobots performing miraculous feats of engineering -- or, in the nightmare scenario, self-replicating until they dominated the earth -- seemed to be within reach. Read the article

Research Looks to Avert Nanoparticle Pollution

by R. Colin Johnson EE Times, 21 Mar 2005 Critics of nanotechnology have fastened onto speculation by Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy about runaway nanobots turning the planet into "gray goo," tainting the technology in all its forms. Now, cooperating engineering teams at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Rice University are angling to find out if that's so. Their preliminary results in measuring the behavior of nanomaterials in the environment show that the threats are real, but so is the hope of preventive solutions. Read the article

Symmetry Is Central to Differential Pairs

by John Berrie EE Times, 21 Mar 2005 Differential pairs work by making the received signal the difference between two complementary parts that are referenced to each other, so the effects of their electrically noisy surroundings are minimized. By contrast, single-ended signals work by making the signal the difference between a received signal and power or ground, so noise that is on the signal or power system does not get canceled out. This is why differential signaling is so effective for high-speed signals and why it is used in fast serialized buses and double-data-rate memory. Read the article

The Great Debate: SoC vs. SiP

by Ron Wilson EE Times, 21 MAr 2005 System-in-package or system-on-chip? Even in designs with severe space constraints, the right level of integration is never an easy decision. SiP technology is showing a new level of maturity, nothing like the bad old days of custom-built multichip modules on unobtainium substrates. And SoC technology is extending its reach, with a number of vendors doing small-signal RF circuitry in vanilla-CMOS processes. How does the design team decide whether to put the RF stages on separate, optimized dice or to integrate them onto the baseband die? Read the article

Variables Dictate 'Right' SoC-SiP Mix for Phones

by Steve Machuga EE Times, 21 Mar 2005 Much has been made of the vision of a "single-chip phone" that leverages industry-standard process technologies and historical silicon integration trends to consolidate handset functionality on a die. But in cell phones and other wireless products, where equal parts analog/RF, digital and mixed-signal must all work together to achieve a system solution, it's not as straightforward a proposition. Nevertheless, the industry has made great strides in continuing to implement all of the functional handset blocks in a very small number of devices. Now we appear poised to achieve a long-awaited system-on-chip handset. But there is deliberation over what this means, if it makes sense and the best way to get there. Read the article

Utensils Divulge Dinner Date's Feelings

by Roxanne Khamsi news@nature.com, 17 Mar 2005 Although it may never reach the market, a new type of dating tool could give inspiration to the romantically challenged. By attaching electrodes to regular eating utensils, inventor James Larsson has created knives and forks that can pick up on whether the person across the table feels uncomfortable or pleased. Read the article

Diesel Hybrids on the Fast Track

by John Gartner Wired News, 21 Mar 2005 Hybrid gas-electric vehicles are the current champions of fuel economy, but they may soon get lapped. Auto manufacturers are making tracks to produce diesel hybrids that will go even further on a gallon of fuel. Read the article

Experimental Demonstration of the Slow Group Velocity of Light in Two-Dimensional Coupled Photonic Crystal Microcavity Arrays

by Hatice Altug & Jelena Vukovi Applied Physics Letters, 14 Mar 2005 We recently proposed two-dimensional coupled photonic crystal microcavity arrays as a route to achieve a slow-group velocity of light (flat band) in all crystal directions. In this letter we present the experimental demonstration of such structures with a measured group velocity below 0.008c and discuss the feasibility of applications such as low-threshold photonic crystal lasers with increased output powers, optical delay components, and sensors. Read the article

A Si-Based Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diode

by M. Jo et al. Applied Physics Letters, 7 Mar 2005 A Si-based light-emitting diode (LED) containing strained GaSb quantum dots (QDs) embedded in Si within the active region was fabricated by means of Si molecular-beam epitaxy. An external quantum efficiency of 0.3% was obtained for near bandedge luminescence at 11 K. The high luminosity of Si-based QD-LED was also evidenced by the fact that direct imaging on an infrared camera of standard sensitivity was successful. Characteristics of the QD-LED operating at room temperature are described. Read the article

Toward Quantum-Information Processing with Photons

by Ian A. Walmsley & Michael G. Raymer Science, 18 Mar 2005 Quantum mechanics promises a much more powerful information-processing technology than is possible using classical physics. Photons offer one potentially important platform for encoding and manipulating information using the rules of quantum physics. In order to realize this potential, they must interact with each other, something that they are not normally inclined to do. However, as discussed in the Perspective by Walmsley and Raymer, it is possible using a combination of standard optical elements and detectors to synthesize an effective interaction provided all the photons used have identical properties. An important direction of current research is to develop sources of identical photons. Read the article

The Controlled Evolution of a Polymer Single Crystal

by Xiaogang Liu et al. Science, 18 Mar 2005 We present a method for controlling the initiation and kinetics of polymer crystal growth using dip-pen nanolithography and an atomic force microscope tip coated with poly-DL-lysine hydrobromide. Triangular prisms of the polymer epitaxially grow on freshly cleaved mica substrates, and their in-plane and out-of-plane growth rates can be controlled by raster scanning the coated tip across the substrate. Atomic force microscope images were concomitantly recorded, providing a set of photographic images of the process as it spans the nanometer- to micrometer-length scales as a function of environmental conditions. Read the article

Rheological Measurements of the Thermoviscoelastic Response of Ultrathin Polymer Films

by P. A. O'Connell & G. B. McKenna Science, 18 Mar 2005 Measurement of the thermoviscoelastic behavior of glass-forming liquids in the nanometer size range offers the possibility of increased understanding of the fundamental nature of the glass-transition phenomenon itself. We present results from use of a previously unknown method for characterizing the rheological response of nanometer-thick polymer films. The method relies on the imaging capabilities of the atomic force microscope and the reduction in size of the classical bubble inflation method of measuring the biaxial creep response of ultrathin polymer films. Creep compliance as a function of time and temperature was measured in the linear viscoelastic regime for films of poly(vinyl acetate) at a thickness of 27.5 nanometers. Although little evidence for a change in the glass temperature is found, the material exhibits previously unobserved stiffening in the rubbery response regime. Read the article

Reeling in Nanofilaments

by Philip Ball Nature Materials Update, 10 Mar 2005 Most molecular self-assembly processes rely on weak bonds. But active assembly powered by motor proteins can exploit stronger linkages and create new, dynamic structures. Read the article

How the Tooth's Armour is Built

by Philip Ball Nature Materials Update, 17 Mar 2005 Clues about how the organic matrix of tooth enamel is woven together from self-assembling protein nanospheres might help the design of artificial mimics of this hard material. Read the article

Real-Space Observation of Ultraslow Light in Photonic Crystal Waveguides

by H. Gersen at al. Physical Review Letters, 25 Feb 2005 We show the real-space observation of fast and slow pulses propagating inside a photonic crystal waveguide by time-resolved near-field scanning optical microscopy. Local phase and group velocities of modes are measured. For a specific optical frequency we observe a localized pattern associated with a flat band in the dispersion diagram. During at least 3 ps, movement of this field is hardly discernible: its group velocity would be at most c/1000. The huge trapping times without the use of a cavity reveal new perspectives for dispersion and time control within photonic crystals. Read the article

Quantum-Dot Amplifier Restores 40 Gbit/s Signals

fibers.org News, 17 Mar 2005 Researchers at Fujitsu Laboratories in Tokyo are developing a semiconductor optical amplifier that amplifies, re-shapes and re-times 40 Gbit/s optical signals without electronic conversion. Read the article

Hey, Don't Toss Those Fishy Chips

by Amit Asaravala Wired News, 17 Mar 2005 Chip manufacturing is currently very wasteful. Between 20 percent and 50 percent of a manufacturer's total production is tossed or recycled because the chips contain minor imperfections. Defects in just one of the millions of tiny gates on a processor can doom the entire chip. Consumer electronics could be a whole lot cheaper if chip manufacturers stopped throwing out all their defective chips, according to a researcher at the University of Southern California. Read the article

Relaxor Ferroelectricity and Colossal Magnetocapacitive Coupling in Ferromagnetic CdCr2S4

by J. Hemberger et al. Nature, 17 Mar 2005 Materials in which magnetic and electric order coexist -- termed 'multiferroics' or 'magnetoelectrics' -- have recently become the focus of much research. In particular, the simultaneous occurrence of ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity, combined with an intimate coupling of magnetization and polarization via magnetocapacitive effects, holds promise for new generations of electronic devices. Here we present measurements on a simple cubic spinel compound with unusual, and potentially useful, magnetic and electric properties: it shows ferromagnetic order coexisting with relaxor ferroelectricity (a ferroelectric cluster state with a smeared-out phase transition), both having sizable ordering temperatures and moments. Close to the ferromagnetic ordering temperature, the magnetocapacitive coupling (characterized by a variation of the dielectric constant in an external magnetic field) reaches colossal values, approaching 500 per cent. We attribute the relaxor properties to geometric frustration, which is well known for magnetic moments but here is found to impede long-range order of the structural degrees of freedom that drive the formation of the ferroelectric state. Read the article

Ethernet Inventor Sees No Limits To The Technology

by Paul Travis InformationWeek, 16 Mar 2005 When Bob Metcalf was working at Xerox Corp. in 1970, he was given the task of developing a way to network computers using a standard interface. He invented what's now known as Ethernet, the technology employed by just about every data network in use today. Metcalf, awarded the National Medal of Technology on Monday, says Ethernet will become even faster and more widely used. Read the article

Current Measurement by Real-Time Counting of Single Electrons

by Jonas Bylander, Tim Duty & Per Delsing Nature, 17 Mar 2005 The fact that electrical current is carried by individual charges has been known for over 100 years, yet this discreteness has not been directly observed so far. Almost all current measurements involve measuring the voltage drop across a resistor, using Ohm's law, in which the discrete nature of charge does not come into play. However, by sending a direct current through a microelectronic circuit with a chain of islands connected by small tunnel junctions, the individual electrons can be observed one by one. The quantum mechanical tunnelling of single charges in this one-dimensional array is time correlated, and consequently the detected signal has the average frequency f = I/e, where I is the current and e is the electron charge. Here we report a direct observation of these time-correlated single-electron tunnelling oscillations, and show electron counting in the range 5 fA–1 pA. This represents a fundamentally new way to measure extremely small currents, without offset or drift. Moreover, our current measurement, which is based on electron counting, is self-calibrated, as the measured frequency is related to the current only by a natural constant. Read the article

Electrons Held in a Queue

by Dmitri V. Averin Nature, 17 Mar 2005 When electric currents are made sufficiently small, the electrons can be seen moving one by one. This is accomplished in a microelectronic circuit, providing a means of obtaining an accurate standard for current. Read the article

Visteon LED Innovations Improve Automotive Visibility

LEDs Magazine, March 2005 Visteon Corporation, a tier-one automotive supplier, has developed a broad range of lighting products, most recently looking at concepts for using LED technology for front and interior lighting. Read the article

NSF Program Solicitation - Partnerships for Innovation

The goals of the Partnerships for Innovation Program are to: 1) stimulate the transformation of knowledge created by the national research and education enterprise into innovations that create new wealth, build strong local, regional and national economies and improve the national well-being; 2) broaden the participation of all types of academic institutions and all citizens in NSF activities to more fully meet the broad workforce needs of the national innovation enterprise; and 3) catalyze or enhance enabling infrastructure necessary to foster and sustain innovation in the long-term. To develop a set of ideas for pursuing these goals, this competition will support 15-25 promising partnerships among academe, state/local/federal government and the private sector that will explore new approaches to support and sustain innovation. Program Announcement & Information

NSF Program Solicitation - Dynamic Data Driven Applications Systems

Information technology-enabled applications/simulations of systems in science and engineering have become as essential to advances in these fields as theory and measurement. This triad of approaches is used by scientists and engineers to analyze the characteristics and predict the behavior of complex systems and the applications that represent them. However, accurate and comprehensive analysis and prediction of the behavior of complex systems over time is difficult. With traditional simulation and measurement approaches, even elaborate computational models of such systems produce applications and simulations that diverge from or fail to predict real system behaviors. Program Announcement & Information

World's First Semiconductor Optical Amplifier with Signal Waveform Re-Shaping Function at 40Gbps

PhysOrg, 4 Mar 2005 Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Laboratories Limited today announced the development of the world's first semiconductor optical amplifier enabling waveform re-shaping of high-speed optical signals at 40Gbps by using quantum dots. Read the article

Coming Soon: Displays on Your Car's Windshield?

by Erin Biba PCWorld.com, 1 Mar 2005 Ever wish you could be Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future II and travel to a future where city windows display pastoral scenes and the newspaper is a disposable piece of constantly updating, foldable plastic? Well, that movie magic may soon come to life, thanks to a new class of materials recently developed by researchers at Oregon State University and Hewlett Packard. Read the article

Hot Research Harnesses Cold Atoms

by Chappell Brown EE Times, 28 Feb 2005 It sounds wildly impractical: define magnetic waveguides on silicon chips so as to route clumps of supercold atoms into cavities, where their wave functions can interfere with one another. The result? In effect, it's circuits in which atoms process information. Read the article

Putting Germanium in a Vise

by Linda Geppert IEEE Spectrum Online, 24 Feb 2005 The old-fashioned way to speed up circuits was to shrink the components, but now that the payoff from that strategy is declining, semiconductor manufacturers are seeking other ways to squeeze out performance -- notably by squeezing the semiconductor itself. Read the article

Almost Only Counts in Horseshoes - and Computer Chips

innovations-report, 23 Feb 2005 Computer chip manufacturers traditionally have had a single, simple standard for their product: perfection. But a USC engineer who has spent his career devising ways to have chips test themselves has found that less than perfect is sometimes good enough -- possibly good enough to save billions of dollars. Read the article

Atoms Never Forget

by Mark Peplow news@nature.com, 11 Mar 2005 Memory chips that store data by using electrical pulses to rearrange atoms could revolutionize the next generation of mobile phones and digital cameras. So say researchers who have built a device that proves the idea can deliver faster, cheaper memory. Read the article

The ‘Greening’ of Existing Facilities

by Renee Gryzkewicz Maintenance Solutions, February 2005 Environmentally friendly facilities -- and their potential to reduce maintenance and energy costs -- continue to gain interest among managers in all types of facilities. While many organizations have been focusing their “green” efforts in new construction projects, more maintenance and engineering managers are now taking a closer look at the sustainability of their existing facilities. Read the article

Green Machines

by John Teresko IndustryWeek, 1 Feb 2005 With worldwide automobile sales expected to more than double in the next 50 years, the drive for waste reduction is accelerating. When specifying materials, product development staffs must now equally embrace design for disassembly and recycling as well as design for manufacturing. Read the article

The State of Renewable Energy

by Katrina C. Arabe Industrial Market Trends, 15 Mar 2005 Mounting energy concerns are fueling industrial interest in clean energy. But despite the white-hot growth of solar and wind power, the country's total renewable energy consumption actually hasn't budged for years. Read the article

Metcalfe's Law Overshoots the Mark

by Stephen Shankland ZDNet News, 14 Mar 2005 Metcalfe's Law posits that the value of a network increases with the square of the number of devices in the network. But in a preliminary paper published March 2, Andrew Odlyzko and Benjamin Tilly of the University of Minnesota's Digital Technology Center concluded that the law "is a significant overestimate." Read the article

VoIP Testing Aids Network Evolution

by Meghan Fuller fibers.org News, 14 Mar 2005 Service providers will need versatile VoIP test gear to ensure that optical networks are future-proofed to meet the stringent expectations of their customers. Read the article

Anti-Tremor Mouse Stops PC Shakes

BBC News, 14 Mar 2005 People with hand tremors find it hard to use conventional mice for simple computer tasks because of the erratic movements of the cursor on the screen. A special adaptor that helps people with hand tremors control a computer mouse more easily has been developed. Read the article

Chlorine Treatment Seen as Risky

by Erica Gies Wired News, 15 Mar 2005 Ever since the advent of modern plumbing, people have embraced a practice of flush and forget. Unfortunately, public works employees and clean-water advocates rarely enjoy such a luxury, and recent debate has focused on the final step in sewage processing, chlorine disinfection, which is no longer the foregone conclusion it once was. Read the article

IBM Lets Millipede Storage Out for a Stroll

by Dan Ilett ZDNet News, 14 Mar 2005 IBM tantalized chip aficionados at CeBit here last week with a storage device that it says can achieve data densities of more than 1 terabit per square inch. Read the article

New Portable Surveillance Receivers 'Arm' Israeli Troops

by Karen Epper Hoffman TechnologyReview.com, 15 Mar 2005 A new communications technology that delivers video to a receiver one-fifth the size of normal is allowing Israeli troops to see what enemies may be lurking just over the next hill or around the next corner. Read the article

Tiny Bubbles Implode With the Heat of a Star

by Kenneth Chang New York Times, 15 Mar 2005 When the force of sound waves implode tiny bubbles within a liquid at room temperature, the surface of the bubble can reach temperatures at least 25,000 degrees Fahrenheit, more than twice as hot as the surface of the sun, scientists reported this month. Read the article

A Concise Guide to the Major Internet Bodies

by Alex Simonelis Ubiquity, 15-22 Feb 2005 "The Internet, a loosely-organized international collaboration of autonomous, interconnected networks, supports host-to-host communication through voluntary adherence to open protocols and procedures defined by Internet Standards." While this definition is essentially correct, its emphasis might give the reader the impression that no one is at the helm of the Internet. That conclusion would be wrong. Certain protocols, and the parameters required for their usage, are essential in order to operate on the Internet. A number of bodies have become responsible for those protocol standards and parameters. It can be fairly said that those bodies steer the Internet in a significant sense. Read the article

Can a Virus Hitch a Ride in Your Car?

by Tom Zeller Jr. & Norman Mayersohn New York Times, 13 Mar 2005 A virus can wreak havoc on computer files, hard drives and networks, but its malicious effects tend to be measured in wasted time, lost sales and the occasional unfinished novel that evaporates into the digital ozone. But what if viruses, worms or other forms of malware penetrated the computers that control ever more crucial functions in the car? Read the article

International Journal of Rotating Machinery Goes Open Access

by Peter Suber Open Access News, 12 Mar 2005 Hindawi Publishing has announced that The International Journal of Rotating Machinery has converted to open access, effective immediately. From the announcement: 'IJRM is edited by Prof Wen-Jei Yang of the University of Michigan, USA. The journal employs an open access model based on article processing charges to be paid by the authors' institution or research grant. The journal shall have an online edition which is free with no subscription or registration barriers and a print edition which shall be priced at a level reasonable for covering the printing cost. All articles published in the journal shall be distributed under the "Creative Commons Attribution License," which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Hindawi is currently working on retro-digitizing the back volumes of the journal and will make these volumes available online in the near future.' International Journal of Rotating Machinery

Patent Highlights - Week 10

optics.org News, 10 Mar 2005 The pick of this week's applications including a device from Nokia that operates using Morse code. Read the article

Cars Get a Multimedia POF Network

optics.org News, 10 Mar 2005 The French car maker Renault has wired up one of its Espace models with a high-speed plastic optical fiber (POF) network to demonstrate the future potential of in-car entertainment. Read the article

Wireless Without Borders: Networks for Those on the Go

by Sascha Segan PC Magazine (online), 2 Mar 2005 You heard the claim before, back when hot spots were popping up in coffee shops and airports across America. But this time, it's for real: High-speed wireless is everywhere. It's in the air, on the roads, in parks, on mountaintops. It's blanketing whole cities, suburbs, and suburbs of those suburbs. Read the article

PBS: Quantum Computing

This episode of the PBS program Closer to the Truth provides some insight into quantum computing technology. The program summary discusses some of the potential uses for quantum computing and features excerpts from the program in which researchers from IBM's Watson Research Center, MIT and UC Berkeley were interviewed. Visitors can also download video footage of the show and the transcript. Short definitions for key terms such as Tunneling, Superposition, Entanglement, and Quantum Mechanics are also provided. http://www.pbs.org/kcet/closertotruth/explore/show_08.html

Electrochemical Technology in Microelectronics

The current issue of the bimonthly IBM Journal of Research and Development features articles on electrochemical technology in microelectronics. Most of the articles address some of the issues that have arisen in this rapidly expanding field, especially as the dimensions of the features of microelectronic components have decreased. Other articles discuss cache prefetching, logic-based embedded DRAM (eDRAM), and register-renaming mappers for IBM POWER4 processors. Members of the IBM technical community and non-IBM authors are invited to submit papers for future issues of the IBM Journal of Research and Development on topics relevant to the scientific and technical content of the journal. The next issue will highlight the fastest computer in the world -- IBM's supercomputer called Blue Gene. [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 11 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005] http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/rd49-1.html

SNOW Research Community of Practice

SNOW Research Community of Practice, sponsored by the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, is a collaboration of professionals whose goal is to "provide a one-stop solution to customers' snow science and engineering problems." The 48 members have expertise in a variety of areas, including geophysics, chemistry, biology, physics, and mechanical, geological, electrical, civil, and geological engineering. This website provides contact information for snow experts and describes the tools and facilities that are at their disposal. They also provide a wealth of information on various aspects of snow research, including snow models, snow chemistry, and GIS/Remote sensing of snow. Also described here is research on snow mechanics and engineering, which can be used "to develop instrumentation, physical understanding and models and combined with other physical principals to solve problems in hydrology, transportation, engineering infrastructure, and climate change." In addition, the group provides updates on snow impacts in the news, such as the extensive snowfall in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan that has affected safety, transportation, and flooding in those regions, and a link to a map of U.S. snow coverage from the National Weather Service. [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 11 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005] http://snow.usace.army.mil/

Brookhaven Computational Science Center

The Brookhaven Computational Science Center is a collaborative project among researchers in biology, chemistry, physics, and medicine working with applied mathematicians and computer scientists "to exploit the remarkable opportunities for scientific discovery which have been enabled by modern computers." The Center is filling a need for upgrading the computing infrastructure within the Brookhaven National Laboratory and making "the most advanced systems available to researchers throughout the scientific community." The group's work addresses research in computational biology and nanoscience, as well as other areas of science, including nuclear and high energy physics, astrophysics, materials and chemical science, sustainable energy, environment, and homeland security. Detailed descriptions of each project and some related publications and presentations are posted on this website. [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 11 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005] http://www.bnl.gov/csc/

Duke University Robotics

This website highlights robotics research from the Robotics and Manufacturing Automation Laboratory at Duke University. Their work is "devoted to the development of command and control systems for cooperative robots." Their website provides descriptions and some demonstration videos of their work in multiple industrial robot control, mobile robot development, sensor fusion, robot-World Wide Web interfacing, sensor integration, among other related projects. A bibliography of publications by Lab researchers is also available online. [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 11 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005] http://ramalab.pratt.duke.edu/pages/IRC-ABBs.htm

BEARS Conference - UC Berkeley

The Berkeley EECS Annual Research Symposium (BEARS) is a conference hosted by UC Berkeley's Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences department in the College of Engineering. This website provides the agenda for the 2005 BEARS (held on February 10 and 11) along with information on the presenters and abstracts and video footage of their presentations. The conference highlights work from EECS scientists on "advances enabling computing and communications to connect diverse aspects of our world." Topics include: wireless networks, optical communication, the future of the internet, embedded software, machine learning, security, and trust. [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 11 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005] http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/BEARS/

Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center

The mission of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center at Georgia Tech is "to promote universal access to mobile wireless technologies and explore their innovative applications in addressing the needs of people with disabilities." Anticipating that wireless devices are likely to become an integral part of daily life, with applications ranging from conducting financial transactions to setting a home thermostat, these researchers are working to ensure that people with disabilities are able to use these devices and actively participate in "the information age." Supported by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education, the group's research addresses three inter-related projects: Assessment of User Needs, Evaluation of Emerging Technologies, and Policy Initiatives. The website also describes its work in exploring and developing new applications of wireless technologies to support independent living for people with disabilities, such as wearable computing. Related software applications are posted online to download as well as various publications, such as conference proceedings, journal articles, and technical reports. [from The NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, 11 Mar 2005 - Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2005] http://www.wirelessrerc.gatech.edu/index.html

New Generation of Minute Lasers Steps Into the Light

by Robert F. Service Science, 11 Mar 2005 Long-awaited long-wavelength Raman lasers built on microchips are primed to take the next strides in merging light beams and electronics. Read the article

Molecular Mechanisms for the Functionality of Lubricant Additives

by Nicholas J. Mosey, Martin H. Müser, & Tom K. Woo Science, 11 Mar 2005 Wear limits the life-span of many mechanical devices with moving parts. To reduce wear, lubricants are frequently enriched with additives, such as zinc phosphates, that form protective films on rubbing surfaces. Using first-principles molecular dynamics simulations of films derived from commercial additives, we unraveled the molecular origin of how antiwear films can form, function, and dissipate energy. These effects originate from pressure-induced changes in the coordination number of atoms acting as cross-linking agents to form chemically connected networks. The proposed mechanism explains a diverse body of experiments and promises to prove useful in the rational design of antiwear additives that operate on a wider range of surface materials, with reduced environmental side effects. Read the article

Information Free-for-All?

by Trudy E. Bell The Institute, March 2005 If open access -- a movement gaining momentum in academic publishing that proposes journal articles be made universally available online to all readers for free -- becomes reality, the results could dramatically reshape the activities of all scholarly publishers, including the IEEE. Read the article

NSF Program Solicitation - Broadening Participation in Computing

The Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) program aims to significantly increase the number of students who are U.S. citizens and permanent residents receiving post secondary degrees in the computing disciplines. Initially, its emphasis will be on students from communities with longstanding underrepresentation in computing: women, persons with disabilities, and minorities. Included minorities are African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The BPC program seeks to engage the computing community in developing and implementing innovative methods to improve recruitment and retention of these students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Because the lack of role models in the professoriate can be a barrier to participation, the BPC program also aims to develop effective strategies for identifying and supporting members of the targeted groups who want to pursue academic careers in computing. While these efforts focus on underrepresented groups, it is expected that the resulting types of interventions will improve research and education opportunities for all students in computing. Program Announcement & Information

General Observation of n-Type Field-Effect Behaviour in Organic Semiconductors

by Lay-Lay Chua et al. Nature, 10 Mar 2005 Organic semiconductors have been the subject of active research for over a decade now, with applications emerging in light-emitting displays and printable electronic circuits. One characteristic feature of these materials is the strong trapping of electrons but not holes: organic field-effect transistors (FETs) typically show p-type, but not n-type, conduction even with the appropriate low-work-function electrodes, except for a few special high-electron-affinity or low-bandgap organic semiconductors. Here we demonstrate that the use of an appropriate hydroxyl-free gate dielectric -- such as a divinyltetramethylsiloxane-bis(benzocyclobutene) derivative -- can yield n-channel FET conduction in most conjugated polymers. Read the article

Experimental One-Way Quantum Computing

by P. Walther et al. Nature, 10 Mar 2005 Standard quantum computation is based on sequences of unitary quantum logic gates that process qubits. The one-way quantum computer proposed by Raussendorf and Briegel is entirely different. It has changed our understanding of the requirements for quantum computation and more generally how we think about quantum physics. Read the article

Semiconductor Technology: Negatively Successful

by Ananth Dodabalapur Nature, 10 Mar 2005 Organic semiconducting polymers are promising electronic materials, but for full versatility they need to conduct negative as well as positive charge. A step towards that goal has now been taken. Read the article

New System Enhances Images in Crime Investigation

by Aaron Ricadela New York Times, 10 Mar 2005 Forensic experts who reconstruct crime scenes want to produce detailed drawings that can stand up in court without disrupting sensitive evidence. But creating hand-drawn sketches and taking photographs can take days and disturb the scene. Computer-aided design packages that require investigators in the field to enter data can be cumbersome, and results can be difficult for jurors to decipher. Read the article

Shark Skin Inspires Ship Coating

by Stephen Leahy Wired News, 10 Mar 2005 A new environmentally friendly coating based on sharks' skin may soon help the U.S. Navy increase ship speeds while saving fuel. Read the article

Next Big Step for the Web - Or a Detour?

by Paul Festa ZDNet News, 9 Mar 2005 Is the "Semantic Web" the new Internet, or a complex technology in search of a problem to solve? That's a question that advocates attending the Semantic Technology Conference here this week hope to put to rest. Standards specialists, venture capitalists, computer scientists and technology executives are meeting at the four-day conference to discuss enterprise applications for the Semantic Web -- the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) growing collection of protocols designed to make a wealth of new information accessible and reusable through the Web. Read the article

Gas-Guzzling Hybrids

by David Talbot Technology Review, April 2005 In December, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler showed off the technology at the heart of their recently ­announced hybrid-car partnership. The companies said that the contraption -- a transmission packaged with two electric motors -- would be in vehicles for sale in 2007, boosting their fuel economy by 25 percent. GM's announcement claimed it would advance the state of hybrid technology in the industry. Read the article

MIMO: The Next New Wireless?

by Craig Ellison PC Magazine (online), 28 Feb 2005 There's yet another new wireless networking buzzword that has started causing confusion: MIMO. The first MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) product to market was the Belkin Wireless Pre-N router, the first commercial implementation of a group of technologies that offers the promise of higher data throughput and better range than 802.11g products. But nothing is ever easy in the networking arena, and now there are three more wireless access point/client card combos (from D-Link, Linksys, and Netgear). Each product is based on a different MIMO technology. Read the article

Powering the 21st Century

by Massoud Amin IEEE USA-Today's Engineer, March 2005 The massive power outage of August 2003 underscored the vulnerability of our nation’s power grid, and the fact that this vital yet complex infrastructure underpins our society and quality of life. The cover story in the August 2004 issue of IEEE Spectrum as well as a subsequent 10 August Washington Post Op-Ed missed the mark on real issues at all levels -- technological, political and economic, as well as urgent tactical and strategic dimensions -- of the energy and infrastructure security challenges facing our nation. Read the article

IEEE Pervasive Computing Tackles Energy Harvesting and Conservation

Managing the energy needs of mobile systems, or systems for which reliable power isn't guaranteed, can be a significant distraction for users. The latest issue of IEEE Pervasive Computing magazine asks: how can we minimize user involvement in the energy management process to make pervasive computing devices more pervasive? IEEE Pervasive Computing, January-March 2005

Paint Power

by Joann Muller Forbes.com, 14 Feb 2005 Ford Motor Chairman William Clay Ford Jr. wants to be seen as an environmental leader. But too often, that agenda clashes with what shareholders want: profits. Now the automaker seems to have found one of those rare technologies that are both good for the environment and good for business. Ford is turning paint fumes -- the scourge of any auto manufacturing plant -- into clean electricity. Read the article

Understanding and Assessing Team Dynamics

by Vern R. Johnson IEEE USA-Today's Engineer, March 2005 Technical professionals are very good with tasks. Their affinity for tasks probably played into their decisions to become professionals, their educations further honed those skills. But successful and productive teaming isn’t just about accomplishing tasks -- it’s about accomplishing tasks and fostering relationships. Read the article

Proceedings of the IEEE Examines Grid Computing

Proceedings of the IEEE Examines Grid Computing This month, Proceedings of the IEEE looks at recent advances in the field of grid computing. Papers in this special issue provide an overview of the current state of grid computing, including academic and industry insights into grid applications, infrastructures, architectures, enabling technologies, and future visions and trends. Also included are tutorial overviews of the field, perfect for both non-expert electrical engineers and field researchers. Proceedings of the IEEE, March 2005

WiMAX Pro: 'A Preferred Technology'

by Ed Sutherland TechWeb Mobile Pipeline, 22 Feb 2005 WiMAX, which is the brand name for 802.16 wireless broadband technology, has long been touted as one of the next big things, but critics have been nipping at its heels of late. Read the article

WiMAX Con: Reality Won't Match The Hype

by Ed Sutherland TechWeb Mobile Pipeline, 22 Feb 2005 Last month's announcement that official certification of WiMAX gear will be delayed by six months threw cold water on what had seemed like a never-ending parade of hype surrounding the wireless broadband technology. Now analysts are piling on with warnings that WiMAX may not live up to expectations. Read the article

X-Band Radar is Set to Reap Benefits of GaN Technology

by Yvonne Carts-Powell Compound Semiconductor, March 2005 The impressive speed and power handling of GaN has been evident for some years, and the potential of transistors based on the material is sufficiently promising that the US military and others are funding their development. Now, GaN transistors aimed at uses in future high-performance millimeter-wave (MMW) military communications links and X-band radar are being reported by a number of groups. Read the article

How To Measure Call Quality

by Peter Morrissey Network Computing, 17 Feb 2005 Voice over IP demands more from the network infrastructure than just about any other application. Network availability, packet loss, latency and delay all can seriously impair voice conversations. Read the article

Small - Call for Papers

Wiley-VCH is proud to introduce Small, the new interdisciplinary journal for Nano and Micro Science and Technology -- a forum for presenting experimental and theoretical studies of fundamental and applied research in biology, medicine, chemistry, materials science, physics, and engineering at the micro and nano scales. The focus of contributions will be on the development of synthetic methods, the consequences of miniaturization, or the design of novel and functional materials, systems, and devices or their analysis by various techniques. Call for papers

Arm Wrestling Robots Beaten by a Teenaged Girl

by Duncan Graham-Rowe NewScientist.com, 8 Mar 2005 Flesh and bone triumphed in the first ever man-versus-machine battle of brawn -- an arm wrestling contest between robots and humans in California on Monday. Read the article

The Digital Car

by Bill Howard PC Magazine (online), 16 Feb 2005 Few PCs apply extra power to your outside rear wheel when you zoom through a corner. The Acura RL, which comes close to being a computer on four wheels, does. This $50,000 sport sedan is the latest and perhaps finest example of the marriage of automotive, computing, and entertainment technology. Read the article

Seven Myths About Voice over IP

Steven Cherry IEEE Spectrum, March 2005 Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is one of the fastestgrowing, and most misunderstood, technologies in the world at the moment. Confusion, outdated beliefs, and urban mythology reign over such simple issues as how it works, the quality of the calls, and, of course, how much it costs -- VoIP calls are not free now, and they never will be. Read the article

The Race to the Bottom

by Harry Goldstein IEEE Spectrum, March 2005 Gerd Binnig, a Nobel laureate in physics and a star in IBM Corp.’s metamorphosing research apparatus, and Tom Rust, a self-taught engineer who founded a start-up with a staff of 16, are in many ways nanotechnology’s least likely pair of combatants. They’re a couple of mavericks who, after 20 years of hunches, feverish experimentation, and perpetually mutating designs, are now on the brink of what could be nanotechnology’s first truly big commercial breakthrough: a memory system that could up the ante in the high-stakes struggle to keep data storage on a par with the pitiless pace of advances in consumer and computing electronics. Read the article

Transparent Transistors

by John Boyd & Samuel K. Moore IEEE Spectrum, March 2005 Two groups, in Japan and the United States, have reported making see-through circuits out of a new class of semiconductors. Besides holding out the possibility of building displays into the windows of cars and trains, the materials’ low cost and lowtemperature fabrication may suit them to future applications that don’t need transparency, notably roll-up electronic displays. Read the article

Top 10 Tech Cars

by John Voelcker IEEE Spectrum, March 2005 “Your Mileage May Vary.” Yes, indeed -- it could be as much as 30 percent lower than government ratings, as some new owners of hybrid-electric vehicles discovered, to their dismay, last year. Read the article