4:17 PM
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/oct/16/childs-death-flu-mystery/?health&zIndex=183689
iRobot demonstrated their shape-shifting robot blog that can roll around and change shapes and squeeze through tiny cracks in walls:
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/blog/robotics/robotics-software/automaton/irobot-soft-morphing-blob-chembot
Cyborg beetles equipped with surveillance gear can be remotely controlled and fly over enemy positions. This has great applications for the military, public safety, and geographers working in remote locations:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/single.php?id=8931
Lockheed got a $31 million contract from DARPA to reinvent the internet and make it more suitable for military use. Microsoft will also be involved with this development of a new Military Network Protocol that will be a military replacement for TCP/IP:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/16/darpa_microsoft_reinvent_internet/
A crack in the Crystal River nuclear power plant is being investigated--the walls are 42 inches thick and the crack was found about 9 inches from the outer surface of the concrete! It is good that they accidentally discovered the crack when they were replacing the steam generators:
http://www.ocala.com/article/20091008/ARTICLES/910089973?Title=Commission-investigates-crack-at-Crystal-River-nuclear-plant
Article about how the moon produces its own water:
http://www.asd-network.com/press_detail_B.asp?ID=23889&NID=284998
Nobody wanted to claim the missile launcher that this Texas man found in his yard:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Comal_man_finds_missile_launcher.html
It is really sad that a typo (dropping a period) took down the Internet for Sweden--all websites went down and all e-mail stopped working. All 900,000 .se domain names were affected by this typo:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10374062-245.html?tag=content;col1
Caltech researchers identified a metabolic ability that might help solve the mystery over the world's nitrogen-cycling budget. Currently it appears that more nitrogen is being used in the world than is being made, so scientists have been trying to figure out if the nitrogen cycle is really out of balance or if unknown sources are producing nitrogen to balance the nitrogen budget:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/ciot-crr101509.php
Ohio State University researchers found a way to make quantum devices using common chip-making technology, which is a major breakthrough for quantum computing to become cost-effective:
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/cvddiode.htm
Google just released their 3rd-quarter results and their quarterly profit was their largest in their 11-year history! They plan to hire several thousand new employees (great for the economy, especially in Silicon Valley) and increase their spending on computers and acquisition of start-ups. Google has $22 billion in cash on hand, so they can gobble up any start-up they are interested in, and they might wish to buy now when things are down instead of waiting until the
economy improves:
http://www.mercurynews.com/business-headlines/ci_13569605?nclick_check=1
http://www.cedmagazine.com/News-Google-open-wallet-stellar-Q3-101609.aspx
Sony Ericsson posted its 5th straight quarterly loss, $245 million loss this quarter as compared to their $37.7 million in the year-ago quarter. However, they got $676 million more in funding, most of from Sony and Ericsson on a 50/50 basis:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/sony-ericsson-reports-245m-loss-woes-continue/2009-10-16?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
Dell clearly states that they will sell Android-based phones in the US next year:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/technologybrierdudleysblog/2010072715_michael_dell_well_sell_android.html
Louisiana judge refuses to issue marriage licenses to interracial couples--though he says that he's not a racist and knows he is breaking the law:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9BBNUJ80&show_article=1
For Lori--Jimmy Kimmel was double-dating with his girlfriend (comedian Sarah Silverman) and a couple that worked for him...he pursued the woman that worked for him and apparently got rid of her boyfriend to help him break the couple up and get his employee to become his girlfriend:
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/10/exclusive-jimmy-kimmel-stole-new-girlfriend-show-staffer
For Lori--Letterman actually brought Stephanie along with him on trips with his wife and son!
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/10/report-david-letterman-took-mistress-along-family-vacations-wife
For Lori--amazing video of a baby that survived after falling under a train. A gust of wind swept the stroller onto the train track the split second before the train got there...I cannot imagine how that mother felt when she must have thought her baby was dead.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/10/16/australia.baby.train.escape/index.html