4:59 PM
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/11/air-force-zaps-drones-in-laser-test/
The Army wants to be able to instantly get surveillance information over a potential enemy, but there are delays to get spy drones or satellites or fighter jets over the location desired. So, the Army is looking for missiles that can carry surveillance drones inside:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/11/army-eyes-missiles-filled-with-flying-spy-bots/
The US ship that was boarded by pirates and had its captain taken hostage in April (Navy snipers rescued him by shooting the pirates holding him in a lifeboat) was attacked by pirates this morning. This time they were able to use Long Range Acoustic Devices and small-arms fire to repel the pirates:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/11/maersk-alabama-repels-pirates-with-sonic-blaster-bullets/
Legislation has been introduced that would forbid federal employees from using popular file-sharing technology such as LimeWire. This is because a junior staffer exposed her home computer by the use of peer-to-peer technology and documents were accessed and given to the Washington Post about dozens of Ethics investigations:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/17/AR2009111703841.html?wpisrc=newsletter
Novel approach will determine if it is feasible to inject CO2 deep underground where it would react with rocks and remain for thousands of years. Computer simulations indicate that this should basically turn the greenhouse gas into *stone* and mitigate the impact of global warming, and now they are moving towards real-world experiments to see if this really can work:
https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=1269&mode=2&featurestory=DA_526764
Structural engineers say that the eyebar design is an inherently unsafe design for bridges...unfortunately, a LOT of California's aging bridges (such as the Bay Bridge) use this flawed design:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/worries-about-safety-california-bridges-eyebar-design
Engineer discovered why a pinch of flour (or any small particles) thrown into a bowl of water will disperse in a dramatic fashion, radiating outward as if it was exploding. He says that repulsive hydrodynamic force causes the particles to disperse, and when many particles simultaneously are trapped in a liquid surface where air meets water, an explosive dispersion occurs:
http://www.njit.edu/news/2009/2009-407.php
The state of California is requiring all new TVs up to 58 inches to be more energy efficient by 2011 or they will be banned from store shelves. The Energy Commission states that TVs account for about 10% of a home's electricity use and worry that TV energy use will rise by 8% a year as consumers buy larger TVs:
http://www.cedmagazine.com/News-CA-TV-energy-efficient-111809.aspx
Report rates New Zealand and the least-corrupt country in the world and Somalia as the world's most corrupt country (just ahead of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan, and Iraq). The US was rated 19th least corrupt country out of the 180 countries listed:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/new-zealand-rated-least-corrupt-country-somalia-declared-most-corrupt
Federal judge rejected AT&T's request to force Verizon to stop or alter their commercials...so we'll see those commercials on TV all the time, at least until the next hearing on December 16.
http://www.ajc.com/business/judge-rejects-at-t-203765.html
Picochip completed a $20 million funding round and plans to IPO in 2011:
http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=184758
For Eric--great story about how the #1 recruit in Texas (according to this recruiting service) overcame living without his parents from age 7-10 and having to take care of younger children in Africa when he was so young at the time. It is funny how he mistakenly went to a football tryout at a school in Texas because he thought it was a tryout for soccer:
http://insidetexas.com/news/story.php?article=1677