5:17 PM
New Scientist Magazine published an article about my work today:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727715.600-teamworking-robots-huddle-together-to-boost-comms.html
Army Research Lab researchers have developed a prototype of a snake-like robot that could be used instead of soldiers in dangerous search and rescue mission, surveillance operations, and IED disposal:
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/snake-robots-dispose-ieds
Young robotics makers are creating Star Wars-inspired robots for a variety of medical or scientific purposes:
http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/acrobaticrobots.jsp
Some alumni and supporters of colleges will soon get a chance to switch their electricity provider to a company that provides electricity from 100% renewable energy sources. For example, next month Texas Longhorn Energy will be available and UT-Austin will get money for every person that signs up for it--and consumers will get competitively priced electricity from renewable sources and merchandise, memorabilia, access to events, ticket discounts and other benefits as incentives:
http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/66314
The cancer rate (for both men and women) is 10% higher in the left side of our body than in the right side in the US, with researchers confused why that occurs in the US and not in places like Japan. They are studying the difference between the futons in Japan that are directly on the bedroom floor and elevated box springs and mattresses of beds used in the West. However, it turns out that there may be a link between bedroom furniture and cancer...our coil-spring mattresses may effectively be antennas that amplify FM/TV radiation, developing an electromagnetic field 75cm above the mattress--since people mainly sleep on their right side, the left side of their body is exposed to 2x the radiation that the right side absorbs:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=left-sided-cancer-blame-your-bed-an-2010-07-02
Two demographers state that declining birth rates in Mexico may mean an end to the illegal immigration push into the US. In 1970 there were 6.8 babies for each Mexican woman and now they are close to 2.1 babies for each Mexican woman (that is the reproductive rate to maintain a country's population). The US is also at the 2.1 birth rate, but the ratio would be lower if it wasn't for the 2.6 births per Latino women in the US. Europe is at 1.4 babies per woman and Japan is at 1.2 babies per woman, with that low rate expected to be a drag on their economies in the future. Thank you to Tom for this very interesting article!
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/jul/08/perfect-storm-mexican-immigration-coming-end/
AT&T says that they want to be the premier carrier for Windows Phone 7--maybe they will push Windows Phone 7 like Verizon has pushed Android? I'm curious how happy Apple would be if AT&T makes a big marketing push for Microsoft...
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9179744/AT_T_to_be_premier_Windows_Phone_7_vendor?taxonomyId=75
Sprint posted its first net wireless subscriber growth in 3 years in the second quarter. However, Sprint still lost 228k postpaid subscribers in the quarter and lost $760 million last quarter (up from $384 million last year). Sprint expects to have positive net subscriber additions during the rest of the year and fewer postpaid subscriber losses in the second half of this year:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/spritn-gets-back-positive-subscriber-growth-q2/2010-07-28
LG posted a record loss at its handset business, losing $101 million last quarter (they made over $500 million in profit last year in that quarter). This was their first loss in 4 years and was *triple* the loss predicted by analysts. LG is making a big push with Android smartphones to try to make their comeback--over half of their smartphones will be Android smartphones this year:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-28/lg-electronics-profit-falls-33-after-company-falls-behind-in-smartphones.html
Google's CEO talks about how they could generate huge money for paid newspaper content--if they get 1 billion Android users and each pays $10 per year for newspaper access, that brings in $10 billion:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/07/28/eric-schmidt-on-google%E2%80%99s-next-tricks/?mod=e2tw
New York City restaurant is selling the world's most expensive hot dog...$69 for a hot dog!
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38426680/ns/today-foodwine/
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727715.600-teamworking-robots-huddle-together-to-boost-comms.html
Army Research Lab researchers have developed a prototype of a snake-like robot that could be used instead of soldiers in dangerous search and rescue mission, surveillance operations, and IED disposal:
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/snake-robots-dispose-ieds
Young robotics makers are creating Star Wars-inspired robots for a variety of medical or scientific purposes:
http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/acrobaticrobots.jsp
Some alumni and supporters of colleges will soon get a chance to switch their electricity provider to a company that provides electricity from 100% renewable energy sources. For example, next month Texas Longhorn Energy will be available and UT-Austin will get money for every person that signs up for it--and consumers will get competitively priced electricity from renewable sources and merchandise, memorabilia, access to events, ticket discounts and other benefits as incentives:
http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/66314
The cancer rate (for both men and women) is 10% higher in the left side of our body than in the right side in the US, with researchers confused why that occurs in the US and not in places like Japan. They are studying the difference between the futons in Japan that are directly on the bedroom floor and elevated box springs and mattresses of beds used in the West. However, it turns out that there may be a link between bedroom furniture and cancer...our coil-spring mattresses may effectively be antennas that amplify FM/TV radiation, developing an electromagnetic field 75cm above the mattress--since people mainly sleep on their right side, the left side of their body is exposed to 2x the radiation that the right side absorbs:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=left-sided-cancer-blame-your-bed-an-2010-07-02
Two demographers state that declining birth rates in Mexico may mean an end to the illegal immigration push into the US. In 1970 there were 6.8 babies for each Mexican woman and now they are close to 2.1 babies for each Mexican woman (that is the reproductive rate to maintain a country's population). The US is also at the 2.1 birth rate, but the ratio would be lower if it wasn't for the 2.6 births per Latino women in the US. Europe is at 1.4 babies per woman and Japan is at 1.2 babies per woman, with that low rate expected to be a drag on their economies in the future. Thank you to Tom for this very interesting article!
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/jul/08/perfect-storm-mexican-immigration-coming-end/
AT&T says that they want to be the premier carrier for Windows Phone 7--maybe they will push Windows Phone 7 like Verizon has pushed Android? I'm curious how happy Apple would be if AT&T makes a big marketing push for Microsoft...
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9179744/AT_T_to_be_premier_Windows_Phone_7_vendor?taxonomyId=75
Sprint posted its first net wireless subscriber growth in 3 years in the second quarter. However, Sprint still lost 228k postpaid subscribers in the quarter and lost $760 million last quarter (up from $384 million last year). Sprint expects to have positive net subscriber additions during the rest of the year and fewer postpaid subscriber losses in the second half of this year:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/spritn-gets-back-positive-subscriber-growth-q2/2010-07-28
LG posted a record loss at its handset business, losing $101 million last quarter (they made over $500 million in profit last year in that quarter). This was their first loss in 4 years and was *triple* the loss predicted by analysts. LG is making a big push with Android smartphones to try to make their comeback--over half of their smartphones will be Android smartphones this year:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-28/lg-electronics-profit-falls-33-after-company-falls-behind-in-smartphones.html
Google's CEO talks about how they could generate huge money for paid newspaper content--if they get 1 billion Android users and each pays $10 per year for newspaper access, that brings in $10 billion:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/07/28/eric-schmidt-on-google%E2%80%99s-next-tricks/?mod=e2tw
New York City restaurant is selling the world's most expensive hot dog...$69 for a hot dog!
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38426680/ns/today-foodwine/