7:59 PM
The province of Shanghai, China, took part in a OECD eduction study for the first time and Study of 15-year-olds around the world gives a good indication of how the education systems compare between countries. Shanghai was #1 in math--more than 25% of their 15-year-olds demonstrated advantage math thinking skills to solve complex problems, compared to the worldwide average of 3%. Korea and Finland scored the highest for reading literacy. Asia has amazing education quality, with the top performers in the world being Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and Korea:
http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/12/shanghai-15-years-old-score-highest-in.html
A programming error apparently caused a rocket carrying 3 Russian navigation satellites to fail to reach orbit. This is a big setback to Russia's attempt to create an alternative system to GPS:
http://www.asdnews.com/news/32273/Programming_error_caused_Russian_satellite_failure:_report.htm
The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) connected 1,760 PlayStation 3 systems together to create the fastest interactive computer in the entire DoD, capable of 500 trillion floating point operations per second. AFRL was able to create their supercomputer for a total cost of $2 million, 10x to 20x cheaper than an equivalent system built with off-the-shelf parts. The system consumes just 10% the power of a comparably powered supercomputer. They had to use the older PS3 units because the newer Slim PS3s do not allow for Linux to be installed:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/us-air-force-creates-powerful-supercomputer-out-ps3s
Saudi security sources uncovered an al-Qaeda plan to put poison in perfumes and send the bottles to homes and offices of government officials and religious scholars as gifts:
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/12/05/128524.html
Chinese scientists have developed a biometric device that allows Chinese authorities to identify people by the way that they walk. The device can be installed in a floor or sidewalk and can collect biometrics data on individuals without anyone knowing:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/china-developed-gait-biometrics-device-identify-passers-covertly
A Chinese security firm partnered with Microsoft to use their access to Windows source code to improve its security...but instead of helping Microsoft make Windows more secure, they worked with Chinese intelligence to exploit weaknesses in Windows and train Chinese government hackers--stealing more than 50 MB of secret US government e-mails (they mainly targeted the US Army, but they also infiltrated numerous other US agencies). The security firm is now China's largest provider of information security products and services:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/06/wikileaks_chinese_hacking/
Paralyzed man invented robotic legs that enable paralyzed people to stand, walk and even climb stairs! They completed several years of trials in the US and Israel and the system will be on the market next month. Regular usage of the $100k device can prevent costly complications that happen for people who cannot walk, including pressure sores and urinary, digestive, circulatory, and cardiovascular problems...but possibly the biggest benefit is the emotional life it gives patients:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1335327/Paralysed-man-invents-robotic-legs-help-paraplegics-walk-again.html
Engineer developed a liquid that lab testing shows can fix broken bones. The fluid can be injected into breaks with a syringe. Current solutions contain metal, which has a lot of problems with surrounding tissues, but this new liquid is metal-free::
http://today.brown.edu/articles/2010/12/audax
NYU Professor surgically implanted a camera to the back of his head! He will have a cap on it when he's on the NYU campus, but will wear it everywhere else--in bed, in the shower, etc. He will wear his camera for a year and it will take photos at one-minute intervals that will be shown live in a Museum of Modern Art in Qatar:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-12/professor-installs-headcam-starts-tracking-world-behind-him
Analyst says that Verizon will give in to Apple's terms to insure that the iPhone does not go to T-Mobile or Sprint in 2011:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2373933,00.asp
Verizon is testing a new service that can eliminate the need for landline accounts because subscribers can make calls from their landline phones using Verizon's cellular network--minutes are shared between cell phones and home phones. Customers can use their existing landline phones and keep their current home phone numbers and pay $9.99 per month for the service:
http://www.wirelessdesignmag.com/ShowPR.aspx?PUBCODE=055&ACCT=0000100&ISSUE=1012&RELTYPE=IN&PRODCODE=00000&PRODLETT=AG&CommonCount=0
AT&T says that they currently have 7 million mobile broadband subscribers on usage-based data pricing plans, 6 months after they started their usage-based pricing model:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/att-has-7-million-usage-based-pricing-subscribers/2010-12-07
Man in Oregon changed his name from Douglas Allen Smith, Jr. to *Captain Awesome*:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/12/06/national/a111732S88.DTL
Wisconsin woman was arrested after she bit off the tongue of her 79-year-old husband during a kiss:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40548051/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
http://nextbigfuture.com/2010/12/shanghai-15-years-old-score-highest-in.html
A programming error apparently caused a rocket carrying 3 Russian navigation satellites to fail to reach orbit. This is a big setback to Russia's attempt to create an alternative system to GPS:
http://www.asdnews.com/news/32273/Programming_error_caused_Russian_satellite_failure:_report.htm
The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) connected 1,760 PlayStation 3 systems together to create the fastest interactive computer in the entire DoD, capable of 500 trillion floating point operations per second. AFRL was able to create their supercomputer for a total cost of $2 million, 10x to 20x cheaper than an equivalent system built with off-the-shelf parts. The system consumes just 10% the power of a comparably powered supercomputer. They had to use the older PS3 units because the newer Slim PS3s do not allow for Linux to be installed:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/us-air-force-creates-powerful-supercomputer-out-ps3s
Saudi security sources uncovered an al-Qaeda plan to put poison in perfumes and send the bottles to homes and offices of government officials and religious scholars as gifts:
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/12/05/128524.html
Chinese scientists have developed a biometric device that allows Chinese authorities to identify people by the way that they walk. The device can be installed in a floor or sidewalk and can collect biometrics data on individuals without anyone knowing:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/china-developed-gait-biometrics-device-identify-passers-covertly
A Chinese security firm partnered with Microsoft to use their access to Windows source code to improve its security...but instead of helping Microsoft make Windows more secure, they worked with Chinese intelligence to exploit weaknesses in Windows and train Chinese government hackers--stealing more than 50 MB of secret US government e-mails (they mainly targeted the US Army, but they also infiltrated numerous other US agencies). The security firm is now China's largest provider of information security products and services:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/06/wikileaks_chinese_hacking/
Paralyzed man invented robotic legs that enable paralyzed people to stand, walk and even climb stairs! They completed several years of trials in the US and Israel and the system will be on the market next month. Regular usage of the $100k device can prevent costly complications that happen for people who cannot walk, including pressure sores and urinary, digestive, circulatory, and cardiovascular problems...but possibly the biggest benefit is the emotional life it gives patients:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1335327/Paralysed-man-invents-robotic-legs-help-paraplegics-walk-again.html
Engineer developed a liquid that lab testing shows can fix broken bones. The fluid can be injected into breaks with a syringe. Current solutions contain metal, which has a lot of problems with surrounding tissues, but this new liquid is metal-free::
http://today.brown.edu/articles/2010/12/audax
NYU Professor surgically implanted a camera to the back of his head! He will have a cap on it when he's on the NYU campus, but will wear it everywhere else--in bed, in the shower, etc. He will wear his camera for a year and it will take photos at one-minute intervals that will be shown live in a Museum of Modern Art in Qatar:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-12/professor-installs-headcam-starts-tracking-world-behind-him
Analyst says that Verizon will give in to Apple's terms to insure that the iPhone does not go to T-Mobile or Sprint in 2011:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2373933,00.asp
Verizon is testing a new service that can eliminate the need for landline accounts because subscribers can make calls from their landline phones using Verizon's cellular network--minutes are shared between cell phones and home phones. Customers can use their existing landline phones and keep their current home phone numbers and pay $9.99 per month for the service:
http://www.wirelessdesignmag.com/ShowPR.aspx?PUBCODE=055&ACCT=0000100&ISSUE=1012&RELTYPE=IN&PRODCODE=00000&PRODLETT=AG&CommonCount=0
AT&T says that they currently have 7 million mobile broadband subscribers on usage-based data pricing plans, 6 months after they started their usage-based pricing model:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/att-has-7-million-usage-based-pricing-subscribers/2010-12-07
Man in Oregon changed his name from Douglas Allen Smith, Jr. to *Captain Awesome*:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/12/06/national/a111732S88.DTL
Wisconsin woman was arrested after she bit off the tongue of her 79-year-old husband during a kiss:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40548051/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/