Every month ICN sends out a fresh list of places where you can submit your music for review, radio airplay, distribution etc. All genres of music are covered. Monthly draws include a Shure SM58 Microphone and a copy of The A&R Registry.

Zimbo Books is pleased to announce the Zimbo Books Fiction Competition 2008 commemorating the launch of Zimbo Books. This exciting competition as described in the competition rules has 2 major benefits:

* A prize pool of USD $100,000 with a first prize of USD $80,000.

The next four runners up get USD $5,000 each.

* One year's subscription for all Authors to sell their books online via Zimbo Books (value USD $45).

The closing date of Registrations for the Competition is 21 April 2009. Registration fee is USD $85 per entry. Authors can enter more than one book.

Books must be the copyright of the author, 50,000 - 300,0000 words in English. Competition is open to anyone in the world. If the author is under the age of eighteen years as at the Commencement Date, then the consent of a parent or guardian is required.

Books will be judged on originality, opening, plot, characters, writing style, and dialogue. Zimbo Books reserves the right to reject any entries that it deems, in its sole discretion, to be inappropriate, for any reason whatsoever. A special panel of qualified judges selected by Zimbo Books in its sole discretion shall determine the first prize winner.

Northwestern University Professor Reginald Gibbons was in London to give a reading and lecture last week when, looking at the New York Times online, he discovered -- to his surprise -- that he had been named one of five finalists for the prestigious 2008 National Book Award in poetry.

Gibbons was named a National Book Award finalist for “Creatures of a Day,” a collection of poems that contemplates memory, obligation, love, death, celebration and sorrow.

MARATHON READING OF ON THE ROAD

Wed Nov 5: Today America will have elected a new president. Come out and celebrate the end of the Bush era and the beginning of a new era with a FREE marathon reading of Kerouac's On The Road, to take place from 9 AM to 9 PM, part of the Humanities Festival Open House. Marathon Reading: On the Road, Conaway Center, 1104 South Wabash, 1st floor. In the true spirit of the Beat Generation and to celebrate a new generation, celebrity guest readers from the Chicago area will bring Kerouac’s words to life in an all-day marathon reading of On the Road. A few of the many readers include (times aproximate): Erika Mikkalo, Cathleen Schandelmeir and Donna Kiser between 12 and 1:00; Haki Madhubuti, Jennifer Karmin, Sandi Wisenberg and Doree McNulty between 1 and 3:30; CJ Laity, Rick Kogan, Sid Yiddish and Jerome Ludwig between 6 and 8; and Larry Sawyer and Shelly Nation between 8 and 9. This is the event you do not want to miss.

Author Lanaia Lee has just released the first in a 5-book fantasy series that begins with life on the Continent of Atlantis. She just completed the fifth book, so the series is ready to dive in.

Here is an online interview with Lanaia Lee.

Visit Lanaia's website for her book page and book events.

From
Sundown Lounge No. 158


Geeknotes:

Just personal crap this week...



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Study: Cell Phones Can Affect Sperm Quality Keeping a cell phone on talk mode in a pocket can decrease sperm quality, according to new research from the Cleveland Clinic. “We believe that these devices are used because we consider them very safe, but it could cause harmful effects due to the proximity of the phones and the exposure that they are causing to the gonads,” says lead researcher Ashok Agarwal, the Director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine. In the small study, Agarwal’s team took semen samples from 32 men and brought them to the lab. Each man’s sample was placed into small, conical tubes and divided into two parts: a test group and a control group. The control group was unexposed to cell phone emissions, but kept under the same conditions and temperature as the test group. Overall, researchers found an increase in oxidative stress such as a significant increase in free radicals and oxidants and a decrease in antioxidants. Agarwal says that equals a decrease in sperm’s quality, including motility and viability. Evidence of oxidative stress can appear under other conditions, including exposure to certain environmental pollutants or infections in the urinary genital tract. In a previous study, Agarwal and his team found that men who used their cell phones more than four hours a day had significantly lower sperm quality than those who used their cell phones for less time. Those findings were based on self-reported data from 361 subjects. 'Green Gasoline' Crafted From Sugar And Carbohydrates Following independent paths of investigation, two research teams are announcing this month that they have successfully converted sugar-potentially derived from agricultural waste and non-food plants-into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and a range of other valuable chemicals. Chemical engineer Randy Cortright and his colleagues at Virent Energy Systems of Madison, Wisc., a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research awardee, and researchers led by NSF-supported chemical engineer James Dumesic of the University of Wisconsin at Madison are now announcing that sugars and carbohydrates can be processed like petroleum into the full suite of products that drive the fuel, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. The key to the breakthrough is a process developed by both Dumesic and Cortright called aqueous phase reforming. In passing a watery slurry of plant-derived sugar and carbohydrates over a series of catalysts-materials that speed up reactions without sacrificing themselves in the process-carbon-rich organic molecules split apart into component elements that recombine to form many of the chemicals that are extracted from non-renewable petroleum.

TFAS: A New Procedure That Can Restore Full Use Of Spine Ever bend down and not get up again for a few days? Have you turned your neck in one direction only to find that your body had to accompany your neck to turn to the other side? As we get into our senior years, many of us develop more pervasive spinal problems that can distort our bodies, and seriously affect daily living. Spinal stenosis, the closing of the spinal canal, caused by the deterioration of bone, joint, and ligament structures that surround and protect the spinal cord, can result in a “permanent” stoop, or permanent inability to rotate the neck. This closing can cause inflammation of the surrounding nerves, that can cause considerable pain, even into the head and legs. Right now, surgical treatments for pain, as well as some implants (e.g., spinal fusion) with limited function, are available for the most severe cases of spinal stenosis. But a new procedure which can restore full use of your spine, just as knee and hip replacements can restore the functions of those joints, is being tested in the U.S., and is already being practiced in other countries! It’s called TFAS®, the Total Facet Arthroplasty System® and it was created by Archus® Orthopedics, a private company in Redmond, Washington, specializing in orthopedic implants. TFAS is a patented spinal implant that replaces worn facets of the spine. Carbon Is Building Up in Atmosphere Faster Than Predicted By Juliet Eilperin The rise in global carbon dioxide emissions last year outpaced international researchers' most dire projections, according to figures being released today, as human-generated greenhouse gases continued to build up in the atmosphere despite international agreements and national policies aimed at curbing climate change. In 2007, carbon released from burning fossil fuels and producing cement increased 2.9 percent over that released in 2006, to a total of 8.47 gigatons, or billions of metric tons, according to the Australia-based Global Carbon Project, an international consortium of scientists that tracks emissions. This output is at the very high end of scenarios outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and could translate into a global temperature rise of more than 11 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, according to the panel's estimates. "In a sense, it's a reality check," said Corinne Le Quéré, a professor at the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia and a researcher with the British Antarctic Survey. "This is an extremely large number. The emissions are increasing at a rate that's faster than what the IPCC has used." Last month, two scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of California at San Diego published research showing that even if humans stopped generating greenhouse gases immediately, the world's average temperature would "most likely" increase by 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century. Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they based their calculations on the fact that new air-quality measures worldwide are reducing the amount of fine particles, or aerosols, in the atmosphere and diminishing their cooling effect.

From
Sundown Lounge No. 157


Geeknotes:

Brad Wilson
SkydiverGirls
Chicago Cultural Center Literary Gallery



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Chicago Cultural Center Literary Gallery

ChicagoPoetry.com has heard it through the grapevine (otherwise known as C. Rossiter) that the Chicago Cultural Center will be hosting a literary Gallery. They won't actually be selling books in the Gallery; it's more a chance for exposure and publicity for publishers and authors, though they do hope that book sales will result from it.

The Gallery will be in the Randolph ground-floor lobby, on either side of the marble staircase, and it will contain books and periodicals by Chicago-area publishers and authors. It will be a place where visitors can get a sense of the many publishing ventures that are happening in Chicago--and explore some of the fascinating books, magazines, newspapers, journals, zines, and comics that are being produced here. Visitors won't be able to take books out of the area; they will just be invited to browse or to read them there. However, they will be highlighting 6 Chicago publishers per month in the Cultural Center store, which is right next to the Lit Lounge site. Also, a computer will be built into the Lounge, so people can look at Chicago's literary websites and blogs.

They would love to consider your books for inclusion in the Gallery, and they are asking for donations of one copy per title of each book that you'd like to contribute.

If you'd like to participate, contact Danielle.Chapman@cityofchicago.org for more information.

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Scientists Discover Method Of Powdering Methane Gas Scientists have found a way to create powdered methane, making it much easier to store the elusive silent-but-deadly gas. By mixing the methane in a blender with water and silica, roughly one liter of the fuel can be stored in about six grams of powder. Though the powder form still needs to be held under light pressure and cooler temperatures (roughly -94° F), it makes methane much easier to trap and transfer. Good news, considering certain estimates say that worldwide methane deposits contain more energy than coal, oil and other fossil fuels combined. If this method of powdering methane gets commercialized, other gases may also get similar treatment. For instance, storing CO2 as a powder could finally make carbon sequestration viable and hydrogen as a powder would do wonders for fuel cell technology... Software Spots the Spin in Political Speeches Software programs that analyse a person's speech, voice or facial expressions are building upon the work of researchers like Paul Ekman to help us discover when the truth is being stretched, and even by how much. "The important thing to recognise is that politicians aren't typically good at out-and-out lies, but they are very adept at dancing around the truth," says David Skillicorn, a mathematics and computer science researcher at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. "The 2008 election has so far given us plenty of chances to see them in action." Skillicorn has been watching out for verbal "spin". He has developed an algorithm that evaluates word usage within the text of a conversation or speech to determine when a person "presents themselves or their content in a way that does not necessarily reflect what they know to be true". The algorithm counts usage of first person nouns - "I" tends to indicate less spin than "we", for example. It also searches out phrases that offer qualifications or clarifications of more general statements, since speeches that contain few such amendments tend to be high on spin. Finally, increased rates of action verbs such as "go" and "going", and negatively charged words, such as "hate" and "enemy", also indicate greater levels of spin. ... Vatican Says it Does Not Owe Darwin an Apology The Vatican said on Tuesday the theory of evolution was compatible with the Bible but planned no posthumous apology to Charles Darwin for the cold reception it gave him 150 years ago. The Church of England this week also accepted that it was over-defensive and over-emotional in dismissing Darwin's ideas. A leading Anglican churchman, Rev. Malcolm Brown, said that "anti-evolutionary fervour" is an indictment on the Church, and that the Church of England owed Darwin an apology for the way his ideas were received by Anglicans in Britain.

Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, the Vatican's culture minister, was speaking at the announcement of a Rome conference of scientists, theologians and philosophers to be held next March marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species. In 1950, Pope Pius XII described evolution as a valid scientific approach to the development of humans, a view that was reiterated by Pope John Paul II in 1996. But Ravasi said the Vatican had no intention of apologising for earlier negative views. "Maybe we should abandon the idea of issuing apologies as if history was a court eternally in session," he said, adding that Darwin's theories were "never condemned by the Catholic Church nor was his book ever banned." New Carbon Material Stores Large Quantities Of Renewable Electrical Energy Engineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have achieved a breakthrough in the use of a one-atom thick structure called "graphene" as a new carbon-based material for storing electrical charge in ultracapacitor devices, perhaps paving the way for the massive installation of renewable energies such as wind and solar power. The researchers believe their breakthrough shows promise that graphene (a form of carbon) could eventually double the capacity of existing ultracapacitors, which are manufactured using an entirely different form of carbon. "Through such a device, electrical charge can be rapidly stored on the graphene sheets, and released from them as well for the delivery of electrical current and, thus, electrical power," says Rod Ruoff, a mechanical engineering professor and a physical chemist. "There are reasons to think that the ability to store electrical charge can be about double that of current commercially used materials. We are working to see if that prediction will be borne out in the laboratory." The U.S. Department of Energy has said that an improved method for storage of electrical energy is one of the main challenges preventing the substantial installation of renewable energies such as wind and solar power. Storage is vital for times when the wind doesn't blow or the sun doesn't shine. During those times, the stored electrical energy can be delivered through the electrical grid as needed.

From
Sundown Lounge No. 156


Geeknotes:

No Chicago Poetry Fest this year,
but there is The Devil's Kitchen Literary Fest



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From chicagopoetry.com:

Hi poets,

as you know, I didn't throw together a Chicago Poetry Fest this year. I took this year off. There were many factors in my decision, most predominantly my own busy schedule. One of the other main reasons is that the landscape of the Chicago Poetry Scene has changed drastically over the last year or so. There are currently two very influential parts to the poetry scene that exist as sort of opposite ends to the pole: the experimental movement (think Danny's or Myopic or Cracked Slab Books) and the slam scene (think In One Ear or Mental Graffiti or Safe Smiles at Trace). Between those two communities once existed something called the saloon poetry scene, and that is the scene in which the poetry fest was born out of. Recently the saloon poetry scene has all but vanished, having been squeezed out from the middle like so much pimento out of an olive. In the absence of any legit saloon poetry scene, basically two open mics have attempted to fill that giant gap, but unfortunately they failed to do it due to the destructive manipulation of a handful of jack offs.

So I must bite the bullet and admit that the community in which the poetry fest served barely exists anymore, having been replaced by new blood. One only needs to look at the empty rooms at the once popular open mics to be faced with reality. Sure, I could make a huge attempt to throw a poetry fest that brings together poets from both ends of the current pole, but is that something that is even needed at this time? I mean, they have their own shit, don't they?

So, the bottom line is I think I could help bring poets together more efficiently by supporting the diversity in the community in other ways, such as supporting the work of the new http://chicagopoetry.NET or by keeping my own ChicagoPoetry.com updated and serving both ends of the pole. Let's face it, the days of the greedy Nina Corwin find fucks and the phony ass JJ Jameson Romper Room are over, and a much more mature and talented group of poets have filled the gap. Let us celebrate Chicago poetry and the diversity it offers.

I do A LOT of things in the poetry world, and the poetry fest is merely one of them, so don't think just because I didn't do the fest this year that I'm out of the game. On the contrary, the rules of the game have only changed a little. Let's move forward.

--CJ Laity


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DEVIL'S KITCHEN LITERARY FEST

You don’t have to be a writer to want to see what’s cooking at the 2008 Devil’s Kitchen Literary Festival at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The annual festival brings established and up-and-coming writers to a weekend-long festival that includes readings, question and answer panels, and book signings. This year, the festival is Oct. 23-Oct. 25.


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Touch-Hear: Knowledge At Your Fingertips The Design Incubation Centre has hatched a concept that would probably make pocket dictionaries a thing of the past. That means, next time you come across an unfamiliar word, you wouldn’t flip pages of a thesaurus or search Google for it. Scrolling your fingers through the word or a phrase in the book will speak its meaning or related information in your ear. The name “Touch-Hear” itself throws light on the modus operandi of the technological concept. The makers haven’t spoken much about its canopy of features, so I wonder if language compatibility would be an issue. The image depicts water-drop-like sensors on the fingertips and the corresponding white vocal device positioned on the ear. It’s too nifty and small to be spotted by the naked eye. Technology seems to have picked up challenges from the sci-fi world and churned out stuff, the idea of which would have otherwise seemed bizarre. Menstrual Blood May Save Lives The blood that uselessly leaks away from a woman’s body every month until she hits menopause is a good source of stem cells, which are still at an early stage of development and retain the potential to turn into many different types of cell. Stem cell research classifies them as a super “repair kit” for the body because they can be used to grow new fat, cartilage, bone, skin, heart and brain cells. Japan and American researchers say menstrual blood could actually be banked and used to save lives. It is supposed to contain adult stem cells that can develop into any of nine different types of cells, including heart, lung, nerve and muscle. Ajit Kumar is chief scientific officer of LifeCell International, India’s biggest stem cell banking facility and the first in the country to launch a menstrual stem cell banking facility. Research is ongoing but if established as a success, it would be a huge advance for stem cell research. Stem cell therapy has become controversial in some parts of the world beca-use scientists believe the most useful ones come from embryos. Adult stem cells are rare in mature tissue. But if they are sourced from hitherto-useless, “unclean” menstrual blood, it would redefine the woman’s role as life-giver... Excessive Thinking Will Make You Fat Intellectual activities make people eat more than when just resting, according to a study that sheds new light on brain food. This finding might also help explain the obesity epidemic of an increasingly sedentary society in which people still have to think now and then.

Researchers split 14 university student volunteers into three groups for a 45-minute session of either relaxing in a sitting position, reading and summarizing a text, or completing a series of memory, attention, and vigilance tests on the computer. The scientists had determined beforehand that the thinking sessions consumed onlythree calories more than resting. After the sessions, the participants were invited to eat as much as they pleased. Though the study involved a very small number of participants, the results were stark. The students who had done the computer tests downed 253 more calories, or 29.4% more than the couch potatoes. Those who had summarized a text consumed 203 more calories than the resting group. “Caloric overcompensation following intellectual work, combined with the fact that we are less physically active when doing intellectual tasks, could contribute to the obesity epidemic currently observed in industrialized countries,” said lead researcher Jean-Philippe Chaput at Laval University in Quebec City, Canada. Electricity from Dirt It turns out wind power, solar power and lunar power are not the only possible renewable energy sources for our future. Dirt power might be next. There are already plans for use of it in places of Africa that are off-grid. We first heard of dirt power back in May of 2008. Six Harvard University students (a.k.a known as Lebônê) won a $200,000 grant from World Bank at the Lighting Africa 2008 event in Accra, Ghana for inventing a way to turn soil into electricity using microbial fuel cells. The soil isn’t really turned into electricity per say, instead an anode and cathode are placed in the ground. Dirt is then placed on top of the anode and cathode and this is all connected to circuit board that charges a battery. The battery is charged and is then strong enough to provide a few hours of lighting. “A cubic metre of organic matter will generate only enough energy to light one high-efficiency LED light.” To charge the battery activity from soil microbes (bacteria or fungi) break down organic matter generating electricity. It isn’t much electricity, it can power as mentioned before, a few hours of lighting, a radio, a cell phone, etc., but in some parts of Africa, where electricity is not available an inexpensive source like this, which can be made cheaply out of recyclable material, can prove very useful. The ultimate goal back in May was to contribute to the mission to produce “low-cost green energy to 250 million people across Africa” in about 3 years time. The goal hasn’t changed, but since their winnings back in May, Lebônê, now Lebônê Solutions, Inc. has taken it to the next level. Recently the team completed a pilot study in Tanzania. Here residents where taught how to use basic microbial fuel cells. The residents took interest and the study went well. The next study will begin in December in Namibia. Here Lebônê Solutions, Inc. plans to use a new fuel cell design “with conventional high-efficiency LED lights”. Funded by the World Bank they will begin by creating one hundred fuel cells, but hope to make thousands.

From
Sundown Lounge No. 155


Geeknotes:

Verge of LA
Poetry Super Highway Poetry Contest



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Verge of LA is a "mixed media magazine" that asks writers, photographers, musicians and filmmakers to help us understand this enigma of a city. Verge of LA is a collection of stories about Los Angeles by the people who live and work here. The artists will tell their unique story, while searching for the timeless truths that live forever in all of our journeys. On Tuesdays we'll update the site with additional stories, images, audio and video. Then twice a year our "mixed media magazine" will also be presented in book form as a collection of the best stories and images.

The deadline for entering the 2008 Poetry Super Highway Poetry Contest is Saturday, September 20. That's three weeks from today.

Don't miss your chance to win the cash prize (100% of the entry fees collected divided amongst the top 3 scoring poets) and to get a prize just for entering thanks to our many generous sponsors! (44 of them to be exact)

See the entire prize list along with all the entry guidelines by clicking on "2008 Poetry Contest" from the main PSH menu

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Space Cube - World’s Smallest Computer Measuring just 2 inches by 2 inches, the Space Cube is roughly the size of a large die. However, the cube is actually a tiny PC, developed by the Shimafuji Corporation in Japan. The PC is designed for use in space, where its task is to control various electronics and manage an “interstellar computer network.” While it´s normally only available in Japan, the UK-based site PC Pro recently got hold of a Space Cube, and revealed several interesting details. First, the Space Cube´s metal chassis is “utterly rock solid,” enabling it to withstand cosmic encounters. As might be expected, it has very low power requirements, running on just 5 watts. Inside the tiny computer, there´s a CPU with a top speed of 300 MHz, and 16 MB of on-board flash memory - low by today´s standards, but impressive for its size. The PC runs on a Linux OS from a 1GB CompactFlash card that fits into a slot in its side. The Space Cube´s hard drive is a 64MB SDRAM card, and it also comes equipped with a LAN port, USB port, Ethernet port, and a VGA monitor connector. A pair of jacks even accommodates speakers and headphones. It has a SpaceWire port, which is an extremely thin socket that serves as an interface used by NASA, ESA, and JAXA, the space agencies of the U.S., Europe, and Japan, respectively. When the Space Cube goes into space, it can link up to each agency´s systems, where the SpaceWire acts as a common interface for linking together different kinds of devices. Why Cannibalism Is Bad Cannibals are rare in the animal kingdom partly because eating your relatives makes you sick, say researchers in the US who have tested the idea for the first time. For years, biologists have wondered why cannibalism is rare. In theory, eating your own kind can give nutritional and competitive advantages, although communities of cannibals might also have a tendency to wipe themselves out. One answer, they reckoned, was that animals avoid cannibalism to stop the spread of species-specific pathogens. To test this theory, a team led by David Pfennig of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill created “diseased” larvae of the cannibalistic tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum, and of another tadpole species, Ambystoma texanum, by exposing them to tanks infected with their natural pathogens, such as Clostridium species. Diseased and healthy larvae of both species were then given as food to 24 slightly larger and more mature tiger salamander larvae. The larvae that ate diseased larvae of their own species grew less quickly and were less likely to survive metamorphosis than all the other animals, Pfennig’s team will report in a forthcoming issue of Animal Behavior. “Cannibalism may be more rare because you risk getting pathogens or parasites,” says Pfennig. “They co-evolve with their host.” Rosetta Spacecraft On Its Way To Meet Asteroid Steins ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft will make a historic encounter with asteroid (2867) Steins on 5 September 2008. The doors of ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, will be open to the media as of 18:00 on 5 September to follow the fly-by events. First images and results will be available for presentation to the media during a press conference which will be held at ESOC the following day, Saturday 6 September at 12:00 CEST.

Steins is Rosetta’s first nominal scientific target. The spacecraft will rendezvous with the asteroid in the course of its first incursion into the asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, while on its way to comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The study of asteroids is extremely important as they represent a sample of Solar System material at different stages of evolution – key to understanding the origin of our own planet and of our planetary neighbourhood. The closest approach to Steins is due to take place on 5 September at 20:58 CEST (Central European Summer Time), from a distance of 800 km, during which the spacecraft will not be communicating with Earth. First ground contact with the spacecraft and announcement of successful fly-by will take place at 22:23 CEST. The first data and images collected by Rosetta will be sent to Earth throughout the night of 5 to 6 September and will undergo preliminary processing in the morning of 6 September. The first images will be made available for broadcasters via a special satellite feed on Saturday 6 September (details will be given on http://television.esa.int). The Large Hadron Collider: how the press demeans science by Mark Henderson A few years ago an alarming story about a physics experiment ran prominently in another newspaper. A new atom-smasher, it claimed, was threatening to destroy the Earth. After terrifying readers with tales of black holes and “strange matter” that could end our existence in the blink of an eye, the piece gave the game away in the final paragraph. Scientists, it turned out, rated the chances of this happening as “infinitesimally small”. There are few stories you couldn't run with that disclaimer. Elvis might be alive. John McCain might be planning to replace Sarah Palin with Britney Spears. Scientists will always tell you that few things are truly impossible, apart from proving a negative. But many are so improbable that they can safely be discounted, so much so that we tend to laugh at those who don't. The world duly survived that not-so-close brush with oblivion. “Particle accelerator spells doom”, however, is proving to be a powerful meme, for it is back and making news as never before. On Wednesday the CERN laboratory will start up its new Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which will reveal profound insights into the nature of the Universe. Yet much of the press seems more interested in the speculations of a few cranks. Once again the cry has gone up that the accelerator could create a black hole that would devour the planet. Legal challenges have sought to halt it, and these have been more widely reported this week than the project itself. Yet the claim is utterly ridiculous. It is true that the LHC might generate black holes, but these would be minuscule and would decay immediately. As the physicist Michio Kaku has said, the LHC has as much chance of ending the world as it does of producing fire-breathing dragons. This isn't a story that's worthy of serious discussion, even as kooky fun. It might sound harmless, but it feeds stereotypes of crazy and reckless boffins who know everything about nothing and nothing about everything, and encourages the contemptible but widespread view that scientists are not to be trusted. It is of a piece with other media-led panics in which expert opinion has been ignored, from the MMR vaccine to GM crops. In short, it's demeaning to science, and insulting to scientists. The LHC is one of the most exciting experiments of this or any age, yet the thing most people now know and remember about it is a frivolous half-truth. That is a pretty depressing indication of the value we place on science.

From
Sundown Lounge No. 154


Geeknotes:

One Page Screenplay Contest
Skydiver Girls
Corsi - Unfit For Publication



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From my MySpace Bulletin:




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If you'll be in Las Vegas this week and are interested in sharing your positive vibe with our viewers or just want to say hi to us, please drop us a note at: kfc'at'skydivergirls'dot'com with your contact information. We'll be shooting an episode of SkydiverGirls.TV at the indoor skydiving wind tunnel in Las Vegas on Friday,August 15th. Join us if you'd like to get a tour of the facility and maybe do a little flying yourself.


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unfit For Publication

I downloaded my copy as soon as it came out. Corsi's book, if it was a school assignment, would earn a resounding "F." Nuff said, though the small number of idiots who actually read this piece of crap seriously don't need a reason to hate and fear the scary Messiah-dude...

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In honor of the Berlin...I mean, the Beijing Olympics. I found a pdf download Tiananmen Massacre map that points out the street locations and hospitals where the students died in and around the Square.




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Japan’s Styrofoam Dome Homes Dubbed the “habitat for the 21st century,” the Dome House is an igloo-shaped structure built from snap-together wall sections made of 100% expanded polystyrene foam (styrofoam). It might seem like an odd choice of material for a house, but the company lists a number of advantages that styrofoam has over traditional materials. Unlike wood and metal structures, for example, the styrofoam Dome House does not rust, rot or attract termites. It is also highly resistant to earthquakes and typhoons. In addition, the walls, which are treated with a flame retardant, emit no toxic fumes in a fire. Japan Dome House is a company that builds environmentally friendly and energy efficient houses from dense polystyrene. The houses have good insulation properties and can reduce energy bills by 90%. The houses are 7 meters in diameter, fire proof, earthquake and typhoon resistant, and using the modular building system can be constructed in less than a day. They recently received approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation to build these houses in Japan. Construction of the Dome House shell is quick and easy. The prefabricated pieces, which each weigh about 80 kilograms (175 lbs), can be carried by 2 or 3 people and assembled in a few hours. Once the shell is put together, coats of mortar and paint are applied for further protection from the elements... MIT Developing Super Realistic 6-D Imaging Device 3-D images? Peshaw. Those are so 2007. What humanity needs now is what MIT researchers hope to provide very soon: super realistic “passive 6-D reflectance field displays” that not only look great, but also respond to stimuli, like lighting conditions. And, not only will these uber images do all that and a bag of chips, they’ll be able to change over time as lighting conditions change, with “no electronics or active control” from we mere humans. Oh, and the displays will respond the changes in viewpoint, meaning these visual wonders will have a creepy degree of interactivity to them too (read: legitimate holograms).

The 6-D project is headed by Ramesh Raskar, who together with his MIT colleagues created the display using nothing but a series of lenses and screens. The prototype is due out at this week’s annual SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques) conference. This device will be on display in a raw, low resolution form next week. The bad news? A working, high res model, with all its interactive, true hologram goodness, is some 10 years away. World's Largest Solar Energy Project Planned For India The world’s largest solar energy project is currently in its planning phases, and it looks like it’s going to be absolutely enormous. Planned for Gujarat, India, it’ll be producing 5 gigawatts of power when all is said and done. That’s a serious amount of energy. The plan is to build an array that’s five times the size of the current largest solar project in the world. It’ll cost about $475 million to construct, and all the production and manufacturing will be done on site, employing local workers and using local materials. The current largest solar array in the world produces 900 megawatts of power, so this 5 gigawatt plan gives you an idea of its scope.

From
Sundown Lounge No. 153


Geeknotes:

Chicago Poetry Neutral Zone
G Tom Mac Contest
Obamaphobia



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For Chicago Poets and fans of Chicago poetry worldwide...


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G Tom Mac- one of the artists this week - is giving away twenty free tickets to his show in Los Angeles! If you are a fan of alternative rock and pop (bands like Franz Ferdinand and the Foo Fighters), you would definitely enjoy G Tom Mac. The Show will be held Monday August 12th in West Los Angeles at Club Good Hurt. The doors will open at 8 pm, and at 9 pm the musicians start the show. Get contest details on his MySpace page...


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From this year's Netroots Nation confab (previously called Yearly Kos), a "fuel injected" audio slideshow version of "ObamaPhobia," outlining the racial and religious stereotypes in the corporate media's visual coverage of the Obama campaign, presented by Dr. Michael Shaw of BAGNewsNotes. To you all who don't know what 'dog whistle politics' means, check it out...




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Dutch Town To Be Paved With Air Purifying Concrete A road in the small Dutch town of Hengelo is to be paved with air-purifying concrete in a trial that could lead to a breakthrough in the fight against rising pollution, scientists said on Wednesday. Experts from the University of Twente developed and tested the concrete paving stones which contain a titanium dioxide-based additive. In laboratory conditions, the additive - under the influence of sunlight - binds the nitrogen oxide particles emitted by car exhausts and turns them into harmless nitrates. “With one rain shower everything is washed clean,” the institution said in a statement. Nitrogen oxides, produced by industry and motor vehicles, are among the main air pollutants that lead to acid rain and smog. Developed from a Japanese invention, the bricks are now being put to the test in Hengelo in the eastern Dutch province of Overijssel... Orgasms ‘with the Touch of a Button’ Women around the world are being told they can now have an orgasm at the touch of a button. The makers of “Slightest Touch” say their device can give women longer, better and more intense orgasms. They claim their device can trigger an orgasm without touching a woman’s genital area. According to the manufacturers, Slightest Touch works by stimulating the body’s sexual nerve pathway. Women start by drinking an electrolyte sports drink 20 minutes before using the device. They then apply two white electrode pads inside their ankles. These pads are connected to the Slightest Touch device, which is about the size of a personal stereo. If women feel they have problems with either sex or relationships, it’s better to go and get professional advice about the possible causes, before spending a lot of money on a particular product. With the flick of a switch, women can literally get turned on. The device stimulates the nerves sending gentle pulses up the woman’s leg for between 10 and 30 minutes leaving women on the verge of climax.

“The Slightest Touch does not provide an orgasm,” said Cherisse Davidson, the company’s director of customer support. “It gently stimulates the sexual nerve pathways taking the woman to a pre-orgasmic plateau where she dangles on the edge of orgasm for as long as she wants. “From there, gentle stimulation can then effect the orgasm...” Working to Create the $12 Laptop A new project to create a $12 computer is underway at MIT, the same University that spawned the One Laptop Per Child non-profit laptop. The PCs will be loosely based on Apple 2 machines, first unveiled over 30 years ago, and the team are actively recruiting enthusiasts of the retro computer to help with development. The Apple 2 was the first mass-produced PC, which sold over 5 million units. It was extremely popular for educational use in the 80s, but is set to get a new lease on life. Rather than a laptop, the unit will act as a desktop computer and plug directly into a standard television. “We see this as a model that could increase economic opportunities for people in developing countries,” says Derek Lomas, one of the researchers working on the project, speaking to the Boston Herald. “If you just know how to type, that can be the difference between earning $1 an hour instead of $1 a day...” Obama Delivers Space Policy Speech in Florida By Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides Finally, Obama is talking positively about human spaceflight. In a speech in Titusville, Florida, just outside of the Kennedy Space Center, Obama said he has told his staff to find another offset to fund his early education program. He has formally removed the statement that he would use money from the NASA Constellation program to pay for his plan. It has already been deleted from the documentation on his website. For the first time, he proposes reinstating the National Aeronautics and Space Council, a very positive sign. It means he is starting to listen to many of the space communities who are providing space exploration policy advice. The council in the past has served as a place where all the country's entities who are connected to space -- NOAA, NASA, DoD, etc -- can come together and create synergies around future plans.

From
Sundown Lounge No. 152


Geeknotes:

La Sauce Inattendue
Brad Wilson August Calendar



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Asiana Airlines - who started direct flights from Paris to Seoul - supports the international world music meeting between Korean, African and European artists "La Sauce Inattendue" This dynamic Korean airline did the necessary efforts to help our Korean artists to be present and meet Franck Colman & Black Yovo en leader of Ghanaian band Nii Tettey. This partnership is the 1st step of a collaboration that will lead us to more projects in the future, as the P.A.X project in 2009, for instance. Please note that "La sauce Inattendue" ("The unexpected sauce") will occur at St Antonin Nobleval (82, south_west of France), August 8th 2008, is free, and organized by non-profit organization "Kaleidoscope" and Mobilarts. We will also listen to mediterrannean band "Ness el Hyia" and Chilean singer Andrea Cristal. Also - last minute ! - we'll see the works of Cameroonian artist Sylvain Enyegue


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Chip Developed That Makes Internet 60 Times Faster Scientists from the University of Sydney have found a way to make the World Wide Web 60 times faster than current top speeds. Promising to raise that to 100 times in the near future, the Aussie developers took advantage of speedy optic fibers by creating a thumbnail-sized photonic integrated circuit, which can rapidly process data to the point that it can change the path of information one million times in a second. That’s fast! An initial demo from the scientists showed that the chip generates an Internet 60 times faster than it is today and since the chip can be produced cheaply, it won’t even be an additional burden on a normal user’s pocket. Via Gizmowatch N-Prize Competition Earlier this week we heard that “Cambridge University Spaceflight” would be entering the N-Prize competition. The N-Prize (the “N” stands for “Nanosatellite“) is a competition to stimulate innovation directed towards obtaining cheap access to space. The competition was launched in 2008 by Cambridge biologist Paul H. Dear, and is intended specifically to spur amateur involvement in spaceflight. The challenge posed by the N-Prize is to launch a satellite weighing between 9.99 and 19.99 grams into Earth orbit, and to track it for a minimum of nine orbits. Most importantly, though, the launch budget must be within £999.99 (about $2000) - and must include all of the required non-reuseable hardware and fuels. According to the full rules of the N-Prize, it is “intended to encourage creativity, originality and inventiveness in the face of severe odds and impossible financial restrictions” and “is aimed at amateurs, enthusiasts, would-be boffins and foolhardy optimists.” In order to be eligible for the award, the winning team must complete the challenge before 19:19:09 (GMT) on 19th September 2011. Doing so will earn the winning team a prize of £9,999.99. (about $20,000) Houston Doctors Say They May Have Found A Way To Destroy HIV By LEE MCGUIRE KVUE News HOUSTON -- There is real hope that what’s happening in a Houston lab might lead to a cure for HIV. “We have found an innovative way to kill the virus by finding this small region of HIV that is unchangeable,” Dr. Sudhir Paul of the University of Texas Medical School at Houston said. Dr. Paul and Dr. Miguel Escobar aren’t talking about just suppressing HIV – they’re talking about destroying it permanently by arming the immune system with a new weapon lab tests have shown to be effective.

Ford Stuart has been HIV positive for 15 years. He’s on a powerful drug cocktail that keeps the disease in check. “I’m on four different medications. Three of them are brand new, and it’s the first time that I’ve ever been non-detectible,” Stuart said. “I’m down to about – just for the HIV – about nine pills per day, five in the morning and four at night.” But Stuart knows HIV mutates, and eventually it will learn how to outsmart his medications. “The virus is truly complex and has many tricks up its sleeve,” Paul said. But Dr. Paul thinks he’s cracked a code. “We’ve discovered the weak spot of HIV,” he said. Paul and his team have zeroed in on a section of a key protein in HIV’s structure that does not mutate. “The virus needs at least one constant region, and that is the essence of calling it the Achilles heel,” Paul said. That Achilles heel is the doctors’ way in. They take advantage of it with something called an abzyme. It’s naturally produced by people, like lupus patients. When they applied that abzyme to the HIV virus, it permanently disarmed it. “What we already have in our hand are the abzymes that we could be infusing into the human subjects with HIV infection, essentially to move the virus,” Paul said. Basically, their idea could be used to control the disease for people who already have it and prevent infection for those at risk. Cheap Catalyst Could Turn Sunlight, Water Into Fuel By Alexis Madrigal A new catalyst makes it feasible to split water with solar power. MIT chemists say the catalyst, used in conjunction with cheap photovoltaic solar panels, could lead to inexpensive, simple systems that use water to store the energy from sunlight. In the process, the scientists may have cleared the major roadblock on the long road to fossil fuel independence: Reducing the on-again, off-again nature of many renewable power sources. The catalyst enables the electrolysis system to function efficiently at room temperature and at ordinary pressure. Like a reverse fuel cell, it splits water into oxygen and hydrogen. By recombining the molecules with a standard fuel cell, the O2 and H2 could then be used to generate energy on demand. "You've made your house into a fuel station," Daniel Nocera, a chemistry professor at MIT said. "I've gotten rid of all the goddamn grids." Solar energy currently makes less than one percent of the world's electricity. The main drawback of the technology, preventing wider adoption, is that solar systems only make power while the sun is shining. At night or on cloudy days, those in need of power must look elsewhere. So storage of electrical energy has been a long-sought after technological advance. Batteries work but they're too big and expensive. Fuels, fossil or renewable, are different: They act as their own storage, allowing for easy transport and usage. That's one reason that coal and oil have such a dominant hold on the world's energy market. The MIT discovery could help transform electricity generated through solar energy into a fuel, making it more competitive with fossil fuels. That could prove to be a major milestone in clean technology. "I think it's a very interesting discovery," said Tom Mallouk, a chemistry professor at Penn State. "It's one of those papers that really has the potential to change the field."

From
Sundown Lounge No. 151


Geeknotes:

Check the 'Cast



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This week: Podcast Promos from Author Nation; Firefox 3? Not So Much...


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Next Gen Wind Energy Design Helix Wind is an elegant solution for home and small business owners. Powerful enough to supply your needs yet harmonious with the environment, the strength of the wind is captured by our unique and highly efficient vertical blade design. We've all become accustomed to seeing the typical triple blade wind farms on the horizon. Hopefully, times are about to change. New helix shaped, low profile wind turbine designs can easily atop any building or structure, providing it with power. Toy Rocket Inspires Variable-Speed Bullets By David Hambling A gun that fires variable speed bullets and which can be set to kill, wound or just inflict a bruise is being built by a US toy manufacturer. The weapon is based on technology used to propel toy rockets. Lund and Company Invention, a toy design studio based near Chicago, makes toy rockets that are powered by burning hydrogen obtained by electrolysing water. Now the company is being funded by the US army to adapt the technology to fire bullets instead. The US Army are interested in arming soldiers with weapons that can be switched between lethal and non-lethal modes. They asked Company Invention to make a rifle that can fire bullets at various speeds. The new weapon, called the Variable Velocity Weapon System or VWS, lets the soldier to use the same rifle for crowd control and combat, by altering the muzzle velocity. It could be loaded with "rubber bullets" designed only to deliver blunt impacts on a person, full-speed lethal rounds or projectiles somewhere between the two. Potentially Serious Security Flaws Found In Most Bank Websites More than 75 percent of the bank Web sites surveyed in a University of Michigan study had at least one design flaw that could make customers vulnerable to cyber thieves after their money or even their identity.

Atul Prakash, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and doctoral students Laura Falk and Kevin Borders examined the Web sites of 214 financial institutions in 2006. They will present the findings for the first time at the Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security meeting at Carnegie Mellon University July 25. These design flaws aren't bugs that can be fixed with a patch. They stem from the flow and the layout of these Web sites, according to the study. The flaws include placing log-in boxes and contact information on insecure web pages as well as failing to keep users on the site they initially visited. Prakash said some banks may have taken steps to resolve these problems since this data was gathered, but overall he still sees much need for improvement... Rumor: Apple to Launch MacBook Touch Though some have doubts about Apple launching a new product in the coming months, the blogosphere is aflutter with rumors of a touchscreen Mac tablet, currently dubbed the MacBook touch. MacDailyNews received the tip from an anonymous source who previously leaked information about Apple's wireless iTunes Store a week before the company debuted it. "Think MacBook screen, possibly a bit smaller, in glass with iPhone-like, but fuller-featured Multi-Touch," the anonymous source told MDN. "Gesture library. Full Mac OS X. This is why they bought P.A. Semi. Possibly with Immersion's haptic tech. Slot-loading SuperDrive. Accelerometer. GPS. Pretty expensive to produce initially, but sold at 'low' price that will reduce margins. Apple wants to move these babies. And move they will. This is some sick shit. App Store-compatible, able to run Mac apps, too. By October at the latest." And to get people even more jazzed, Gizmodo has already released concept art (above). As an analyst pointed out in one of our earlier posts, a MacBook touch would certainly be plausible, given that Apple has already developed Cocoa Touch for iPhone and could likely implement it into a tablet. A MacBook touch would essentially be a larger, more powerful iPhone, after all. And in Apple's quarterly earnings call, chief financial officer Peter Oppenheim repeatedly alluded to a future "product transition" which would allow Apple to deliver "state-of-the-art new products that our competitors aren't going to be able to match." Perhaps by "transition" he means the crossover between iPhone and a Mac notebook? We'll keep you posted. (Here's a link to an article that says this isn't a rumor...)

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