GWeekly_September_8.txt
The Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter For Wednesday, September 8, 2004 PT1
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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*eBook Milestones
*Introduction
*Nanotechnology
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*Nanotechnology : A commentary from Bill Hammack's public radio program
You can listen to this commentary at http://www.engineerguy.com
With nanotechnology engineers manipulate atomic sized particles
to create tiny machines. They'll be able to create, for example,
toothpaste filled with nano-particles that repair damaged teeth,
or pills that are really tiny pacemakers. Although still a young
technology, the National Science Foundation forecasts the U.S.
Market will be one trillion dollars by 2016.
Yet this promise may never be fulfilled, but not for lack of
technological know how or resources: The U.S. Government alone
will pour 3.7 billion dollars into nanotech over the next four
year. But to really thrive a technology needs more than a
scientific side, it must fit into our world socially and legally.
For nanotech storm clouds already loom on the horizon.
For example, Britain's Prince Charles suggested that
nanotechnology could be a disaster like thalidomide - the drug
that caused grotesque birth defects in the 1960s. His remarks
signal to the nanotech community the work yet to be done in
creating a public receptive to their technology.
I suggest they look carefully at two negative role models:
Biotechnology and nuclear power. Nether industry conveyed to the
public the benefit of their product, nor did they listen to
public concerns. In the absence of intelligent dialogue,
heightened concerns grew over the risk, nearly crippling both
industries. Better public engagement could have prevented this
backlash. The public isn't going to accept any technology where
there hasn't been detailed studies of risks and benefits.
Right now the lack of information about nanotechnology invites
alarmist scenarios. The nanotech industry needs to educate the
public about what exactly nanotechnology is, and it needs to
listen carefully to public concerns.
And there are other ways nanotech needs to fit into our world
before being fully accepted - consider legal and regulatory
aspects. The EPA is deciding whether to regulate nano-materials
under the Toxic Substances Control Act, or to classify them as
the naturally occurring "ultra-fine" materials - the same as
dust, forest fire smoke, volcanic ash, bacteria and viruses.
And Patent Examiners are grappling with nanotech. If you use nano
methods to make a tiny motor is that legally any different than a
full-sized motor? In the past a simple change in size hasn't been
patentable absent some other utility or novelty that comes from
To researchers who enjoy conquering the technological problems of
creating a nanotech world, these social, legal and regulatory
concerns may seem like dull things. Yet, some fraction of the
nearly four billion dollars being invested into nanotechnology
needs to be used to answer these questions. If not then these
tiny nano-sized machines will bite back big time.
Copyright 2004 William S. Hammack Enterprises
[Reprinted with Bill's personal permission]
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From NewsScan:
CYBERCAFE LOOKS BACK ON A TEN-YEAR REVOLUTION Cafe Cyberia opened its doors ten years ago Wednesday in the heart of London as the brainchild of a Polish psychology student who had the savvy and foresight to combine coffee and e-mail. Eva Pascoe's cybercafe drew raves immediately, along with investments from the likes of rock star Mick Jagger. From the branch on Wiltshire Road, in London's bustling Tottenham Court Road area, it spawned outlets across Britain and abroad, showing up even inside Paris' Pompidou Center, the contemporary art museum in the heart of the French capital. (The Age 3 Sep 2004) Rec'd from J. Lamp http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/02/1093939058886.html MALAYSIA SEEKS TO BECOME TOP OUTSOURCING CENTER Malaysia prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says that outsourcing operations have emerged as one of the largest sectors in Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor, spawning investment of more than one billion ringgit by 49 companies and some 8,000 new jobs in the special zone south of Kuala Lumpur. The sector would play a key role in the zone's second phase of development from 2004 to 2010, creating at least 100,000 new jobs by the end of the period. (The Age 2 Sep 2004) Rec'd from J. Lamp http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/02/1093939032933.html "INDIAN" OUTSOURCERS COULD BE ANYWHERE India's back-office service providers have been establishing operations in other parts of the world: an Infosys subsidiary has opened offices in the Czech republic and MphasiS BFL's arm MSourcE has created a processing center in Mexico. Raju Bhatnagar, president of ICICI OneSource, explains: "It is more from a customer perspective. If the vendor, however reliable, has a single delivery center, it forces the customer to look for a second vendor outside India, rather than put all his eggs in one basket. If I can bridge that gap, I can keep business from going to another vendor." (Reuters/USA Today 3 Sep 2004) http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/industry/2004-09-03-further-outsou rcing_x.htm [Speaking of outsourcing, I heard that "call centers" are now going up in Eastern Europe as various countries join NATO and start using Euros] LABOR SECRETARY DEFENDS OUTSOURCING In defense of outsourcing, which has been under much attack in this political year, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao says that companies have created millions of jobs in the United States, far outpacing the amount of work that American businesses have shifted abroad. "People talk about it a lot, but the anxiety belies the numbers." Noting that we live and work in a worldwide economy, Chao warns: "If we isolate ourselves from this worldwide economy, we will put in jeopardy the 9 million jobs that Americans currently hold" in foreign-owned companies. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 2 Sep 2004) http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/9556426.htm [Notice she doesn't say "foreign-located companies, or sweatshops.] SPY VERSUS SPY: UNBLOCK THAT CALL-BLOCK A new computerized service from a company called Star38 will allow callers to create false outbound phone numbers and thereby fool call block software. Customers of the new service will be able to go to the company's Web site to enter the number they want to call and the number they want to appear on the caller ID screen of the recipient's phone. Some privacy-rights advocates are concerned that angry former spouses, stalkers or fraud artists could use the service for mischief, but Robert Atkinson of the Institute for Tele-Information at Columbia University, comments: "Some people see caller ID as an invasion of their privacy, while others see it as a protection of their privacy. It's spy versus spy." (New York Times 2 Sep 2004) http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/02/technology/02caller.html FRANCE TELECOM EMPLOYEES PROTEST PRIVATIZATION PLANS France Telecom employees have protested government plans to privatize the group, with management characterizing the mobilization as modest and unions describing it as robust resistance. Company officials say 18.3% of the workforce heeded a union call for a 24-hour strike, while the SUD-PTT union claims the figure was 25% and characterizes the response as "significant." Another union, the CGT, says 30-70% of the workforce went out on strike, with turnout varying among branches. The strike call followed an announcement by the government that it will reduce its stake in France Telecom to below 50%. (The Age 8 Sep 2004) Rec'd from J. Lamp http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/08/1094530645952.html E-VOTING IN NEVADA Nevada voters have become the first in the nation to cast ballots in a statewide election using computers that produced printed paper records of electronic ballots. "Knock on wood, so far things have been working flawlessly," said Secretary of State Dean Heller. Nevada's $9.3 million voting system includes more than 2,600 computers and printers deployed in every county. The system, developed by California-based Sequoia Voting Systems, aims to address concerns that paperless touchscreen votes cannot be properly audited or recounted. "From what I've seen, voters seem to enjoy the experience," says DeForest B. Soaries Jr., chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. "There hasn't been frustration or confusion."(AP/USA Today 8 Sep 2004) <http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/evoting/2004-09-08-nv-evote-sy stem_x.htm and in a related story: MARYLAND JUDGE OKAYS TOUCH-SCREEN VOTING [Yes, but it's the UNREASONABLE ones who stuff the ballot boxes.] Rejecting a challenge to the state's touch-screen voting machines, a Circuit Court judge in Maryland suggests that the machines are more accurate than the paper ballots the plaintiffs are seeking to make optional for the November elections, and notes that election officials have "taken all reasonable steps to protect the integrity of the voting process." The lead plaintiff's response is: "I am very disappointed that Maryland voters will be forced to vote on machines that we believe are illegal under Maryland law and that are clearly very insecure." In his ruling the judge wrote: "No system is infallible. No machine is infallible. All experts agree systems such as these are much more secure and less vulnerable than the paper ballot" -- or the optical scan machines used in most Maryland jurisdictions in the last presidential election. (Washington Post 1 Sep 2004) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54409-2004Sep1.html You have been reading excerpts from NewsScan: NewsScan Daily is underwritten by RLG, a world-class organization making significant and sustained contributions to the effective management and appropriate use of information technology. To subscribe or unsubscribe to the text, html, or handheld versions of NewsScan Daily, send the appropriate subscribe or unsubscribe messages (i.e., with the word 'subscribe' or 'unsubscribe' in the subject line) to: Text version: Send message to NewsScan@NewsScan.com Html version: Send mail to NewsScan-html@NewsScan.com NewsScan-To-Go: http://www.newsscan.com/handheld/current.html *
From Edupage
U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE DRAFTS NEW VERSION OF INDUCE ACT [Right, Fortune 500 companies such as Sony and Apple can do it, but the little guys face total destruction.] Responding to strong criticism of the recently introduced Induce Act, the U.S. Copyright Office has written a revised version of the legislation. The "discussion draft" offered by the Copyright Office attempts to shield devices such as Apple's iPod from prosecution for inducing consumers to commit copyright violations while outlawing networks such as Kazaa and Morpheus for doing just that. The draft limits liability to those who "intentionally induce" piracy--a more stringent definition of wrongdoing than in the original bill. The Copyright Office's draft has sparked new criticism, however, based on requirements that ISPs and technology companies must take all "reasonably available corrective measures" and cannot "actively interfere" with efforts to locate copyright violators. Sarah Deutsch, vice president and associate general counsel of Verizon Communications, noted that the language in the draft is vague and could make an ISP liable, for example, if it refused to provide copyright holders with a list of the company's subscribers. CNET, 2 September 2004 http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5345528.html You have been reading excerpts from Edupage: If you have questions or comments about Edupage, http://news.com.com/2100-1040-958352.html or send e-mail to: edupage@educause.edu To SUBSCRIBE to Edupage, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU and in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName *** More Headline News Avoided By Most Of The Major U.S. Media HALLIBURTON OUT OF IRAQ? Various reports are surfacing from both government and private sources that Halliburton, Vice-President Cheney's previous employer, will not renew its Iraq contracts. Multiple sources indicate that the US Army will terminate Halliburton's no-bid 9-figure contract, of which some $1.2 billion seems to be unaccounted for, and will finally put these services up for competitive bidding. Halliburton is reportedly not even going to prepare a bid, as the new contracts won't be nearly as profitable, since they now require the usual bidding system. Researchers on this story say that even if the bidding is about the same as what the previous contractors received, it will still save significant amounts of tax revenues, since Halliburton doesn't really do the work, but rather takes a few percent off the top and then sub-contracts the work to others. ILLINOIS GOVERNOR LOSES TO BUSH ON CANADIAN PHARMACIES Interestingly enough, I never heard a word about this in the Illinois media, though I am sure something has appeared about this. Illinois governor Rod Blagoijovich's program to allow citizens to legally fill prescriptions from Canadian pharmacies was apparently defeated last week. I only found out about this because a friend needed some money to fill a prescription that had apparently just jumped $65 as a result of lost price competition. *ODD STATISTICS OF THE WEEK US LIBRARIES LOSING GROUND? Early indicators point to a drop in library books checked out. In several interviews around the country, data is emerging to show that for the first time in history the number of books checked out from the average US library has actually dropped over the last couple years. 1 BILLION CELL PHONE SALES IN 18 MONTHS If industry analysts are correct, the 18 months surrounding today, 9 months past and 9 months future, will see nearly a billion cell phones sold worldwide in just a year and a half. meanwhile: 1/8 BILLION iTUNES SALES Apple announced that it has sold 125 million iTunes at $.99. SIMPLE SOLUTION OF THE WEEK It would appear that the officials at the Republican National Convention finally figured out how to keep demonstrators from sneaking into the convention with unapproved signs or comments: Across the street they have created a Checkpoint Charlie system, in which delegates, press, etc., are screened, and then wrapped in orange plastic fencing before being ushered across the street into Madison Square Garden inside the orange packaging material. [However, it would appear this didn't work too well, not only annoying the authorized personnel, but still not keeping out various groups that wanted platform changes.] *ODD QUOTATION OF THE WEEK "When civilized men can no longer stand the horrors of war, they will be conquered by uncivilized men who can." * *Information About the Project Gutenberg Mailing Lists About the Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter: Goes out approximately at noon each Wednesday, but various different relays will get it to you at different times; you can subscribe directly, just send me email to find out how, or to subscribe directly by yourself, go to: http://gutenberg.net/subs.shtml and About the Project Gutenberg Monthly Newsletter: Goes out approximately first Wednesday of each month. 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