Technobriefs
June 08, 2008
Googling: this week Google announced new prototype Gmail features (Google's experimental Gmail toys) but more interesting is the way they did it by providing access to the beta test features to all users. They are opening a new campus (Google to get new space age home) on NASA's historic Moffett Field. Google is being painted as intransigent (Google Asked to Add Link to Privacy Policies) because there is no link on its famously minimalistic home page to its privacy policy as is apparently required by the California's Online Privacy Protection Act of 2003. Of course a Google search for "Google's privacy policy" yields it as the first result. I was pleased when I recently noticed that my house is now depicted on Street View, not so these folks: Town forces Google to scrap street images. Now a detailed 3d representation of Disneyworld on Google Earth: Disney World preparation 2.0 and Images: The enchantment of Google Earth.
Evolution and history: I recommend A New Step In Evolution a fascinating description (by science writer Carl Zimmer, author of Microcosm) of a experiment running since 1988 that effectively provoked and documented the evolution of a new "species" of E. coli (but see final paragraphs for caveats). One creationist criticism of evolution theory is that science has never documented the creation of a new species. Of course such events are quite rare so it took an incredibly patient researcher to finally catch evolution in the act. In other news Peru to protect isolated tribes and "Lost" Pyramid Found Buried in Egypt.
Technobits: finally the FDA acknowledges what seemed obvious to many: Mercury teeth fillings may harm some: FDA --- Science subverted by politics --- Time Warner Cable tests metered Internet service --- IBM aims to cool chips with water --- NASA: 'Extreme programming' controls Mars Lander robot --- Motion-capture system adds costume to the drama (also) --- Sandra Day O'Connor: Game Designer --- "Sting Ray Migration -Key West Florida" (I think this is real, please help me locate the initial source, perhaps this?) --- Carl Zimmer's Science Tattoo Emporium ("Underneath their sober lab coats and flannel shirts, scientists hide images of their scientific passions. Here they are revealed to all." Revealing tattoos has always had an aspect of titillation, I have to admit it was not the geeky tattoos as much as this comely canvass in a sidebar that first caught my eye.) --- video: the dangers of tangible user interfaces.
