QUENTIN TARANTINO ZONE

FOLLOW-UP ON LAST WEEK's DISK SNIFFING DOG STORY

Hit men are stalking Lucky and Flo. The two Labradors, specially trained by the MPAA to sniff out hidden stashes of counterfeit DVDs, are getting a tryout in Malaysia (see http://blogs.siliconvalley.com/gmsv/2007/03/quoted_7.html, and within days of starting, found a shipment of nearly 1 million discs and looked on as authorities busted six men. The criminal powers that be have not taken this well, and sources tipped off officials that http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070322/ap_en_mo/malaysia_movie_piracy a pair of canine contracts had been put out. "The dogs are a genuine threat to the pirated disc syndicates, thus the instruction to eliminate them," said Firdaus Zakaria, a Trade Ministry official.

Lucky and Flo have been spirited away to a safe house.

NOTE: I LOOK FORWARD TO THE MOVIE. WONDER WHO WILL PLAY THE DOGS.

CYBERZONE

TECH TRADE GROUP SEEKS MORE ACTION ON COMPETITIVENESS

The United States' position of leadership in science and technology is steadily being eroded by a series of missteps, a Washington-based high-tech industry group warns in a report. Using member testimonials and U.S. government data, the AeA - formerly known as the American Electronics Association - paints a disquieting picture in its 32-page, six-month-long study. Largely, the report highlights the heightened competition facing the United States as "other countries catch up," including South Korea, which according to data cited in the report from the U.S. National Science Foundation, has passed the United States in the numbers of engineering undergraduate degrees that it is awarding, along with China and Japan.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_5537306

U.S. LOSES TOP SPOT IN GLOBAL TECH STUDY

European countries and Singapore have surpassed the United States in their ability to exploit information and communication technology, according to a new survey.

http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=1300046LUVWG&nl=2

WANT TO LEARN CHINESE? WAIT FOR A TEACHER

Chinese-language classes full, but teachers scarce in US The shortage has school officials traveling to China for recruits and offering guest-worker visas.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0327/p03s03-legn.html?s=hns

AIR CONDITIONING FAILURE TAKES OUT FLORIDA STATE COMPUTERS

http://cwflyris.computerworld.com/t/1395857/255221/57031/2/

SILICON VALLEY VCS PREDICT TECH WINNERS, LOSERS

In what has become an annual Silicon Valley ritual, leading venture capitalists have made their predictions about which technologies will thrive and which will take a dive in the near future.

http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=16D88C8:ECCF9AA50A17C8DC739CB33ED3B7256DEFF29049075316B4

SCIENCE ZONE

SCIENTISTS TURN ALGAE INTO SILICON

Scientists say they have found a way to convert the delicate exoskeleton of single-cell algae into silicon, the gold standard of electronics.

http://abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2007/1866128.htm?tech

RUNNING CELL PHONE ON SUGAR

Great -- I've got a full charge, but now my phone's all sticky:  There's nothing more annoying when you're using your cell phone or music player than running out of juice, and someday we may be able to say that literally. According to Physorg.com, researchers at Saint Louis University in Missouri have come up with a fuel cell battery that runs on virtually any sugar source, from soda to sap. Not only that, the sugar batteries could potentially run three to four times longer between charges than lithium-ion batteries, plus they're biodegradable. Study leader Shelley Minteer, an electrochemist, says, "It demonstrates that by bridging biology and chemistry, we can build a better battery that's also cleaner for the environment." Sweet.

http://www.physorg.com/news94043039.html

BUGS MAY HELP BUILDINGS STAY UPRIGHT

A microbe that turns soil into stone may be able to stabilise the ground under buildings and make them safer during earthquakes, scientists say.

http://abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2007/1863029.htm?enviro

PORTABLE ECG MACHINE USES CELL TECHNOLOGY

Israeli firm's device can transmit heart data directly to doctors Israeli scientists have developed a portable electrocardiograph machine that can transmit highly detailed data on heart activity to physicians by mobile phone. The CardioSen'C is considered an advance in portable...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/03/26/BUGBGOQNLI1.DTL

iPODS WITH A HEARTBEAT

Medical students use iPods to learn the sounds of unhealthy hearts.  Rocking out to 'aortic regurgitation.'

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17784587/site/newsweek/

SCHOOLGIRLS CELEBRITIES AFTER EXPOSING RIBENA

Two Kiwi schoolgirls are worldwide celebrities after their school experiment forced an international pharmaceutical and food giant to admit it made false claims about vitamin C levels in Ribena.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/hlc/1,,104084~4007803a10~,00.html

A CAR RUNS ON COMPRESSED AIR

Engineers at Moteur Development International (MDI, Luxembourg City,

Luxembourg) have designed a prototype car that is powered by compressed air. The vehicle has a tubular chassis that is glued together, a fiberglass body, and uses wireless communication between its components. The engine weighs less than half that of a standard car.

Ninety cubic meters of air is stored in carbon fiber tanks at high pressure. The expansion of the air stored in the tanks pushes against pistons to create movement. The car is built to integrate with external electronic systems such as voice recognition, Internet connectivity, telephone connectivity, or a GPS. A hybrid model is also under development -- gasoline would be used to run a generator to supply compressed air. It is estimated that one

http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20070327A2

BOEING WORKING ON A FUEL CELL AIRPLANE

Boeing researchers and industry partners throughout Europe are planning to conduct experimental flight tests this year of a manned airplane powered only by a fuel cell and lightweight batteries.

http://www.gizmag.com/go/7046/

ASIA PACIFIC ZONE

LUXURY PAID PUBLIC TOILET IN JAPAN DRAWS CROWDS

A luxury paid public toilet built at the new Akihabara shopping district in Tokyo is doing good business, drawing more than 30,000 customers in just half a year. The toilet, which has 160 square meters of floor space and features changing rooms and a computer corner with access to the Internet, is said to be popular with both tourists and trendy youths.

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/402124

DEVELOPING WORLD GETS WEB BY BUS

Buses equipped with wi-fi are being used to deliver web content to rural communities in the developing world.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/technology/6506193.stm

TECHNOLOGY

MATSUSHITA MAKES TELECOMMUTING AVAILABLE FOR 30,000

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co said Wednesday it will introduce a telecommuting system in April for some 30,000 white-collar workers in the hope that a more flexible working environment will enhance worker motivation and productivity. The employees will be allowed to work at home one or two days a week on average, using personal computers equipped with high-speed Internet connection and teleconferencing cameras loaned out by the company. The system will enable people to remain employed even if they have to stay at home longer for taking care of young children or elderly people.

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/402121

POLLEN CLUE TO TERRACOTTA ARMY ORIGINS

Ancient pollen could lead scientists to the kilns where the figures in China's terracotta army were made.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/sci/tech/6494851.stm

WIRELESS ZONE

FCC CHIEF: WIRELESS KEY TO UNIVERSAL ACCESS

U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Kevin Martin wants wireless Internet access to be included in efforts to ensure universal communications for all U.S. residents.

http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=16D8884:ECCF9AA50A17C8DCB6B74CE1EDC59CA2EFF29049075316B4

JAPAN CELL CARRIERS START EMERGENCY MESSAGE SERVICES AFTER QUAKE

Cell phone operators started emergency message services for people affected by a strong earthquake in the Hokuriku region, central Japan, on Sunday. Three major mobile companies - NTT DoCoMo Inc, KDDI Corp and Softbank Mobile Corp - began the services at around 10 a.m.

after the 9:42 a.m. quake to enable people to confirm the safety of their families by accessing the Internet via their handsets or personal computers.

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/401809

SPRINT REVEALS MORE 4G DETAILS

Sprint Nextel announces more build-out plans, equipment details for its mobile WiMax "4G" network: The firm said it has chosen Samsung to build PC Cards that exchange data over the new network, which will launch in late 2007, and pass 100m people by the end of next year.

The PC Cards will be either WiMax-only or support both the 3G EVDO network and the WiMax network. Two other firms will also supply gear:

ZTE will make PC Cards and "modems," which I take to mean external adapters, something like Clearwire's fixed/nomadic receiver; and Zyxel, which will make just modems.

Sprint provided a long list of metro areas that it would cover in 2008 with the new service. News.com notes that Chicago and Baltimore/D.C. were already announced to receive early coverage at the end of this year. In early 2008, the company will roll out Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, otherwise known as AT&T's key turf. The new announcement mentions more than a dozen additional metro areas, including Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, and Seattle--but notably not San Francisco or New York.

Each of Sprint's major network equipment partners will build out a distinct set of cities split among Motorola, Samsung, and Nokia. The News.com article features the details on which vendor builds which cities.

http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-6170672.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news

GOVERNMENT WIRELESS PARTNERSHIP FAILING

Development of a wireless network designed to connect major governmental entities, such as the Homeland Security agency and the Department of Justice, is at risk for failure, a top official said.

http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=13100CVQPEJN&nl=2

SITE CITE

FEMALE SEALS GIVE MALES THE COLD SHOULDER

A leading theory about mating displays among animals is that the males do all the hard work, flashily showing off their fitness to be a breeding partner. But Antarctic fur seals have given this gender stereotype a gigantic whack of their flipper.

http://abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2007/1842870.htm?enviro