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VOL III No 41 March 21, 2004: CYBERZONE/BIOZONE CALENDAR
A SERVICE OF CREATIVE RESOURCES, INC. by MARTY PLOTNICK
HAWAI’I CALENDAR:
****NEW**** Wednesday March 24, IEEE March meeting 6:00 pm Speaker:
Russ Saito, State of Hawaii DAGS Director Topic: “Debarment” University of Hawai’i, Manoa Campus Center Cafeteria $15 for buffet dinner RSVP by 3/19/04: email oscar@hawaii.rr.com or
Ph: 383-3333
****NEW***Thursday, March 25 11:30 -1:30 Hawaii Venture Capital Association Lunch Speaker: Virendra Nath Topic: Hawai’i—The Next Economic Boom is Upon Us! Plaza Club 900 Fort Street Mall 20th Floor RSVP Call Gail at 262-7329 to register! $25 for HVCA & HTTA Members & UH Faculty
$35 for Non-Members; $20 for Students
****NEW**** Wednesday, March 31 --12 noon - 1 pm. UOP Brown Bag Seminar: “Undersea Fiber Optic Cables and Hawaii.” Speaker: Mr. George Schmelzer, Participants will learn how undersea cables are built and operated, who the players are, challenges affecting the industry, and the outlook for Hawaii and its high-tech industry aspirations. University of Phoenix, 828 Fort St, Room 620. Free. For more information, call 536-2686 ext. 108 or e-mail Steven.Schoen@phoenix.edu.
****May 10-12, Asia Pacific Conference on Emerging Technologies: The Challenge of the Mobile Revolution and the Digital Divide. Sponsors: East-West Center and the Korea Information Strategy Development Institute (KISDI). Renaissance Hotel in Seoul, Korea. Early Registration Deadline April 26, For more information and registration materials: http://www.eastwestcenter.org/sem-bp.asp
Registration Online: http://www.eastwestcenter.org/index.asp
General East-West Seminar information: Marilu Khudari, khudarim@eastwestcenter.org, or phone 944-7384.
UH CALENDAR
http://dbserver.its.hawaii.edu/calendar/
HTDC CALENDAR
http://www.hitechhawaii.com/webevents.asp
IF YOU HAVE CALENDAR ITEMS, SEND THEM TO martycri@lava.net
WEB DESIGNER NEEDED:
A Hawaii-based start-up operation is looking for a simple internet presence, that may help to set the right expectation. Contact Gary Payne 808-944-3715 gpayne@spaecom.com
CAPITAL ZONE
OREGON GOVERNOR USES CAPITAL TRIP TO TRY FOR SOME NANO CAPITAL When the National Governors Association met in Washington, Oregon Gov. Theodore R. Kulongoski took the opportunity to lobby federal officials for some nanotech money. State governors had gathered to talk about other issues, but Kulongoski also had his own agenda: a federal nanotech- nology center.
http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=7538
MARYLAND SENATE NIXES BIOTECH TAX CREDIT Efforts in the Maryland General Assembly to boost the state’s biotechnology industry took a hit this week as a Senate committee killed a bill that would have granted tax credits for investments in young biotech companies.
http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/health_care/biotechnology/2004/03/15/baltimore_story4.html
THE FUTURE COMES BACK ZONE
TREK TECH -1
Medical technology is boldly going where ‘Star Trek’ has gone before Like some wizard, Dr. “Bones” McCoy needed only to wave his tricorder sensor like a talisman over “Star Trek” crew members to detect any ailment -- and to cure many of them. In reality, M cCoy’... http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/03/15/BUGLV5J6GT1.DTL
TREK TECH-2
40 years since the Enterprise’s inception, some of its science fiction gadgets are part of everyday life. In the 23rd century universe of “Star Trek,” people talked to each other using wireless personal communicators, had easy access to a vast database of information and spent hours gazing at a big...http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/03/15/BUGO35EG1T83.DTL
TREK TECH-3
Beam you up? Warp speed? Don’t bet on it. Before we get too cocky about our multitasking cell phones, global data networks and other gizmos that match “Star Trek’s” sci-fi tools, let’s rmember: Most of the standard equipment on the... http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/03/15/BUG8L5K0M31.DTL
OBESITY ZONE
FDA PROPOSES ACTION PLAN TO CONFRONT NATION’s OBESITY PROBLEM To help tackle what FDA is calling the “nation’s obesity epidemic,” the agency has released the final report of its Obesity Working Group. The report, called “Calories Count,” proposes measures that include: enhancing the food label to display calorie count better; encouraging restaurants to provide nutritional information; stepping up enforcement actions concerning food label accuracy; revising agency guidance for developing obesity drugs; and working cooperatively with other organizations on obesity research.
Press release: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/hhs_031204.html
More obesity information: http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/obesity/
CYBERZONE
HELLO, IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?
The search for evidence of intelligent life on other planets—along with the mainstream quest of answering more precisely how the universe came to be, what it’s made of and where it may be headed—got a substantial boost from Paul Allen. The Microsoft Corp. co-founder and fifth-richest person in the world announced a gift of $13.5 million, in addition to his earlier donation of $11.5 million, to begin construction of an unprecedented new radio astronomy telescope in Northern California primarily dedicated to SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/165440_seti19.html
MAC WILL HAVE A SCREEN READER BUILT-IN TO OS X Apple will introduce a screen reader built-into an upcoming version of OS X for the visually impaired. The software will be included at no extra cost. :http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/33173.html
STANDING IN LINE IS FOR WHIMPS
Looking for a book, CD, or movie recommendation? Type in the name of an author that you like at Gnooks.com and up pops a screen of other writers. But what makes the site different is that the authors don’t appear as a scrollable list. Instead, the name you provide sits in the middle of the browser window while the suggested names are sprinkled about, quivering and dancing as though trying to elbow each other out of the way to reach the center. This is search visualization in action—and it represents a new wave of interfaces that are challenging the traditional lists of links. <http://www.uptilt.com/c.html?rtr=on&s=5fo,5q40,4rw,3v4g,ay0b,21tx,ixhf>http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_sherman031904.asp?trk=nl
THE SMART WIRELESS BODY IS COMING
A male model walks down the runway at a fashion show wearing a garment called the life shirt, which looks something like a field photographer’s vest. Its designer: IBM. Retrowear? Au contraire! The shirt is avant garde fashion—a vest with computer network technology that takes the heart rate and blood pressure of the model, then transmits it, via wireless-fidelity network, to a device called a smart-phone the gentleman is holding in his hand.
http://www.spacedaily.com/upi/20040312-11300100.html
PDF-ARCHIVE PUSHED AS AN INTERNATIONAL STANDARD Corporate and government officials are working on a variation of PDF specifications to create an archive-friendly format for documents.
Representatives from companies including Eastman Kodak, IBM, and Xerox are participating in developing the new format, called PDF-Archive (PDF-A), with Adobe Systems, creator of the original PDF.
Also involved in the project is Stephen Levenson, judiciary records officer for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The archival challenges facing Levenson in the current era of vastly expanding numbers of electronic documents have urged him to join in the work to create what he said will be a slimmed-down version of PDF. PDF-A, which is based on PDF 1.4, will include type fonts and other features to ensure the documents are viewable by a wide range of applications in the future. PDF-A also will be designed to shield PDF documents from becoming security threats by prohibiting proprietary encryption schemes and embedded executable files.
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0315/news-pdf-03-15-04.asp
NEW SEARCH ENGINE TARGET RESEARCHERS
Onpholio is startup that is expected to debut a new search engine today that is targeted at researchers, according to the Boston Globe.
The new software plugs into Internet Explorer and allows the user to categorize, annotate, and store Web pages. The company said it is useful for salespeople researching prospects, a consultant learning about a specific industry, and a journalist working on a story. The software will be sold for $29.95 for a scaled down version, and $79.95 for a more professional version.
NO CLICK THROUGH
BIO/NANO/MEMS ZONE
HYBRID MOSQUITOES BLAMED FOR PECULIAR PATTERN OF WEST NILE VIRUS SPREAD Last year, West Nile virus (WNV) infected more than 9,000 people in
46 states across the U.S. and claimed the lives of 240. The spread of the virus is alarming; it also poses an epidemiological mystery.
WNV is a bird disease that spreads to humans through mosquito bites.
Yet countries in northern Europe, which has all of the same components for a similar WNV epidemic—including virus-infected birds and plenty of mosquitoes—have seen few human infections. New research suggests that the reason is genetic: whereas northern European mosquito strains preferentially bite either humans or birds, some U.S. mosquitoes are hybrids, carrying genetic material from both “bird-biters” and “human-biters.”
http://cl.extm.us/?fe9911787561067d77-fe20167073670d7c7c1c79
SCIENTISTS CONFIRM PHENOMENON OF FALLING BEER BUBBLES A new experiment by chemists from Stanford University and the University of Edinburgh has finally proven what beer lovers have long
suspected: When beer is poured into a glass, the bubbles sometimes go down instead of up.
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/physics-04g.html
BIO BRIEFS ZONE
Boston—After Bourque, Mass. Biotech seeks ‘next level’
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769020
Boston—Triton’s nanotechnology designed to take on tumors: CEO looks to raise $18M second round to get it to clinical trials
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769021
Cincinnati—Biotechs seek capital with Japanese flavor: Local firms to make pitch at BioSymposium
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769022
Denve—Fitz campus grows with biotech
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769023
East Bay
SuperGen investors unsure on news from trial
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769024
Phoeni—What will it take: Building the Valley’s biotech hub
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769025
Phoeni—ASU researchers to get seed money
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769026
Phoenix—The future of Valley biotech
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769027
Phoenix—A year of progress: Experts say 2003 a big step in the right direction
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769028
Phoeni—TGen setting foundation for bright biotech future
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769029
Phoenix
Biotech startups face many obstacles
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769030
Phoenix—Biotech researchers on the cutting edge
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769031
San Francisco—Hayward State center to grow biotech workers
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769032
San Francisco—Impax Labs on a roll with FDA, SuperGen rounds up $34M
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769033
Seattle—Biotech education choices extend beyond universities
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769034
Seattle—Bioinformatics natural fit in Microsoft’s back yard
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769035
Seattle—Federal grants flow to state research institutions: NIH grant competition stiffens as more states turn to biotech for economic salvation
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769036
Seattle—Biotech success promotes physical and fiscal fitness
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769037
Seattle—Building a foundation: Strategically housing the biotech community
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769038
Seattle—Risky business: Improving the odds for growing Washington’s life-sciences sector
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769039
Seattle—Accelerated prophet: Leroy Hood leads biotech industry in research, in raising capital, in starting companies http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769040
Seattle—Regions making concentrated efforts to woo biotech and biomedical companies
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769041
Seattle—Eastern Washington makes its own discoveries
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769042
Seattle—Patents and people brand solid life-sciences industry
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769043
Seattle—Analysts say local biotech companies show promise: Despite long history, industry remains in incubator
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769044
Washington—No new ZIP code required for MedImmune’s move
http://www.bizjournals.com/ct/c/769045
CHINA ZONE
CHINESE STUDENTS APPLYING FOR U.S. UNIVERSITIES DRASTICALLY DECREASES grees programs have dropped extensively, said a report released by the US Congressional Budget Office two weeks ago, and New York University also said its Chinese students has decreased by 50 percent.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200403/16/eng20040316_137636.shtml
HP PLANS TO OPEN OVER 1,000 RETAIL STORES IN CHINA
BEIJING: US computer giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) plans to open more than 1,000 retail stores in China as it takes advantage of the emerging market for consumer and home-entertainment products.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/3/16/business/7545661&sec=business
HP TO SELL LINUX-BASED PCs IN ASIA
US technology giant Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) plans to start selling several models of Linux-based desktop personal computers in 12 major Asian countries this June. Shipments could reach one million units in the first year in regional markets including Japan, China, perating system and application software, including spreadsheet, word-processing and other business applications, will be procured from Japanese companies.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/75606/1/.html
http://letters.washingtonpost.com/W2RT05910A2B30E3B2B653E67ECBD
SPECIAL CHINA ISSUE LAUNCHED BY NATURE MAGAZINE The Nature magazine, an authoritative academic journal, launched an issue of “Supplement to China” on Mar. 11. The articles in it including contributions by professional scholars who have offered analysis of the status quo and potential of various fields in China’s sci-tech researches. It channels the world’s attention to China’s sci-tech on the rise.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200403/12/eng20040312_137351.shtml
CHINESE SCIENTISTS CLAIM DEVELOPMENT OF BIOLOGICAL “DIESEL OIL”
Chinese scientists said Friday they have developed an environment-friendly fuel oil similar to diesel oil from shrub fruits, and experiments show that are applicable to various types of existing diesel engines.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200403/12/eng20040312_137362.shtml
ENERGY ZONE
ETHANOL YIELDS HYDROGEN
Researchers have devised a simple method for extracting hydrogen directly from ethanol, which would make for a renewable energy cycle.
An ethanol-to-hydrogen converter could be not much larger than a coffee mug. When coupled with a hydrogen fuel cell, the unit - small enough to hold in your hand - could generate one kilowatt of power, almost enough to supply an average home, the researchers said.
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/energy-tech-04e.html
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/rnb_030804.asp?trk=nl
MICROBIAL FUEL CELL
Penn State environmental engineers have shown, for the first time, that a microbial fuel cell (MFC) can generate electricity while simultaneously cleaning the wastewater that you flush down the drain or toilet. So far, the experiments have produced between 10 mW and 50 mW of power per square meter of electrode surface while removing up to 78% of organic matter as measured by biochemical oxygen demand (BOD).
Dr. Bruce E. Logan, the Kappe professor of environmental engineering and director of the project, said, “MFCs may represent a completely new approach to wastewater treatment. If power generation in these systems can be increased, MFC technology may provide a new method to offset wastewater treatment plant operating costs, making advanced wastewater treatment more affordable for both developing and industrialized nations.”
http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20040316A2
RFID ZONE
RFID CHIPS COULD BE GRANDPARENTS’ BABYSITTER The chips could help elderly people live independently for longer in their own homes, even if that means a chip in the toilet seat
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994788
WIRELESS ZONE
WiFi HYPE MACHINE FIZZLES
The Wall Street Journal reports that the WiFi hype machine has fizzled out and that several analysts have lowered their WiFi revenue projections. William Clark a Gartner analyst said no WiFi provider “will make any money before the end of 2005.” InStat lowered its estimates and now said it expects worldwide WiFi service providers to rake in $80 million this year. In the US, InStat said WiFi service provider revenue will hit $28 million this year. What’s the trouble? WiFi service fees are costly, service is not ubiquitous, and free WiFi service is cannibalizing pay service, according to the Journal article.
MISSION CRITICAL WIRELESS AT THE AIRPORT
Toronto’s Pearson Airport is doing Wi-Fi differently, providing wireless access to the administration before it goes to the public.
http://nl.internet.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=1,sbn,1,fud9,7b9b,jcj3,9ffi
WiFi ON TWO WHEELS
“Magicbike is a mobile WiFi hotspot that gives free internet connectivity wherever its ridden or parked. Magicbike explores new delivery and use strategies for wireless networks by disappearing into the urban fabric and bringing Internet to yet unserved spaces and communities. It is perfect for setting up adhoc Internet connectivity for art and culture events, emergency
access, public demonstrations, and communities on the struggling end of the digital-divide.”
HOTSPOT HITS
The latest in public access Wi-Fi: first-class wireless at U.K. train stations; Swisscom hotspots Europe; Airnyx partners with WeRoam; Cometa shares with iPass; and more. http://nl.internet.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=1,s8p,1,l0p5,ecft,jcj3,9ffi
SITE CITES
THE BIRTH OF COOL
Standing on a cold, foggy railroad platform in Pittsburgh more than 100 years ago, 25-year-old Willis Carrier had the revelation that led to the invention of modern air conditioning.
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/trailing0304.asp?trk=nl