A simulation computer program designed to prevent terrorist attacks was shown at the White House to demonstrate the program’s homeland defense applications. Two professors at Purdue University’s e-Business Research Center improved on the technology, which was originally built for telecommunications and business, by incorporating two IBM supercomputers to build a "synthetic" model of the U.S. with a population of 250,000 artificial citizens (agents). Nine teams of human "players" interacted with the agents by making real-time homeland defense decisions—road closures, resource allocation, quarantines, and so forth. The professors say the simulation allows the participants to learn from any mistakes and better formulate important decisions. The National Science Foundation, Intel, and the Office of Naval Research are among the project’s backers.
Translating the Art of War
U.S. troops must count on computerized language translators to help with everything from interrogating prisoners to locating weapons. These devices, some already tested in the Balkans and Afghanistan, range from Palm-style handhelds that use English-language cues to play prerecorded foreign phrases, to a two-way voice translator developed at Lockheed Martin’s Owego, NY, plant. Army intelligence has also purchased 1,500 briefcase-size document scanner-translators, which allow U.S. personnel to make rough, on-the-spot translations of documents in Dari, Pashto, and Arabic. Officials at the current U.S. Special Forces Command say they hope for improvements in the current Phraselator, the $2,000, one-way handheld voice translator that converts from English and plays 200,000 recorded commands and questions in 30 languages, including Pashto, Dari, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese.
Pressing Flesh for Transmission
Wireless communications may one day be as easy as a handshake, using the human body’s ability to conduct electric signals. The as-yet developed technology from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. is described as working through the body at broadband speeds. Attached to a PDA, the device can transmit weak electronic signals using human bodies as circuits instead of wire. Various uses are likely possible, such as exchanging telephone numbers, email addresses, and other information by just shaking hands or tapping someone on the shoulder, as well as identification requirements, allowing people to open locked doors by touch or tapping a PC to power it up. The company did not disclose the possible cost of the project.
For college students, the Internet just works. It’s like turning on the tap and getting water or turning on the TV."
—Steve Jones, chair of the communications department at the University of Illinois, Chicago
Ripping and Burning DNA
Burning a human’s entire DNA sequencing onto CDs is in the works, says the entrepreneurial scientist who helped decode the human genome. Craig J. Venter’s genome project took 15 years, cost $5 billion, and required some of the world’s most sophisticated computers. He now says he plans to offer the service at a cost of $500,000 per person. Venter hopes ultimately to mass-produce gene CDs that would stock the shelves of every general practitioner’s office and be covered by insurance. Three nonprofit ventures are spending $30 million to build a new gene-sequencing center in Rockville, MD. With people’s genomes readily available, doctors are expected to be able to better treat many diseases.
There’s little hierarchy in the workplace anymore. People work side by side; the lines are blurred. Now everyone is wired; everyone can be reached at any given time. That definitely blurs the lines even more."
—Mari Florence, author, on using common workplace tools for e-flirting
New Meaning of "PDA"
Flirting has gone mobile via such devices as cell phones and two-way pagers. Rooted in email and instant messaging, this high-tech flirting has expanded as technology improves; people are punching in messages on their cell phone keypads as well as Palm devices. Short message service, known as SMS, is limited to 160 characters, so abbreviations are common in a service that is just now catching on the U.S. Text messaging is so big in Britain that Web sites dedicated to SMS poetry are popping up. A British survey commissioned by London-based Velocity Communications found that just over 40% of those surveyed said "yes" when asked if they’ve ever sent a text message to tell someone they "fancy" them.
Advanced Electronics Second Guess Umps
Baseball umpires are worried technology will eject them from the game thanks to a innovative new system that tracks where pitches cross over the plate. The QuesTec Umpire Information system (UIS), built by Titan Systems, has been installed in 11 major-league ballparks and incorporates two cameras. After the game, the video, which details each hitter’s strike zone, and the tracking info are combined to create a visual record of every called ball or strike—in other words, a mechanical way to see if the ump got it right. The UIS was originally ballyhooed as an invaluable training tool, allowing umps to identify and correct their mistakes. But umpires have been far less receptive since the league began using UIS to evaluate their performances. The World Umpires Association is attacking QuesTec, claiming that on disputed pitches, UIS actually gets it wrong 80% of the time.
Sports in the Dark Possible
A rise in consumer use of night-vision scopes is increasing, mostly being applied to lighthearted ventures such as nocturnal golf, boating, night paintball playing, as well as bird-watchers and nature lovers. There are various grades in a number of different styles of night-vision scopes, but unless you’re willing to spend $15,000, the lower-end products will have to suffice. Until the prices come down, consumers will have to resort to the old standby. "If you don’t mind being seen," said Bart Ferell, a professor at Syracuse University’s Institute for Sensory Research, "go with the flashlight."
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