NETSURFER DIGEST
More Signal, Less Noise
Volume 07, Issue 35
Thursday, October 18, 2001

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BREAKING SURF
Anthrax
Al Jazeera, All the Time
The FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists
RIAA Turns to Hacking to Battle Song Swapping
Scrubbing Sensitive Data from the Net
Evil Bert Eludes Dragnet
FBI 2, Scarfo and PGP 0
PGP for Sale
Alicebot Comes Closest in Turing Test
IBM Wants You to Think about Autonomic Computing
A Year Later, Yahoo Drops WebRing
Ad Wars: Anti-Ad-Blocking Software
Govnet
Wireless on the Coast of Maine
Lottery for .Biz Names Blocked by Judge
Geek Toy of the Month: Handspring Treo
China Playing Propaganda Games with Blocked News Sites
Look Ma, No Ads!
ONLINE CULTURE
The Internet in the Arab World
The Emerging World of Amateur Online Video Journalism
The WWW Eight Years Ago
Spam Traps
Net Tech Truth Squad
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
One of the Most Impressive Fine Art Sites We've Seen
Mirror, Mirror Online
BOOKS & E-ZINES
Netsurfer Recommendations
Insider Israeli Info
Wacky Wiki Not Too Picky
SURFING SCIENCE
Dust Storm Greets Mars Odyssey
Working in Space
Asteroids Named to Commemorate Sept. 11 Victims
A Brain for All Seasons: Human Evolution and Abrupt Climate Change
Britney's Guide to Semiconductor Physics
SOFTWARE
AOL Unveils Version 7.0
MySQL 4.0 Alpha Version Released
CORRECTIONS
Blucher Isn't Glue
OTHER LINKS
BOOK REVIEWS
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Contact and Subscription Information
Credits


BREAKING SURF

Anthrax

The disease is in the news these days, with the discovery of several outbreaks around the country apparently deliberately spread via mail. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extensive information about the disease, suitable both for the general public and for health care professionals. The World Anthrax Data Site has informative maps of anthrax outbreaks during the last few years, though at press time the US map has not been updated with the recent infections.
Anthrax: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/anthrax_g.htm
Maps: http://www.vetmed.lsu.edu/whocc/mp_world.htm

Al Jazeera, All the Time

Al Jazeera, a popular Arabic news network based in Qatar, has gained notoriety in the West for its coverage of Osama bin Laden and the current attacks against Afghanistan. US networks are furiously making deals with Al Jazeera to obtain their coverage from within Afghanistan - both CNN and ABC have signed deals at press time. The Al Jazeera site, in Arabic, won't be useful to most Western readers but backgrounders at 60 Minutes and MSNBC focus on the network. The A New York Times article has some interesting information on Al Jazeera's satellite transmission architecture and speculates about the difficulties of censoring such networks in our connected world. We had trouble getting to the Al Jazeera site at press time, but here's the URL anyway.
Al Jazeera: http://www.aljazeera.net/
60 Minutes: http://www.cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,314278-412,00.shtml
MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.com/news/642261.asp
Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/15/business/media/15SAT.html

The FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists

Here you can see the mug shots of the infamous 22 most-sought-after terrorists, along with reward details, personal facts, and information about their crimes. The main FBI site includes instructions on what to do if you receive a suspicious package in the mail, links to publications on a wide range of crime related and security topics, computer security tips, an FBI for kids and teachers section, a well stocked press room, and, of course, stuff about the agency itself. Although there's not a lot of detail in some of the sections, overall the impressive site is worth a visit in these troubled times.
Terrorists: http://www.fbi.gov/mostwant/terrorists/fugitives.htm
FBI: http://www.fbi.gov/

RIAA Turns to Hacking to Battle Song Swapping

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lobbied for immunity from damage claims resulting from copyright holders' attempts to crack private computers to enforce copyright protection. Widespread criticism prevented that political strategy from working, but the RIAA has apparently not given up on hacking tactics. This ZDNet story reveals that the RIAA is developing software which will masquerade as a user on popular trading networks like Gnutella and Morpheus in order to disrupt the file traffic. The software would essentially create a denial-of-service attack by repeatedly trying to download the same song. We assume that it would not be difficult for developers to quickly identify and disable such attacks.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2818064,00.html

Scrubbing Sensitive Data from the Net

Predictably, US government departments and agencies are stripping potentially sensitive documents from their Web sites; somewhat more surprising is a decision by the Federation of Atomic Scientists (FAS) to scrub its site of certain material. Dedicated to nuclear disarmament and a vigorous critic of government secrecy, FAS maintains a huge archive of US security-related material, now expunged of some 200 pages that contained details of US intelligence facilities and weapons platforms. Steven Aftergood, director of the group's Project on Government Secrecy, denies bowing to official pressure, calling the removals "exercising our freedom of the press - which includes both the freedom to publish and not to publish." CNet reports.
FAS: http://www.fas.org/
CNet: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7493435.html

Evil Bert Eludes Dragnet

The shadowy underworld figure known as Evil Bert appears to have survived at least two assassination attempts over the past week. The malevolent Muppet was targeted after media photos of anti-war posters carried by protesters in Bangladesh were revealed to include an image of Bert with Osama bin Laden. Subsequently, both Dino Ignacio, creator of the original Bert Is Evil satire site (reported in NSD 3.35) and Jeroen Meeuwissen, who Photoshopped the Osama-Bert image, have removed Bert pages from their Web sites. Intelligence sources confirm, however, that the brazen Bert appears to have survived and has been spotted in various international locations, including a Dutch Bert Is Evil site. AlterNet has an article on the original episode, with background and links, and Wired reports on the aftermath.
Dino: http://www.fractalcow.com/bert/bert.htm
Dutch: http://www.bertisevil.nl/
AlterNet: http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11687
Wired: http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47532,00.html

FBI 2, Scarfo and PGP 0

At first, we thought this was a typo. Scarface, a.k.a. Al Capone, was put away by the feds for tax evasion years ago. But Nicodemo Scarfo isn't Scarface. He is, however, an alleged mobster, tossed in the slammer, but he's contesting this because he thinks the feds surreptitiously (and possibly illegally) planted a keystroke reader, or keylogger, on his computer. Since he was using PGP to encrypt his e-mail, he felt he wouldn't be caught with dirty hands. The keylogger, however, coughed up his encryption keys, so the fuzz was able to decode all his intercepted e-mail. Over 60% of corporations employ monitoring of some sort, and Nicodemo's legal team claims that the keylogger violates his rights. That claim hasn't held any water in the private sector, but it might have a chance in a law enforcement arena. The Electronic Privacy Information Center has posted the case's supporting documents in PDF format, including the latest unclassified FBI affidavit. Yep, the names have been changed to protect the innocent, or whatever. It makes interesting reading, regardless.
http://www.epic.org/crypto/scarfo.html

PGP for Sale

PGP was a great little encryption app, which was turned over to Network Associates - the same folks who bought up the McAfee antivirus line, and some other stuff as well. They keep busy. Now, Network Associates has announced a plan to integrate some PGP security into some of its products (like McAfee), while selling off the rest. Wired reports that Network Associates has determined that security software, other than antivirus programs, aren't making money. That makes sense to us. You get a good firewall, installed once. You get good encryption software, installed once. You get a decent antivirus program, installed once - but then you pay again and again for the virus signature files to keep it current. Which makes you more money? Which do you cut, and which do you stay with? Bet you don't even have an MBA degree....
Network Associates: http://www.nai.com/other/jump/customer-faq.asp
Wired: http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,47551,00.html

Alicebot Comes Closest in Turing Test

In 1950, the mathematician Alan Turing asked, "Can machines think?" Over the past 50 years, research in artificial intelligence (AI) has wrestled with his famous eponymous test: if a machine conversing with a human through teletype can fool that person into thinking it is another human, that machine must be considered intelligent. Since 1990, Hugh Loebner has sponsored an annual prize of $2,000, awarded to the program judged most human by a panel of human judges. For the second year in a row, Alicebot took the prize for, to be blunt, sucking less than the other contestants. Loebner's site contains a reprint of Turing's original article, which is far more interesting than most of the commentary about it. ZDNet has a curiously funny article on Alicebot's win.
Loebner: http://www.loebner.net/Prizef/loebner-prize.html
Alicebot: http://alicebot.org/
ZDNet: http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2818155,00.html

IBM Wants You to Think about Autonomic Computing

This heavily promoted paper from IBM contends that the next grand challenge of computing is coping with complexity. The paper argues that dealing with the immense amounts of computing power and data at our fingertips is the most important outstanding challenge for the IT industry. According to IBM, the solution to this problem lies in the human body. We must borrow the mechanism of the autonomous nervous system, which controls the body's automated systems without conscious control - breathing, circulation, heartbeat, etc. - and adapts to changing conditions. IBM says we must build those kinds of hands-off systems to cope with the increasing complexity and volume of our computing and information processing systems. The PDF paper, which IBM calls a manifesto, is a slick marketing excuse for initiating what could be a pretty interesting discussion.
http://www.research.ibm.com/autonomic/manifesto/

A Year Later, Yahoo Drops WebRing

What a gigantic pain in the ass.... In August 2000, Yahoo bought the WebRing community service and assimilated it into its Borg-like community/portal network. WebRing RingMasters, who manage the rings composed of topic-related sites, had to abandon a simple, customizable, and fun hobby aid and were forced to jump through corporate hoops and do things the Yahoo way if they wanted to stay with the system. Now, Yahoo has sold WebRing to one of its early developers, Tim Killeen. Nobody is telling for how much, but Yahoo says it had trouble selling advertising on the system. Users have been notified about the change, though it's not yet clear how long they have to change services. Any information not voluntarily migrated - again - will be lost. Let's hope WebRing returns to its former incarnation.
Story: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7535715.html
WebRing: http://webring.yahoo.com/
Migrate: http://edit.webring.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/migrate

Ad Wars: Anti-Ad-Blocking Software

You've just installed your pop-up-ad-blocking software and feel comfortable surfing the Web. Rest not easy, for the advertisers are girding their loins for battle. The German software factory Media Beam has developed software that detects ad-blocking apps on a viewer's computer. Rather than allow the user to view the site without ads, the software asks the user to pay a fee to do so. Whether or not online advertising makes money, this approach is sure to launch an arms race between the developers of ad-blocking and ad-detecting software. People have often called the Internet an information superhighway (although probably only rarely in the last two years, and when's the last time you saw the abbreviation WWW?), but this arms race will probably make it grow to resemble the information game of Car Wars. ZDNet's article has less esoteric description.
Media Beam: http://www.mediabeam.com/
ZDNet: http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5098080,00.html

Govnet

The importance of the Internet for government is obvious by now. The US government wants to create a private network, similar to but not physically connected to the Internet. Such a network would provide secure intragovernment communications with NSA-backed encryption for agencies and other authorized users. The idea comes from government cybersecurity chief Richard Clarke, and a request for proposals already exists on the GAO Web site. Clarke intends to create a private network where no one will be anonymous. Clarke's ideas predate Sept. 11; he brought up the idea at a Microsoft conference on a SafeNet in December 2000. USA Today and CNet have the news, and the GSA has the proposal as a Microsoft Word doc. Somebody needs to budget for Adobe Acrobat....
USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001/10/10/cybersecurity-supercomputer.htm
CNet: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-7493027.html
Proposal: http://www.fts.gsa.gov/govnet/govnet.doc

Wireless on the Coast of Maine

A modern version of old-fashioned telegraph towers is bringing broadband to the wuthering coast of Maine. In the midcoast region, where DSL is not widely available and cable modem service is spotty, Mainers (Mainese? Mainestays?) are lucky to connect at 56 kbps, but an enterprising local ISP is changing all that. Midcoast Internet Solutions (MIS) now offers "topographically enabled" customers connections of up to 3 Mbps with point-to-point wireless IEEE 802.11 networking via bridged line-of-sight transmitters. The O'Reilly Network reports that MIS has wrought the transformation using BreezeNET devices, including "Station Adapter" client devices that plug into Ethernet LANs, standard access points, and wireless bridges that connect repeater stations with MIS's Internet feed. A typical installation runs about $800, which can buy a whole lot of lobster.
MIS: http://www.midcoast.com/mis/wirelessplan.html
O'Reilly: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/wireless/2001/10/12/maine.html

Lottery for .Biz Names Blocked by Judge

NeuLevel, the company responsible for allocating the new Internet top-level domains through a plethora of registrars, had planned to hold a lottery for those .biz domain names sought by multiple applicants, charging each applicant an insignificant fee. A Los Angeles judge has spoiled the party, however, by issuing a temporary injunction after a complaint that because each domain-name claimant could submit multiple applications, this was a public lottery whose odds were not made known - which is illegal in California. Whether the decision holds for registrations outside California remains to be decided. There's more at CNet and CNN.
NeuLevel: http://www.neulevel.com/
CNet: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7507806.html
CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/10/12/dot.biz.domain.reut/index.html

Geek Toy of the Month: Handspring Treo

Without doubt, this is the greatest drool-inducing geek gadget of the moment, even if it won't be available until early next year. This week, Handspring unveiled its new combination PDA and cell phone, powered by the Palm operating system. The device also supports wireless Internet access, allowing you to read e-mail and browse the Web. There are two models, one with a miniature keyboard and another with only the usual Palm handwriting recognition. Price will be $400 with wireless service, $550 without. You can read the juicy details on the Handspring site.
http://www.handspring.com/products/treo/index.jhtml

China Playing Propaganda Games with Blocked News Sites

It looks like the Chinese are trying to spruce up their image during the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meeting. As hordes of reporters descend on Shanghai, China has unblocked Net access to the Reuters, BBC and Washington Post sites, among others. China has inconsistently blocked online news sites, going back and forth almost at random about what it does or does not permit. CNet has the story.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7545240.html

Look Ma, No Ads!

Notice something about this NSD? No banner ads. And it loads at the speed of light! Fantastic! You love us that last little bit you hadn't yet already! Wonderful! before you cover us in orificial juices, be aware that we don't do this for free. We're not ready to officially announce any plans, but if you have anything to tell us about how much you'd pay for 40 issues of crack-addictive NSD a year, now would be a good time to say it.

ONLINE CULTURE

The Internet in the Arab World

This Salon article takes a look at Net access in the Arabic world. And, no, Afghanistan isn't even in the game. Most of the country has no electricity even when bombs aren't falling from the skies, and when it is available, it's on for no more than a few hours per day. The Taliban have also banned the Internet as being un-Islamic. The situation is quite different in the rest of the Arab world. Many users share expensive connections and find ways to easily evade regional governments' attempts at censorship. If there's any barrier to the free circulation of Net information in the Arab world, it's the cost of connection. Salon provides a good snapshot of how the region uses the Net, and many embedded links to regional resources. Meanwhile, MSNBC has launched the GN4MSNBC news site in Arabic in cooperation with Egyptian portal Good News 4 Me. CNN plans a similar Arabic language venture.
Salon: http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/10/12/arab_internet/index.html
GN4MSNBC: http://www.gn4msnbc.com/

The Emerging World of Amateur Online Video Journalism

We noticed the proliferation of amateur video footage on television and online even before the Sept. 11 attacks, although the events of that day gave the trend a little growth spurt. It evolves out of the general decentralization of the news business that the Web has fostered. Just think of how many Web sites you can get news from right now, and compare that number with how many newspapers you could buy 25 years ago. Inexpensive broadband connections have allowed the expansion of amateur video, in particular. This in-depth CNet article examines the impact of such news video sharing on traditional broadcast media and shows how such video can propagate. For example, a cursory search on Gnutella or Morpheus will easily unearth plenty of film clips related to the attack.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7497295.html

The WWW Eight Years Ago

Talk about blasts from the past: "Today there are at least 100 hypertext Web servers in use throughout the world." This astonishing fact is one of many preserved in "World Wide Web/A Guide To Cyberspace", a FAQ from 1993 sure to tickle the nostalgic nodes of anyone who remembers the ancient Web in its primordial glory. Ah, the good old days, when you could know everything there was to know about the Web and fit it all in one long page without graphics, ads, scripts, or cookies. Gopher, WAIS, Archie, Mosaic, Veronica - these once-hot, must-know anachronisms, explained long ago by Kevin Hughes of Honolulu Community College, are the stuff of e-history. Even the term "hypermedia" is sure to puzzle preteens. Amazingly, some of the links in this relic still work. Much of this document is still relevant, in general if not always in detail. Read it and weep, or laugh, or sigh. It's there for posterity. Visit and learn whilst ye can.
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/www/guide/

Spam Traps

We don't usually take a close look at FAQ pages, if only because there are so many. This one, however, covers a topic near and not-so-dear to our hearts: spam. It discusses not only the usual ways that spammers collect your e-mail address (from IRC and chat rooms, for example), but delves into some of the more unexpected approaches used, such as running spider-miners across Web sites or tricking a browser into yielding a live address without the user ever knowing it. The site provides some great links, one of which lets you test whether or not your browser broadcasts your e-mail address. It also includes links that will help track down the spammers, and even links to legal resources at your disposal. This site isn't pretty; it has no bells and whistles. But it may be just what you need. We're bookmarking it.
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/net-abuse-faq/harvest

Net Tech Truth Squad

What is the effect of technology on the world? Or just on you? The popular press is no real help. The answers are rarely obvious and the amount of fog, smoke, and plain bull is astounding. The Fact Squad site, a creation of the People for Internet Responsibility organization, attempts to cut through the hype and spin about technology that the press and the pols feed us. The idea is excellent and this start-up has promise, but right now its cupboard is on the bare side. There's nothing wrong and a lot right with what's here, but it just isn't a lot, yet. This is a site worth a periodic look-see to see if it reaches its goals or falls victim to what ails most mainstream technology reportage.
http://www.factsquad.org/

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

One of the Most Impressive Fine Art Sites We've Seen

Those who like contemporary art but find galleries snooty, inaccessible, or out of the question will appreciate this impressive alternative. Artist Portfolios showcases works by featured artists and offers a huge database of works for sale. There's so much here, you can even browse the online portfolios by medium or theme. Using pulldown lists on the home page, you can also search by subject matter, country, or price. Artist portfolios include a statement by the artist, thumbnails and enlargements of selected works, lists of displayed works and reviews, and an e-mail form with which you can contact the artist. Artists can post portfolios for free and buy extra services like forums, classified ads, links to resumes and e-postcards, and a news section. Arts Locator, in the Marketplace pulldown, links to local art information around the globe. Would you have guessed this sophisticated, well-populated site is based in Columbus, Ohio?
http://www.wwar.com/

Mirror, Mirror Online

The Mirror Project, a great theme site, contains over 2,000 photographs of collected, reflected self-portraiture. Photographers snap and submit photos of themselves mirrored in any sort of reflective surface: shiny ornaments, spoons, puddles, shop windows, and even mirrors. The project was inspired by Jezebel's Mirror, the home site of Heather Champ, who has more than 600 mirror-photos of herself online. The Mirror Project is searchable by keyword for a subject search or to find more photos by a photographer you especially like. One can also browse the most recent photos or start at the beginning. We are especially fond of the random function, because we just like to be surprised that way.
Mirror Project: http://www.mirrorproject.com/
Jezebel's Mirror: http://www.jezebel.com/mirror/

BOOKS & E-ZINES


Netsurfer Recommendations

Items our staff likes and you might too. Click on the image or title to order at a hefty discount from our affiliate Amazon.com, and send a few pennies our way as well.

Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War
Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg, William J. Broad
Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 0684871580

Talk about a timely book. The news is full of stories about anthrax spores delivered by mail, a classic example of somewhat inept bioterrorism. This book, written by New York Times reporters, surveys the recent history and current state of biological warfare research around the world. Most bioweapons work has been undertaken in state-sponsored military labs; Russia has a particularly robust and frightening program. However, bioweapons are increasingly finding their way into private hands, creating conditions for the development of what the authors call a "poor man's hydrogen bomb". This seriously chilling book describes how the US is trying to deal with it. It may not protect you from a bioattack, but at least you'll die enlightened.



The Lord of the Rings
J. R. R. Tolkien
Houghton Mifflin Co (Pap); ISBN: 0618129022

The first movie will be released in December, and since the epic trilogy is a pretty long read (1,137 pages in this edition), we figured we'd give you some lead time. What can we say that hasn't already been said? Well, as good as it is - and it is indeed very good in many ways - it does have its flaws. Parts of it are tedious, the language is at times dated and bombastic, and some of the story elements are now cliche. But these flaws pale next to the magnificent world building, poetic passages, complex characters, and a truly heroic journey. And if some of the story is now considered dated, it is only because so much fantastic literature has borrowed and evolved from this work. This edition contains the trilogy in one fat volume. If you want something more compact, buy the paperback boxed set. This trilogy is required reading for the culturally literate, kind of like "Moby Dick" but considerably more entertaining.



Bored of the Rings: A Parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings
Harvard Lampoon Staff, Henry N. Beard, Douglas C. Kenney
New American Library Trade; ISBN: 0451452615

Some people hold "The Lord of the Rings" in hushed reverence as the greatest work of fantasy ever written. Many of these people have no lives and deserve a sharp slap upside the head and a hardy "Get thee over it already!" This book is the literary equivalent of such a slap. It is also a hilarious parody which punctures the frequent pomposity of the original and administers a Three Stooges-like eye-poke to its equally pompous worshipers. The book is admittedly a bit dated with many obscure late-1960s references, but if you've read the original you'll appreciate how skillfully it pokes fun not only at its story but also its writing style. Great fun.



dot.bomb: My Days and Nights at an Internet Goliath
J. David Kuo
Little Brown & Company; ISBN: 0316507490

This juicy dotcom crash story is the tale of a start-up called Value America, which wanted to become what Amazon very nearly is today - a one stop e-tailer shop. The author was senior VP of communications at the company for less than a year, which tells you how quickly Value America went from IPO to in the can. Tales of businesses falling from spectacular heights have been good reading since at least the days of " Barbarians at the Gate". This is a shorter tale, but times have changed, and spectacular failures now happen on Internet time. It'll make a good read for those of you who were part of the late Internet madness.



Insider Israeli Info

Debka.com is an Israeli Web site with really good information sources. While its coverage is ostensibly worldwide, the obvious and actual emphasis is on the Middle East. The site is technically a teaser for a pricey subscription newsletter, but offers so much current information that only real hard-core info junkies and national intelligence services need actually pay. The headlines section always goes beyond any other news source in both extent of coverage and accuracy. The articles are more a mixed bag, some are ho-hum, find-it-anywhere pieces and others reveal information you'll find nowhere else. The accuracy here isn't in question; everything on the site was confirmed by other sources within a few days while we tracked it. The question is, how do they get this information so quickly?
http://debka.com/

Wacky Wiki Not Too Picky

The Wikipedia open-content Web encyclopedia, with over 13,000 entries contributed since its inception last January, is a surprisingly good effort - and an amazing social experiment. Powered by WikiWiki collective authoring software, the Wikipedia allows any user (registered or anonymous) to instantly submit, edit, or even delete articles, and new participants are encouraged to ignore rules and make mistakes. Despite the apparently certain recipe for mayhem, this is a serious and fairly successful self-regulating project, kept on track by chief cat-herders Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, co-founders and administrators of Wikipedia. The project receives over 100 new entries and a raft of revisions each day, but is looking for more, so if you have an itch to edit or a yen to pen, consider gettin' Wiki with it.
http://www.wikipedia.com/

SURFING SCIENCE

Dust Storm Greets Mars Odyssey

Dust storms aren't unusual on Mars but the timing of this one is awkward for the Mars Odyssey orbiter, just a week away from a planned insertion into orbit around the red planet. After the failure of its two previous Mars missions in 1999, NASA has a lot at stake in this mission to study the geology of the planet, search for water and buried ice, and measure radiation levels. Odyssey has already had problems with its star tracker and radiation instruments since its Apr. 7 launch. The dust storm has been raging for weeks, covering the planet in a thin red haze to an altitude of 65 kilometers above the surface. The storm causes the Martian atmosphere to expand slightly, complicating Odyssey's planned aerobraking maneuver, meant to ease the spacecraft into a satisfactory orbit. Space.com and CNN have more.
Odyssey: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/index.html
Space.com: http://space.com/missionlaunches/missions/mars_odyssey_sr.html
CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/10/11/mars.dust.storm.ap/index.html

Working in Space

What's it like to walk - and work - in space? A few lucky, talented people know, and they share their experiences courtesy of NASA. Even if you don't care much about first-person descriptions of orbital life, the images, animations, and embedded links contained in this page are well worth the time it takes to visit. Earthbound construction workers may have to deal with hard hats and steel-toed boots, but the folks working on the Space Station have to deal with issues like spinning off uncontrollably into the abyss. A bit of time spent here provides insight into what it takes to build and live in space. For additional information, you might want to download the NASA instructional guide titled "Suited for Spacewalking". It's a 6-MB PDF file, first released in 1999.
NASA: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast04oct_1.htm
Guide: http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/NASA.Educational.Products/Suited.For.Spacewalking/

Asteroids Named to Commemorate Sept. 11 Victims

Astronomers now call three asteroids "Compassion", "Solidarity", and "Magnanimity", placing them among the nearly 9,000 other named asteroids. The idea for commemorating the victims of the terrorist attacks in this way and the proposed names came from Richard West of the European Southern Observatory just a few days after the attacks. The idea was unanimously endorsed by the 13 members of the International Astronomical Union's Committee for Small Body Nomenclature and became official Oct. 2. Space.com has the story.
http://www.space.com/news/asteroid_setp11_011010.html

A Brain for All Seasons: Human Evolution and Abrupt Climate Change

The next book by William Calvin, scientist and science writer, will study the role of climate change in the evolution of human intelligence. "A Brain for All Seasons" will appear in print next year, but you can read it right now, for Calvin has posted it online as Web pages and in downloadable form for handhelds. Calvin believes that major changes in human evolution, such as enlargement of our ancestors' brains to enable planning and speech, occurred during abrupt periods (less than a decade) of climate change, which caused vast droughts, dust storms, and forest fires that wiped out many species. Our ancestors were lucky as well as resourceful during bust-and-boom climatic episodes. Calvin's reasoning is fascinating and his prose compelling. He writes, not just for colleagues, but all of us, and we've enjoyed his work ever since 1983's "The Throwing Madonna: Essays on the Brain", which was reprinted for the second time this year.
Calvin: http://williamcalvin.com/
Madonna: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0595160492/netsurferdigest/

Britney's Guide to Semiconductor Physics

Celebrity endorsement of molecular beam epitaxy - now there's a challenge for you. Imagine our surprise when we came across Britney's Guide to Semiconductor Physics. Elaborate hoax? Some science teacher's ploy? Nerdiest fan site ever? Go with the latter. Droll cheek never had prettier face nor more preposterous pretense. We love to see the "dumb blonde" stereotype rebuffed with aplomb. Our initial reaction, though, was one of puzzlement and incredulity. This subsite of a Britney fan site mixes coy studio photos of the popular Pepsi princess and singer in laughable juxtaposition to pages of turgid physics text devoted to radiative recombination, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, and other recondite fundamentals "that have made it possible to hear her super music in a digital format." By contrast, all the math, diagrams, and seeming mumbo-jumbo behind the ostensible subject highlight youth, stardom, and sex appeal. Most who browse here will likely scroll only for photos of Britney. She may not win the hearts of instructors as a physics phenom, but say what you will about her music or image, you might well enjoy the highbrow fun here. We do.
http://www.britneyspears.ac/lasers.htm

SOFTWARE

AOL Unveils Version 7.0

The latest version of AOL software is a major rewrite whose improvements will mostly help broadband users. The new AOLatRadio delivers over 75 music channels and new button links to video and audio clips for those with fast connections. There are the usual interface and feature tweaks, including a faster loading time. This CNet review faults the software for slower Web access than a traditional ISP and disses it for the amount of clutter in the user interface. There's also a screenshot of that new interface, which is based on the Netscape 6.1 browser. AOL will let you try the software with an offer of 1,000 free hours for 45 days. The release comes just ahead of Microsoft's major restructuring of its own MSN software as part of its rollout of Windows XP. The two will compete for the mass ISP service market. CNet also has that news.
AOL: http://www.aol.com/
Review: http://www.cnet.com/internet/0-3762-8-7535404-1.html
News: http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7540458.html

MySQL 4.0 Alpha Version Released

The favorite database choice for open source users has just released a new test version. The new software includes support for secure SSL connections, features for embedding the database in other applications, higher speed, and better compatibility with industry standard SQL. While the release "is intended as a platform for building mission critical, heavy load database solutions", this is still alpha software and needs some seasoning in the wild.
Press Release: http://www.mysql.com/news/article-81.html
Download: http://www.mysql.com/downloads/

CORRECTIONS

Blucher Isn't Glue

In an NSD in which we mentioned the Snopes urban legend debunking site, we also took on faith from the Mel Brooks Humor Site that Blucher means "glue" in German and that's why horses whinny when that name is heard in "Young Frankenstein". It ain't so, as a few readers pointed out to us. Check out this Snopes page for the truth.
http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/blucher.htm

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