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Adoption Of An Open iTV Standard
The MHP-KDB project set out to help equipment manufacturers, and software and content developers adopt the best such standard, says Klaus Merkel, who directed the IST-funded project. The Digital Video Broadcasting - Multimedia Home Platform (DVB-MHP) is an open middleware system that enables TV sets to receive and run interactive, Java-based applications, broadcast via satellite, cable, and terrestrial mode. It is also adapted to internet protocol TV. "MHP will allow full interoperability of various equipment and applications. It's adoption is the crucial factor to allow progress in deployment of interactive digital TV in Europe," says Merkel. "We wanted to help simplify and accelerate the technical take-up of MHP by making expertise and solutions available to newcomers, as well as to more experienced users," says Merkel. The project, which ended in March, created an online database containing code samples for programmers, tools for developing and testing applications, and technical explanations......... Posted by: Gina Permalink Source Cassava Plants To Fight Hunger In Africa
The findings could help ease hunger in many countries where people rely heavily on the cassava plant (Manihot esculenta) as a primary food source, said Richard Sayre, the study's lead author and a professor of plant cellular and molecular biology at Ohio State University. The researchers used a gene from the bacterium E. coli to genetically modify cassava plants. The plants, which were grown in a greenhouse, produced roots that were an average of 2.6 times larger than those produced by regular cassava plants. "Not only did these plants produce larger roots, but the whole plant was bigger and had more leaves," Sayre said. Both the roots and leaves of the cassava plant are edible. Cassava is the primary food source for more than 250 million Africans - about 40 percent of the continent's population. And the plant's starchy tuberous root is a substantial portion of the diet of nearly 600 million people worldwide. Sayre said he hopes to offer these plants to countries where cassava is an important crop. The current study appears in the online early issue of the Plant Biotechnology Journal. Sayre collaborated with Ohio State colleague Uzoma Ihemere and scientists from BASF Plant Science in Research Triangle Park, N.C., and BARC-West in Beltsville, Md., who formerly worked on this project in his laboratory......... Posted by: Tom Permalink Source US Ports Vulnerable To Devastating Earthquake Damage
U.S. ports serve as crucial gateways for international trade, but they're especially vulnerable to damage in an earthquake. Western U.S. ports in Oakland, Los Angeles, Long Beach and Seattle are at the greatest risk for earthquake damage, but eastern U.S. ports in Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., are also at risk. A new project led by the Georgia Institute of Technology aims to develop strategies to help safeguard ports from earthquake damage. The project, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), has $3.6 million in funding over the next five years. "Ports are a critical civil infrastructure system," said Glenn J. Rix, a professor in Georgia Tech's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the project director. "Given the growth in international trade, we don't think seismic risks at ports have received the proper amount of attention. If a large portion of a major U.S. port such as Oakland or Los Angeles were out of service for a year because of an earthquake, there would be significant economic consequences for the United States."........ Posted by: Tom Permalink Source Web, database programmer (UNIX)
Posted by: Mac Permalink Source Dance Dance Revolution show coming to CBS
The premise of the show is for teams of dancers to compete for the best routine, with certain steps presented in DDR's classic flying magic arrow style to encourage viewer participation. Music will be provided by a live house band, who will also serve as the hosts. Being a big fan of DDR myself, it's exciting to watch the franchise cross over to an even broader medium (even though I'll likely never get up to watch it). Even better is CBS's commitment to encouraging young people to become more active and lead a healthy lifestyle. Watch for this to air mid-September......... Posted by: Gina Permalink Source Images From The Madonna Tour
True the news of the cross of Swarowsky, in the piece "Live to tell"......... Posted by: Gina Permalink Source U.S. Must Address Middle East Issues, Expert Says
Kenneth Pollack, former CIA and National Security Council analyst on the Middle East
"The Arab states are experiencing very widespread structural problems with their economies, their political systems, their educational systems, their legal systems, and pretty much every other aspect of life in the Arab world," he said. "These problems are creating widespread difficulties, animosities and anxieties throughout Arab society". In his presentation, "Middle East: Reshaping the Strategic Landscape," Pollack said the demographic explosion in the Middle East, coupled with the political and educational stagnation, has created enormous problems. Pollack said schools in countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia discourage their students from becoming entrepreneurs or to be independent and thus students are not able to find employment. "Larger and larger numbers of young men are just unable or unequipped to get jobs," he said. "Their societies aren't generating jobs very quickly. And even though their educational systems are producing larger and larger numbers of graduates, in a number of cases those educational systems are failing to provide their graduates with the skills they would need to get jobs in the global economy"......... Posted by: Tom Permalink Source Lithium-powered Cabs in NYC
These electric cabbies will run on 600-pound, 320V battery pack that can run 150 miles between each plug-in and a downtime of six hours between charges. Each EV PT will cost between $50K and $75K, but enables a huge estimated fuel cost savings about $15,000/year. Holly Roseberry, President of Hybrid Technologies, is excited. She says : "Imagine the iconic New York City taxi running off a fully lithium system.....this truly is a dramatic and positive statement for the city"......... Posted by: Jim Permalink Source Mercedes McLaren SLR Upgraded
We heard that the Mercedes McLaren SLR was to receive its beauty touches later this year. However, to the utter amazement of people, an upgraded Mercedes McLaren SLR was spotted on one of Spain's mountain road. Looks great! No wonder it has caught everyone's attention. The finer touches would include a power increase in its V8 from 626 to 650 hp, an all updated interior, 19-inch wheels, a firmer suspension, a new braking system and increased weight savings. It will also come with irresistible color combinations: blue exterior and tan interior......... Posted by: Jim Permalink Source Ancient Tomb Sheds New Light On Egyptian Colonialism
Caption: New evidence from ancient grave site reveals that Egyptian colonialists shared administrative responsibilities with conquered Nubians. Credit: S. Smith
"The study of culture contact in the past has conventionally used ideas of unidirectional change and modification of a subordinate population by a socially dominant group. The idea that authoritarian European powers forced changes in submissive native cultures dominated this work," explains Michele R. Buzon (University of Alberta). "However, more recent research has reevaluated these traditional notions and suggests that this model might not be appropriate for all situations of culture contact." Through an examination of the archaeological site of Tombos, a strategic point of control in Egyptian-controlled Nubia, Buzon sought to determine whether the people buried in a colonial cemetery were immigrants from Egypt or Nubians who had adopted Egyptian practices. Comparing skull measurements with other revealing features such as tomb architecture, grave objects, and burial position, Buzon founds that the imperial officials who were buried in symbolically-marked tombs were of both Egyptian and Nubian descent. Egyptians were generally laid to rest on their backs in small tombs or pyramids, while Nubians were buried in fetal position on a bed or cow's skin......... Posted by: William Permalink Source |
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