“Scientists are working on a “smart bandage” that would detect specific bacteria in a wound. It eventually may help people self-diagnose illnesses, freeing doctors to focus on more seriously ill patients.
Scientists at the University of Rochester have yet to incorporate a sensor chip onto a gauze dressing but once completed, the bandage is expected [...]

“Yahoo! has reported that scientists have discovered neural technology that allowed a monkey to control a mouse cursor using the brain. … Further reading states that this technology can be used with the paralyzed or those with Lou Gehrig’s Disease to allow them to use their computers.”
More Here

McWhortle Enterprises Inc. seems like the perfect investment for the post-September 11 world: a solid company, praised by analysts and customers, selling a handheld biohazard detector guaranteed to beep and flash in the presence of anthrax or other deadly germs.
Only one problem: The company doesn’t exist.
McWhortle Enterprises is a government hoax cloaked in [...]

The accidental discovery of a silicon form of “gunpowder” is pointing the way toward integrating nanoscale explosives onto silicon chips, a technology that might provide microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) with a means for rocket propulsion.
More Here

US scientists claim to have grown functional kidneys using stem cells taken from cloned cow embryos. Robert Lanza of biotech company Advanced Cell Technology told New Scientist that his team, working in collaboration with a group at Harvard University, coaxed the stem cells into becoming kidney cells, and then “grew” them on a kidney-shaped scaffold.
[...]

Ultimate Machine Combat is the new show from the creators of TLC’s Junkyard Wars and Scrapheap Challenge. It will test machines and drivers to the limits of their tolerances and beyond. This portends to be the biggest, baddest motor-contest ever.
More Here

How many potentially habitable planets are there? New calculations by Lineweaver and Daniel Grether, both of the University of New South Wales in Australia, provide an encouraging answer to this question. The researchers expect a flood of Jupiters will be found, perhaps 50 percent more than currently expected. This work supports the notion that [...]

“A NASA spacecraft has performed a critical course change in deep space, positioning itself for a rendezvous with a comet from which it will gather samples to return to Earth.
The Stardust probe fired its thrusters for nearly two minutes this month, quickening its speed for an approach to the comet named Wild 2.”
[...]

“Normally LANs are used by a single organization at best, but Wellington’s 13-square-mile LAN comprises many of the city’s businesses. The city council garnered a UNESCO Digital Access Award in recognition of its achievement in installing the 1,000 Mbps network.”
More at ZD Net

The World Future Society will hold its Annual Conference at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 20-22, 2002. Approximately 1,000 participants are expected to attend. The conference’s theme is “WorldView 2002: Futures Unlimited!” In discussions, workshops, and informal conversations, you and other participants will grapple with the important issues facing us [...]

If you’re an endangered species, it helps to be cute, spectacular, or
otherwise unique. Unpopular species don’t make it to “the list,” argues
botanist Mark Burgman of the University of Melbourne.
The snail is evidently popular in Tasmania, which includes 200 species
of Hydrobiid snails on its list of 650 threatened species.
Burgman believes that scientific bias toward listing these
more-interesting [...]

Sharper Image now carries a pneumatic pogo stick that offers a new kind of energetic ride on an air spring. The Razor Airgo Pneumatic Pogo Stick with adjustable air spring for riders from 50 to 220 lbs. sells for $79.95. Too bad this won’t work for us fat guys who could afford to [...]

Scientists have used cloning technology to create fully functioning kidneys in the laboratory. They hope the breakthrough could one day help to solve the problem of a severe shortage of donor organs for transplant. I can’t wait for them to come up with test tube nose-jobs.
More Here

Wired Magazine is telling us that Germany’s Smart Fuel Cell is about to ship the first methanol based fuel cells for laptops and other electronic devices. The company says a 120 milliliter fuel cell can power a 15W notebook for 10 hours, and you can refill it without shutting down.”
More Here

The BBC is running a story about a full automated lifestyle centre in Wokingham UK. The centre has everything from the home to the office and includes shops too.” It’s a bit thin on details, but has a mix of practical things that could be just around the corner, and stuff that may be a [...]

China, which first launched a satellite in 1970, has already launched several satellites for U.S. and Brazilian operators and is vying for a greater share of market.
To date, it has launched almost 50 satellites with a 90 percent success rate.
China hopes to launch about 10 satellites, rockets and spacecraft in 2002 as part [...]

Although it is still early days, the first attempts to make an artificial retina—to restore sight to the blind—look remarkably promising. A number of groups in America are trying to perfect an “electric retina”, a device that might one day restore vision to millions of people who have lost their sight.
More Here [...]

“CONCRETE has been a high-tech material since Roman times, when it was discovered that adding volcanic ash to the mix allowed it to set under water. Similarly, the Romans knew that adding horsehair made concrete less liable to shrink while it hardened, and adding blood made it more frost-resistant. In modern times, researchers have added [...]

Call For Papers – February 22-23, 2002. The End of Natural Motherhood Bioethics Conference.
To be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sponsored by the Ethics Center at Oklahoma State University. Featured Speakers: Jeremy Rifkin, President of the Foundation on Economic Trends; Thomas Murray, President of the Hastings Center; Rosemarie Tong, Center for Professional & Applied Ethics, UNC-Charlotte. [...]

Measuring 9 inches by 3 inches, the Flexis FX-100 keyboard is entirely flexible and water-resistant. Unlike other PDA keyboards on the market, it includes no moving parts. You can just roll this one up and put it in your pocket. Its also waterproof.
More Here

There’s a battle brewing between the power companies and the telecom companies. The battle is over creating an industry standard for the delivery of high speed Internet to homes and offices.
Long used by utility companies to activate street lights, powerline communications will first arrive in consumer homes this summer as equipment vendors roll out [...]

A building could look sturdy but in fact be near collapse. Researchers at University of California, Berkeley think it’s possible for smart walls to detect hidden cracks that could cause a structure to tumble during larger quakes. Using a small sensor called the “Smart Dust Mote” walls will soon be able to write [...]

“What do you get when you cross a goat with a spider? A Canadian biotech firm has used gene splicing to create a synthetic version of spider silk that’s biodegradable but also strong enough to stop bullets.” The only side effect is that it causes the goat to grow eight legs and live in [...]

Immune cells vs. invaders: it’s a war going on in every healthy human body. When the combatants travel to space, say NASA scientists, curious things happen.
In space, these cells don’t work the way they do on the ground. T-cells, for example, don’t multiply properly; there aren’t as many of them as there should be. [...]

Total domain name registrations (.com, .net, and .org) peaked at 32.4 million on June 30, before dropping to 32 million on September 30 and 28.8 million on December 31.
At the end of 2000, the total was 28.2 million.
It looks like the era of multi-million dollar domain names is over. More Here [...]