Stephan: This is coming, it reminds me of when mobile phones began. A few early adapters had phones in their cars, and carried around 10 lb over the shoulder cases for walking around. I had one in Miami, where my ship Seaview was homeported when in American waters, a project to locate sunken ships on the Grand Bahama Banks using Remote Viewing. People thought I was a drug dealer, since they were notable early adapters.
Google Glass is just the beginning. The search giant’s smartglasses are in the headlines, but numerous other players are also looking to cash in on what’s expected to be a boom in eyewear that puts virtual and augmented reality face-front.
Smartglasses overlay digital information onto the wearer’s view of the real world. Usage scenarios are limited only by developers’ imaginations. Google Glass has apps for search, navigation, photo capture and sharing, to name a few. Commercial possibilities include enhanced vision systems for use in manufacturing, engineering, health care and other industries. A surgeon could have all of a patient’s vital information literally in front of his eyes while operating, for example.
There’ll be no shortage of smartglass systems in as little as one to two years. Research firm Gartner says there are about a dozen companies with products in the works, many of them ready for prime time. There could be as many as 10 million smartglasses sold worldwide by 2016, if software developers can come up with appealing applications that provide wearers with useful, nonobvious information about their surroundings, according to IMS Research, which defines smartglasses as ‘wearable computers with a head-mounted display.
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STEVE CONNOR, - The Independent (UK)
Stephan: Here is the latest in hot fusion, about which not much has been heard recently. This is not to be confused with LENR fusion.
An idyllic hilltop setting in the Cadarache forest of Provence in the south of France has become the site of an ambitious attempt to harness the nuclear power of the sun and stars.
It is the place where 34 nations representing more than half the world’s population have joined forces in the biggest scientific collaboration on the planet – only the International Space Station is bigger.
The international nuclear fusion project – known as Iter, meaning ‘the way
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DAMIAN CARRINGTON, - The Guardian/Observer (U.K.)
Stephan: The corporations that persist in making these toxic chemicals, like the tobacco industry are evil. They know that what they are doing is destructive and they don't care because it is so profitable. Their strategy is not to improve their products, but to corrupt the government, as they have done so effectively in the U.S. This is what they are up to in Europe.
Europe is on the brink of a landmark ban on the world’s most widely used insecticides, which have increasingly been linked to serious declines in bee numbers. Despite intense secret lobbying by British ministers and chemical companies against the ban, revealed in documents obtained by the Observer, a vote in Brussels on Monday is expected to lead to the suspension of the nerve agents.
Bees and other insects are vital for global food production as they pollinate three-quarters of all crops. The plummeting numbers of pollinators in recent years has been blamed on disease, loss of habitat and, increasingly, the near ubiquitous use of neonicotinoid pesticides.
The prospect of a ban has prompted a fierce behind-the-scenes campaign. In a letter released to the Observer under freedom of information rules, the environment secretary, Owen Paterson, told the chemicals company Syngenta last week that he was ‘extremely disappointed’ by the European commission’s proposed ban. He said that ‘the UK has been very active’ in opposing it and ‘our efforts will continue and intensify in the coming days’.
Publicly, ministers have expressed concern for bees, with David Cameron saying: ‘If we do not look after our bee populations, very serious consequences will follow.’
The chemical companies, which […]
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JANE J. LEE, - National Geographic News
Stephan: We are so condescending about the other beings with whom we share the network of life. It seems to stun us that we are not the only conscious creatures on the planet.
Whether it’s learning a new song, figuring out how to use tools to forage for food, or picking up the local customs, learning from others is an important part of life for many animals, including people.
The idea of a culture or traditions-behavior shared by an identifiable group and acquired through social learning-in cetaceans, a group including whales and dolphins, has been controversial.
But a new study finds strong evidence that a group of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Gulf of Maine (map) is sharing a newly observed feeding behavior via their social networks. (See related blog: ‘Sharks Have Social Networks, Learn From Friends.’)
That behavior, called lobtail feeding, was first recorded in one whale in the Gulf of Maine in 1980. Since then, 278 humpback whales-out of about 700 observed individuals that frequent the Stellwagen Bank (map) area-have employed the strategy, according to the study, published this week in the journal Science.
‘I’ve been arguing for over a decade now that cultural transmission is important in cetacean societies,’ said study co-author Luke Rendell, a marine biologist at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Though he wasn’t surprised the whales traded information, he was surprised at how strongly his data said the whales […]
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TORY FIELD and BEVERLY BELL, - Truthout.org
Stephan: Here is some good news about agriculture. Most socially progressive movements, such as this one, are very idealistic, and people work very hard to advance them, but to little effect. This one I think actually has a chance of being successful. Support it wherever you can. This report presents information about what you can do, and where to start.
From the school cafeteria to rural tomato farms, and all the way to pickets at the White House, people are challenging the ways in which government programs benefit big agribusiness to the detriment of small- and mid-sized farmers. Urban gardeners, PTA parents, ranchers, food coops, and a host of others are organizing to make the policies that govern our food and agricultural systems more just, accountable, and transparent. They are spearheading alternative policies on the local, state, national, and international levels. Some advances include the following:
* The National Family Farm Coalition is educating and lobbying to restructure the subsidy system so that it benefits small farmers instead of agribusiness. Together with other groups like Food and Water Watch, Food First, and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, they are engaging in research, education, and strategies to help turn us all into effective policy-change advocates.
* People from all walks are becoming more involved in the US Farm Bill. Up for renewal every five to seven years, this hugely influential legislation lays out the framework for national food and farming policy. It regulates agricultural subsidies, food stamps, school lunch programs, rural conservation, and much more. Given the heavy impact this set […]
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