Category Archives: Technology, science, and math

Geothermal energy

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting read about the town of Klamath Falls, Oregon, where they take advantage of an unusual feature to keep things warm. A combination of hot rocks and water like those that created Yellowstone’s geysers have been tapped by the city … Continue reading →

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Sugar Land wants Google Fiber for Communities

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Sugar Land joins Austin in making a concerted pitch to bring Google Fiber For Communities to their town. “This project is suited to Sugar Land. Our population is highly educated. We have high standards,” said Sharlett Chowning, director of information … Continue reading →

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Do we want Google Fiber For Communities in Houston?

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Perhaps you’ve heard about Google’s latest project. We’re planning to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States. We’ll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most … Continue reading →

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Smart meters

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Ever wanted to check your house’s power usage online? You will, or at least you’ll be able to. CenterPoint Energy, along with other distribution utilities and IBM, is expected to launch an online portal, www.smartmetertexas.com, this month that will allow … Continue reading →

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Hey, Houston! Steal this idea!

Posted on February 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Something like this needs to happen here in Houston. The BigApps competition, in which [New York City] made its data available to developers so they could make apps out of them that would be helpful to citizens, and offered prizes … Continue reading →

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There ought to be an app for that

Posted on January 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Smartphone app writers of the town, unite! Want to count calories, diagnose car trouble or kill time fighting an imaginary war? There’s a Houston-made app for that. As sales of smart phones continue to grow, local technology advocates hope to … Continue reading →

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We’ll always have skeeters

Posted on January 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Wait, so all this arctic weather doesn’t mean a reduction in the mosquito population? So what’s the point of it, then? “The freeze is going to kill some of the population, but it’s not going to wipe out everything,” said … Continue reading →

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Space travel: Not as high tech as you might think

Posted on January 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It may be the final frontier, but that doesn’t mean we’re using bleeding edge technology. [The International Space Station’s] 44 primary computers that do everything from guide the station around Earth at 17,000 mph to monitor for fires are powered … Continue reading →

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Gov 2.0

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I hope that the new year will bring more of this to Houston. Welcome to a movement the tech crowd is calling “Gov 2.0” — where mobile technology and GPS apps are helping give citizens like Newmark more of a … Continue reading →

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What building is that?

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

A couple of weeks back, I got an email from Wayne Lorentz, the founder of the Houston Architecture Info forum, telling me about a new iPhone app called Towrs. From the email he sent me: Right now it’s for the … Continue reading →

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Happy Riemann Hypothesis Day!

Posted on November 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

What did you do to celebrate? Nov. 18, 2009, has been officially declared Riemann Hypothesis Day to celebrate the 150th anniversary of one of the key unsolved problems in pure mathematics. Mathematical events are scheduled across the globe to celebrate … Continue reading →

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Someone must be doing it, part deux

Posted on October 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t get it. I just don’t get it. Pharmaceutical spam can generate more than $4,000 per day in sales, confirming that spam continues to thrive because of those gullible few who click through and ruin it for the rest … Continue reading →

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FCC to move forward on Net Neutrality

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. The fight for Net Neutrality took a big step forward on Monday with the chair of the Federal Communications Commission announcing plans to expand the rules to protect a free and open Internet. In a speech at the … Continue reading →

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From the “Things could always be worse” department

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of people hate their ISPs, often for good reason. But rest assured, your ISP surely provides better throughput than this. I just wonder if they followed the standard for this test.

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The future of textbooks

Posted on August 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I figure the traditional textbook is eventually going to go away, but how and when it will be replaced is not yet clear. The average college student spent $702 on books in 2006-07, according to the National Association of College … Continue reading →

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Chris Comer appeals lawsuit dismissal

Posted on August 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I had lost track of Chris Comer, the former director of science curriculum for the Texas Education Agency, who resigned under pressure for sending out email regarding a lecture that debunked “intelligent design” since she filed a wrongful termination lawsuit … Continue reading →

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Someone must be doing it

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Ars Technica: 12% of e-mail users have actually tried to buy stuff from spam. [The Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG)] conducted 800 interviews by phone and Internet across the US with people who had e-mail addresses not managed by a corporate … Continue reading →

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Red light cameras? There’s an app for that

Posted on July 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Of course you can use your iPhone to avoid red light cameras and speed traps. Dwight tells us about it. Most Houston drivers know that the city has set up cameras at certain intersections to snap photos of those who run … Continue reading →

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Rice gets stimulus funds for physics building

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Go Owls! Rice University narrowly missed a chance at federal funding for a new physics building last year. The $787 billion federal stimulus plan offered a second chance. The National Institute of Standards and Technology announced Monday that Rice will … Continue reading →

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To the moon

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today is the 40th anniversary of the day that man walked on the moon. I was three years old when this happened, and I have a very vague memory of watching it on TV. There’s a lively discussion going on … Continue reading →

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SciencePAC

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Chad Orzel mentions an idea by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum from their book Unscientific America. Why not form a nonpartisan science political action committee, or PAC, devoted to funding candidates who are either scientists themselves or who make science … Continue reading →

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Comcast to offer wireless broadband in Houston

Posted on July 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Dwight has the news. Coming next year to the hot, humid air all around you, Houston: High-speed wireless broadband from Comcast. Its new High-Speed 2go service is rolling out now in Portland, Ore., and local Comcast spokesman Michael Bybee said … Continue reading →

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Time to replace that portable TV

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have a portable TV, so I hadn’t given the matter of their obsolescence due to the digital transition any thought, but if you have one, you ought to be aware of it. Though Americans were given four extra … Continue reading →

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The science of smog

Posted on May 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I thought this was a very interesting article about a current research project that is investigating the effect of industrial flares from refineries and chemical plants on ozone levels, but one bit of it really amazed me. Industrial flares burn … Continue reading →

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But I’m not

Posted on April 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I just want it to be known that I solved the puzzle in today’s Foxtrot in about five minutes. I had to dust off some pretty long-dormant brain cells to do the integral, but I got it. The first comment … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 3 Comments

But I’m not

Posted on April 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I just want it to be known that I solved the puzzle in today’s Foxtrot in about five minutes. I had to dust off some pretty long-dormant brain cells to do the integral, but I got it. The first comment … Continue reading →

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Mainframing

Posted on April 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Ah, memories. As hot new servers have grabbed more attention, mainframes have been plugging away behind the scenes. For decades, they have been the technological backbone for banking, finance, insurance, defense, health care, education, government and other industries. “The perception … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 1 Comment

Mainframing

Posted on April 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Ah, memories. As hot new servers have grabbed more attention, mainframes have been plugging away behind the scenes. For decades, they have been the technological backbone for banking, finance, insurance, defense, health care, education, government and other industries. “The perception … Continue reading →

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Algae in our future

Posted on March 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is cool. When San Antonio researcher Kyle Murray peers into the future, he sees the land of black gold turning bright green. Algae green. Murray, an assistant professor of geology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, thinks … Continue reading →

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Green clean

Posted on March 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is amazing. It’s a kitchen degreaser. It’s a window cleaner. It kills athlete’s foot. Oh, and you can drink it. Sounds like the old “Saturday Night Live” gag for Shimmer, the faux floor polish plugged by Gilda Radner. But … Continue reading →

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Green clean

Posted on March 15, 2009 by Greg Wythe

This is amazing. It’s a kitchen degreaser. It’s a window cleaner. It kills athlete’s foot. Oh, and you can drink it. Sounds like the old “Saturday Night Live” gag for Shimmer, the faux floor polish plugged by Gilda Radner. But … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 1 Comment

To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations

Posted on March 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not quite boldly going, but it’s still pretty darned cool. The universe may be filled with Earth-like planets — worlds where extraterrestrials might flourish. But these planets were once considered too small to spot, even with the latest in … Continue reading →

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To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations

Posted on March 3, 2009 by Greg Wythe

It’s not quite boldly going, but it’s still pretty darned cool. The universe may be filled with Earth-like planets — worlds where extraterrestrials might flourish. But these planets were once considered too small to spot, even with the latest in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | 1 Comment

CSI: Needs Improvement

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like Gil Grissom got out at just the right time. Crime labs nationwide must be overhauled to prevent the types of mistakes that put innocent people in prison and leave criminals out on the street, researchers have concluded. A … Continue reading →

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