Category Archives: Technology, science, and math

This Slate article on cable versus satellite is interesting, and in the wake of the passing of the telecom bill here in Texas it may help contribute to that long-promised specter of competition and lower rates. I know, I know, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Dwight gets a little nostalgic as he remembers the Windows 95 rollout a decade ago. The thing I remember is the Rice MOB doing a technology-themed show that was inspired by this. We actually set things up to be broadcast … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You may recall that I strongly opposed any attempt by the Lege in its multiple attempts to pass a telecom bill to ban cities from providing free wireless networking services. Why is this such a big deal? Andrew Rasiej provides … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Might this be the beginning of the end for the cursed pop-up ad? A new service Claria Corp. is launching this month will still deliver advertising to the computer desktops of Web surfers. Only this time, they won’t be annoying … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Nancy Sarnoff says that WiFi is beginning to get built in to new suburban housing developments. The developer of Seven Meadows, a new master-planned community in Katy, has made wireless Internet access available at its six-acre park and recreation area. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Our little solar system has grown. Astronomers have discovered an object in our solar system that is larger than Pluto. They are calling it the 10th planet, but already that claim is contested. The new world’s size is not at … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s a programmer versus astronomer smackdown over the nature of time! How can you not love a story like that? I can’t do it justice with an excerpt, so go read the whole thing. I actually don’t have any strong … Continue reading → Continue reading →

In the interest of not having my head explode, I’m going to do a few posts on something other than school finance reform. I’m sure I’ll be back to the sausage grinder later on. Via Dwight, I see that IBM … Continue reading → Continue reading →

My friend and Trinity classmate Robet Nagle sent me a note about an upcoming panel discussion/debate he’s organizing. Called Copyright, Technology & the Arts, it’ll be on July 27 at the Nexus Cafe on Rogerdale near Westheimer. Debate topics will … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’ve heard about this technology before, and now it’s looking like it’s getting close to coming to the market. CenterPoint Energy is testing a system to bring high-speed Internet access to consumers through the medium it knows best — the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Dwight reports on the city’s downtown WiFi-enabled parking meters. That may sound silly, but there’s a purpose for it – the wireless networking will allow the meters to accept and verify credit cards for payment. My main reason for parking … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Texas Legislature may have failed to ban municipalities from offering free wireless network services to its residents, but that doesn’t mean that the US Congress can’t give it a try. Naturally, the person behind this bad idea is a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

One person’s weed is another person’s binge-drinking-curber. Kudzu, an ever-expanding vine considered a pest in much of the South, appears to contain a compound that can be effective in reducing alcohol intake among humans. Researcher Scott Lukas did not have … Continue reading → Continue reading →

What would you say to a car that doesn’t crash? Would you say the same thing if you heard it was powered by Microsoft? Microsoft Corp. mogul Bill Gates and the leader of Ford Motor Co. outlined a future Friday … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Dwight points to this story about the battle over free municipal WiFi elsewhere in the country. HB789 and its ilk are popping up in state leges all over the country, and the telcos are duking it out with the cities … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Dwight asks a good question: Why do cellular-phone ringtones — which last about 15 seconds at most — cost $2.50, while the full songs from which they are derived are only 99 cents? Confession time: Not only does my cellphone … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This LAT article gives a good overview of why cities around the country are looking at installing WiFi networks. In addition to the usual perks of making their cities more attractive to businesses and residents, they have discovered new ways … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Hey, cool, they found soft tissue from a Tyrannosarus Rex. If anyone comes near it with frog DNA, my orders would be to shoot first and ask questions later. Via Julia. Continue reading →

If you use Mozilla Firefox (and Lord knows, you should), please note there’s a new version, 1.0.2, which fixes what they’re calling a “risky” security flaw. It takes just a few seconds to download and install the upgrade, so hie … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here’s a little science for your Monday: thirteen things which do not make sense. Feel free to add your own items in the comments. Via Milk River. Continue reading →

Via Greg, a fascinating lesson on learning binary numbers using the Socratic method. Given the results achieved, if everyone had learned the new math that way, we might have a much lower rate of innumeracy in the world. Continue reading →

Engineers devise invisibility shield. Need I say more? The idea of a cloak of invisibility that hides objects from view has long been confined to the more improbable reaches of science fiction. But electronic engineers have now come up with … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via Ginger: About four percent of online adults, representing some five million people, have purchased a product or service via spam. I am at a loss for words. Continue reading →

Chad Orzel has a problem with GenEd science classes, and asks for some understanding from the humanities majors out there. Check it out. Continue reading →

For the foreseeable future, there still won’t be a comprehensive directory of cell phone numbers. Nearly half of the 175 million cell phone users in the United States will not have a chance to sign up for the directory when … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Just for the record, in my junior year of college, I took an upper level math class (Real Analysis, in case you’re curious) in which I was the only male. That includes the professor, who happened to be my major … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Ed Bass is letting go of some property you might have heard of. The company that owns Biosphere 2 Center, 3.1 glass-enclosed acres designed to simulate the Earth’s environment, has put the site up for sale. The company is also … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Just what we all need – more ways to get repetitive stress injuries. But as the popularity of text messaging — on BlackBerries, cellular phones and other handheld devices — explodes across the United States, some fear for the health … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Chron has a front page story today on the efforts of Rice prof Dan Wallach and two of his grad students in identifying a security hole in the new Google Desktop Search application (since patched). Not much new info … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There’s a security hole (which has now been fixed) in the Google desktop search tool. The glitch, which could permit an attacker to secretly search the contents of a personal computer via the Internet, is what computer scientists call a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Do you think that somewhere on the org chart in Redmond, WA, there’s a position for Director of Ironic Developments at Microsoft? Microsoft Corp. disclosed plans Thursday to offer frustrated users of its Windows software new tools within 30 days … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Great. Another thing to worry about. Over the past two years, federal safety officials have received 83 reports of cell phones exploding or catching fire, usually because of incompatible, faulty or counterfeit batteries or chargers. Burns to the face, neck, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There’s a new blog in town, run by a variety of computer scientists and security experts, on the topic of electronic voting and the issues that have been reported so far in this election cycle. It’s called Evoting-Experts.com, and so … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Saw this interesting article on cellphone jamming last week and have been pondering the implications of it. Purchased for about $2,000 each, they can be turned on by remote control and emit low-level radio frequencies that thwart cell phone signals … Continue reading → Continue reading →