Category Archives: Technology, science, and math

Charge your cellphone wirelessly

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. San Antonio-based Pree Corp. is developing multiple technologies, including one that would pluck wireless transmissions from the air and convert the energy to power mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and MP3 players. Rudy De La Garza, the company’s … Continue reading →

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Ticket to Mars

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

To boldly go where no one has gone before, and not come back. How would you like to take a trip to Mars? That’s right, only to Mars. There would be no coming back. […] The idea was floated by … Continue reading →

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Hospital infections

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s something missing from this story. Do you know what it is? The most common hospital-contracted malady among older patients in Houston is systemic vascular infections, a problem often caused by unsanitary or improper procedures during their hospital stay, a … Continue reading →

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Tinker the T-Rex to come to Texas

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your dinosaur lawsuit news for the week. The fossilized remains of Tinker the teenage T. rex soon could be returning to the prospectors who unearthed them, after a recent ruling from a federal bankruptcy court. Most of the 65-million-year-old … Continue reading →

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“Born To Be Wild”

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The family and I had the chance to see a preview of “Born To Be Wild”, a 3D IMAX movie at the Museum of Natural Science about saving orphaned elephants and orangutans on Thursday evening. We all loved it. I … Continue reading →

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Measles

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Something we haven’t seen around here in awhile. The Houston Area Health Alert Network sent an e-mail on Friday noting that an 11-month-old child, who attended the Cirque du Soleil performance at Sam Houston Race Park on March 20, developed … Continue reading →

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The first people

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Great story. Texas scientists have found the oldest confirmed site of human habitation in the Americas just north of Austin, where the Edwards Plateau meets the coastal plains. The unprecedented haul of artifacts from as far back as 15,500 years … Continue reading →

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No, I can’t hear you now

Posted on December 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t attended that many events at Reliant Stadium – a couple of Rice football games, including the 2008 Texas Bowl, and a U2 concert – but that’s enough for me to confirm the lack of wireless coverage in the … Continue reading →

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Baby, you can charge my car

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Plug it in, plug it in. The city of Houston will make it easier for locals to buy and own electric cars, including speeding up permitting of home charging stations and opening up HOV lanes to the vehicles. Mayor Annise … Continue reading →

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Facebook mail

Posted on November 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure by now you’ve heard about this. On Monday, Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the world’s largest social network plans to launch an updated version of its messaging service that will allow users to send emails … Continue reading →

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Tourists…In…SPAAAAAAAAACE!

Posted on October 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Now how much would you pay for a trip to the exosphere? In the half-century since humans first touched the stars, just seven people have paid their way into space, each forking over tens of millions to orbit around the … Continue reading →

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Creationists concede

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

A small bit of good news for Texas education. Henry Morris III, the CEO of the Institute for Creation Research, has announced the end of the school’s fight with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. In 2008, after the board … Continue reading →

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The quest for a better solar cell

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe this will be a big step forward. A research team led by [UT chemistry professor Xiaoyang] Zhu, who refers to his Center for Materials Chemistry as the XYZ Lab, has shown that it’s possible to convert much more of … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: I’m just a mean green mutha from outer space

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t be the only person who has followed the story of Lois the corpse flower to think of this, can I? (Warning: Some naughty words in the video.) Now, now, I know fully well that Lois is not in … Continue reading →

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HISD needs math tutors

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re a numbers person, HISD needs you. From the inbox: The Houston Independent School District is seeking dynamic college graduates to provide in-school math tutoring to middle and high school students as part of the district’s groundbreaking Apollo 20 … Continue reading →

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Score one for science

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good. On its website, the Institute for Creation Research promises an education that is “Biblical. Accurate. Certain.” But there’s one thing they can’t promise: a master’s degree in science education. In 2008, after the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board denied … Continue reading →

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Archaeopteryx chat

Posted on June 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

And now, a brief moment of Science from HMNS: On Thursday, June 17, from 10 – 10:45 a.m., HMNS is hosting a live online discussion with paleontologist Pete Larson, president of the Black Hills Institute. Pete will be discussing his … Continue reading →

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The technical solution to texting while driving

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

There’s nothing revolutionary about a device like this, but it could have a big effect. I s a teenager’s life worth $99.95? Is avoiding a lawsuit arising from unsafe driving practices by fleet drivers worth that investment? Rodney, Robbie and Rocky … Continue reading →

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The Texas Stadium geological survey

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

When Texas Stadium went boom, in addition to providing space for transit-oriented development, the explosion itself provided the opportunity to do a seismological study of the area. Dr. Jay Pulliam is a professor of geophysics at Baylor University and one … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: The pale blue dot

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In honor of Earth Day, a few minutes with the late, great Carl Sagan. You can read the text of his narration here. Sadly, he never does say “Billions and billions”. Rest in peace, Carl Sagan.

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West U and Bellaire on the Google Fiber bandwagon

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The deadline for submitting an application for a city to be a part of Google’s experimental fiber network was last Friday, the 26th. The cities of West University Place and Bellaire got theirs in before the deadline. Cindy Siegel and … Continue reading →

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Perelman wins but won’t accept Clay Mathematics Prize

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Grigory Perelman, the reclusive Russian mathematician who solved the Poincare Conjecture in 2003 has officially been awarded the one million dollar Clay Mathematics Prize for doing so. The prize was announced [March 18] by James Carlson, president of the institute. … Continue reading →

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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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