Biometrics in Epassports

ePassports are tiny chips that are hard to copy because it has biometric information in it that measures a persons physical characteristics and behavioral characteristics. The ePassport takes points on someones' face for facial recognition. Denis Chagnon of the ICAO or the International Civil Aviation Organization helped create this. So far 70 countries are using the ePassport and the system will only get better as time goes on and more countries begin to use the ePassport. Although this process is not one hundred percent perfect it still works well and will prevent identity theft when it comes to passports.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102056426

X-Ray Machine for Food

The researchers are experimenting with x-ray technology to zap the dangerous bacteria that hide in foods you eat such as leafy greens, tomatoes, ground beef and, peanuts. The x-ray machine being tested at Michigan State University can reduce pathogens 99.999% food experts say. The technique, which uses a low-dose form of irradiation, destroys the bacteria on delicate foods without turning them to a mush.
Products like peanut contaminated with salmonella have sickened more than 650 people about 44 states and killed at least nine. And in 2006, spinach tainted with E. coli (a bacteria) from one field in California caused one of the worst nationwide food-poisoning outbreaks in recent years, killing three people and sickening at least 205. About 76 million Americans are stricken with food-borne illness each year.
The methods to improve some food safety irradiation is a necessary step that could prevent many illnesses and deaths. In August, the Food and Drug Administration approved irradiation for iceberg lettuce and spinach, which have been responsible for some of the worst outbreaks in recent years. That approval is expected to open doors to more irradiated foods.
Irradiation is something that kills harmful bacteria by briefly exposing food to ionizing radiation, or short energy wavelengths. Irradiation has already been approved for use on many foods, including spices, poultry, wheat flour and ground beef but there are also many barriers to irradiating foods on a larger scale, particularly fresh produce. Some experts say it’s not ready for mass production due to a lack of major facilities. Also, irradiation is not permitted on certified organic products. And much of the public is still uneasy about buying foods that carry an international symbol for irradiation.


http://www.sciam.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-08-10-08

Energy at Night(Liquid Battery)

As many people know, scientists keep creating new types of solar power to help the world with global warming. Light is present for about half of the day; but what do we do when it becomes night? Donald Sadoway a true inventor has created a prototype liquid battery that can convert night light into energy. Because of this we can now collect energy on a twenty-four hour basis. This will help our world tremendously. Also these types of batteries can last much longer then conventional batteries, and they are much cheaper. The battery works by electrodes, which are molten metals, and electrolytes start to conduct a current between them, which happens to be a molten salt. This results in a device that can quickly absorb large amounts of electricity. Due to some effects in test trials with the battery, Donald Sadoway hopes to realese a commercial product in about five years.

SageTV HD Theater

Ever want to watch a movie from the internet onto your family TV? Now there is a new technology allowing people to watch videos, movies, or view pictures on their TV as opposed to huddling around the computer. The box has Component slots along with regular AV, and S-Video. It may also be connected to the internet with a built in ethernet port. Looking to utilize the HD feature on many home Televisions the sage has a HDMI port in addition to the other inputs. The box supports video, photos, Mp3 formated music, and WMA format. This feature is most widely known to be used to make your TV compatible with netflix's new instantly on tv feature.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2342724,00.asp?kc=PCRSS02129TX1K0000530

Touch Computer

This new computer comes as a coffee table. This coffee table has a screen in which it can sense multiple touches at once so you can do multiple actions at the same time. Because of this function, this touch screen computer beats the mouse any day. Underneath this computer are infrared detectors that can detect any object put on the table. It also can connect to wireless devices such as cameras or phones and send information from one device to another without plugging anything in.

Zumbox

E-mail has been emerging ever since it came out, well now with Zumbox, every house in America will be able to have their own e-mail, and by house I really do mean house, just like regular mail. Zumbox is a new e-mail system that creates a residential email system for every home in the U.S. The general idea of Zumbox was for companies to be able to send all their bills, notifications etc, but virtually! Some companies have already began to use this service and are sending it to their customers, even if the customers haven't signed up for an account yet, the mail will be held until the customer signs up. Signing up is free as well, the only catch is commercial mail, Zumbox charges 5 cents per junk mail, and will allow the company to send mail to an entire building or to everyone within a certain radius. The bright side though is that the junk, well, special offers section, get a whole separate category. Overall sounds like a good idea, and its a great way to go green! The private company has over 4 million dollars and will "expand their runway when they need too."

SOURCE:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10163247-2.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0

Due Dates for 3rd quarter blog posts and comments (midnight of the date listed):

Andrew Bregman:  Post due: Wed 2/11   Comments due: Wed 2/25

Andrew Yoon:         Post due: Wed 2/25  Comments due: Wed 3/4

Justin Snow:           Post due: Wed 3/4     Comments due: Wed 3/11

Mark Briganti:        Post due: Wed 3/11   Comments due: Wed 3/18

Grishma Patel:       Post due: Wed 3/18   Comments due: Wed 3/25

Ray Beckley:           Post due: Wed 3/25   Comments due: Wed 4/1

Jordan Smith:        Post due: Wed 4/1     Comments due:FRIDAY 4/3  (end of quarter)