Confusing Headlines
GM
fish to treat gunshot victims
Saturday's issue of New
Scientist
Wednesday 08 September 2004
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British Inventor to develop rainmaking machine:
According to ABC News Online (2/12/2002), the British
government is handing out $US160.000 to a professor at Edinburgh University to help him develop his brainchild, - a rainmaking machine which stands 60 metres high and looks like a giant eggbeater.I trust he is going to work on some prominent marker buoys for the device, as the insurance claim for, say, an Exxon tanker caught up and whisked into the air by a giant eggbeater would be processed with some reluctance by most insurers.
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Birds with teeth turn the clock back 70m years, - and they could help to cure baldness.
From The Times (6/9/2003)
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Tech-soldier system hit snags
It seems that the Australian defence forces are in for a real treat when they get their hands on the latest recommended combat system, - including items such as ultra-portable computers, infrared sensors, GPS, heads-up displays and portable communications units. Only thing is, apparently this program is almost identical to the US trialled version, and the report below does not inspire me with confidence :-
Australian IT (15/6/03)
Minor components such as connectors failed field trials, causing slight breaks in connection that disrupted or even crashed command and communications systems.
This had a flow-on effect on Australia's plans. The ADF faced a choice of testing the available US equipment or waiting for the improved version, Dr Williams said.
"We decided reliability was not a serious problem," he said, as the problems only occurred under "extreme conditions". "There are some fairly simple solutions and a bit of prioritisation work they need to do, but from our trialling point of view that's not a big problem."
Crashed command and communication systems? Couldn't that be just a little inconvenient?
Reliability not a serious problem? Not to the triallers, perhaps, but what about to real soldiers?
Extreme conditions? Doesn't a war count as extreme?
Will the Blue Screen of Death take on a whole new proportion?