my previous blog posts

ScientistsUntangleTheBrainsInnerworkingsSciencehastakenagiantleapforwardindevelopingacomputermodelofthebrainafterBritishresearchersatUniversityCollegeLondon[UCL]figuredouthowtomapboththeconnectionsandfunctionsofnervecellsinthebraintogether.Thisresearch,whichisakindofneuroscience,knownas“connectomics,”couldgoalongwayinreplicatingahumanbrain.

Connectomicsattemptstomapthebrain’sconnectionswhichareknownassynapses.ResearcherTomMrsic-FlogelledthestudyatUCL.

AlongwithotherresearchersatUCL,Mrsic-Flogeldevelopedanewtechniqueperformedonmice,whichallowedthemtocombinedataaboutthefunctionofneuronsalongwithinformationontheirconnections.ScientistsnowhopetogetabetterunderstandingofhowperceptionsandthoughtsaregeneratedinthebrainandalsofigureouthowtheymalfunctionindiseasessuchasSchizophreniaandAlzheimer’s.

Mrsic-Flogelsaidthatoncethereisanunderstandingofthefunctionandconnectivityofnervecellsspanningdifferentlayersofthebrain,researcherscanbegintodevelopacomputersimulationofhowthebrainworks.Healsosuggestedthattoachievethiswouldtakemanyyearsofinthescientificcommunityandasignificantamountofcomputerprocessingpower.

Thebrainisestimatedtohaveonehundredbillionnervecells,eachconnectedtothousandsofothernervecells.Understandinghowitallworkswillnotbeeasy,butthisresearchdoesseempromising.

JordanM.Martin

TheGreenFleetInitiative–LandoverMD

PresidentBarrackObamaraisedafewinterestingpointsathisrecentspeechontheGreenFleetInitiativeinLandoverMD.ObamaannouncedanewpartnershipbetweenthefederalgovernmentandsomeofAmericasleadingcompaniesinanefforttoreducetheUnitedStates’dependenceonoil.HeexplainedthatAmericansneededtogetoutofthehabitofcomplainingaboutthecountry’sdependenceonoilwhengaspricesrise,then,asheputit,“forgetaboutitandmoveonuntilthenextcrisishits.”

ObamainsteadsaidthattheUSneededtohaveaproperstrategytohandleitsconsumptionofoil.HesaidthatAmerica’soilsituationwasnotonlyahugeeconomicissue,butalsoanissueofnationalsecurity.

HesuggestedthattocontinuethecurrentgrowthoftheUSeconomy,Americaneededtomakeatransitiontoacleanenergyeconomythereforcuttingitselfloosefromdependenceonforeignoil.HesaidthatoneofthebestwaysofreducingAmericas’dependencyonoilwastomakeitsvehiclesmoreenergyefficient.HealsoexplainedthatmanymoreAmericanswouldbeemployedbycreatingacleanenergyindustryathome.

Itisinterestingtonotethat,accordingtoObama,Americaimported11barrelsofoilperdaywhenhewasfirstappointedintooffice.Hespokeabouthisgoalofcuttingthatfigurebyonethirdinadecadefromnow,andhaving1millionelectricvehiclesontheroadby2015.Obamamadeitclearthathethoughttheissuewasonethatneededbothpartiessupport.HesaidthatAmericansneededtoputtheirmoneywheretheirmouthisandshowthemanufacturersofthesehybridvehiclesthatthereisamarketfortheirproduct.Hespokeaboutanewnational“cleanfleets”partnership,whichgivesbusinessesincentivestomakethechangeovertocleanenergypoweredvehicles.Healsoproposedmakinga$7500taxrebateavailableatthedealershiptothosewhowanttobuyelectricvehicles.Inaddition,hespokeaboutanewlyimplementednationalfuelefficiencystandardforcarsandtrucksthatwouldsave1.8billionbarrelsofoil.

Withallthisemphasisplacedoncleanenergyvehicles,Obamasaidthatitwascriticalthattheproperinfrastructurewasputinplacetomakethesevehiclesasuccess.Hesaidthatstationswereneededtobemadeavailabletochargeandfuelthesehybridandelectricvehicles.Theproductionofbatteriesbeingcapableofpoweringthesevehicles,andmakinginvestmentsincreatingthem,wereotherpointsraisedbythepresident.AccordingtoObama,theUSiscurrentlyresponsibleformanufacturingonlytwopercentofthebatteriesneededtopowerthesevehicles.DuetoadvancesinbatterytechnologyintheUS,however,40percentoftheworld’sadvancedbatterieswillbemanufacturedintheUS.Obamasaidthatdespitealargedeficit,itwascriticalthattheUScontinuetomakeinvestmentsincleanenergytechnologyinordertogrowtheeconomyandstaycompetitiveinaglobalmarket.

Withthesepromisingstatisticsputforward,itwillbeinterestingtoseejustwhatimpactallthiswillhaveontheworld’scurrentgreatestconsumerofoil.

JordanM.Martin

DebrisFromJapanHeadingTowardU.S

FollowingthecatastrophictsunamiinJapaninMarch,amassivedebrisfieldisfloatingtowardtheUnitesState’sWestCoast.Remainsofcars,housesandevenhumanremainshavebecomeaproblemduetoastrongcurrentcalledtheNorthPacificGyre,whichiscarryingeverythingtowardsthecoastsofWashingtonandCaliforniabeforegoingbacktowardsHawaiiandAsia.

Accordingtooceanographers,thecurrent’sdriftisabout5to10milesperday,thoughnotverystrong,itishoweverdeliberateinit’sdirection.ThedebrisisexpectedtoreachtoCaliforniaontheUnitesState’sWestCoastinabout3years.ThedebrisisthenexpectedtodriftintotheNorthPacificGarbagePatch,whereitwillwonderaroundandbreakupintosmallerpieces.ItisexpectedthatHawaiiwillbegintoseethedebrisreachingtheminfiveyears.

Thiswillnodoubtbeadisasterforthebeachesandthedelicatereefs.ItwillalsobeinterestingtoseewhateffecttheradioactivematerialcausedbyfaultynuclearreactorsinJapanwillhaveonthemarinelifeasitapproachestheU.S.TherehavealreadybeenreportsoftheradioactivewaterinJapanthreateningU.STuna.

JordanM.Martin

USCongressLast-MinuteAgreement

TheRepublicanandDemocraticPartieshavefinallyironedoutadealthatbothpartiesarehappywithforthebudget.Thenewstop-gagspendingbillisamakeshiftsolutionthatwillallowthegovernmenttocontinuerunninguntilawiderbudgetplanisfinalized.

Theagreementstatesthat$38bnwillbecutfromspendingfortheyearuntilSep30.PresidentObamaonceagainfoundhimselfinadifficultsituationsayingthatneededinfrastructureprojectswouldbedelayedasaresultofthecuts.Obamaalsoadmittedthathewouldnothavemadethecutsinbettercircumstances.

OnceagainObamafindshimselftellingAmericancitizensthattheyneedtolivewithintheirmeansinorderfortheUnitedStatestomoveforward.ThishasbecomeaconstantthemeinrecentObamaspeeches.Obamahasbeentalkingaboutcuttingbackwhilecontinuingtoinvestinthecountry’sfutureforsometimenow.AccordingtoObama,theagreementreachedbybothpartieswasthelargestannualspendingcutinUShistory.

Obamasaidthatthoughcutshadtobemade,keyinvestmentsineducation,studentloans,cleanenergyandlifesavingmedicalresearchwerepreservedintheagreement. “Weprotectedtheinvestmentsweneedtowinthefuture,”saidObama.

ItwillbeinterestingtoseehowtherelationshipbetweenRepublicansandDemocratswillholdupasthe2012Presidentialelectionloomscloser.

JordanM.Martin

ChinaTellsU.S.ToFixTheirOwnHumanRightsIssuesAnewstatementproducedbytheStateCouncilInformationofficeinChina,basicallysaidthatUnitedStatesholdsnomoralhighgroundasfarashumrightsgoesontheworldstage.

“TheUnitedStatesignoresitsownseverehumanrightsproblems,ardentlypromotingitsso-called‘humrightsdiplomacy’,treatinghumanrightsasapoliticaltooltovilifyothercountriesandtoadvanceitsownstrategicinterests.”ThatisapassagepublishedbytheofficialXinhuanewsagencyinChina.

Thepassagewentontosaythat,“TheU.S.istheworld’sworstcountryforviolentcrimes.Citizens’lives,propertyandpersonalsafetydonotreceivetheprotectiontheyshould.”TheChinesestatecouncilalsowentontolistracialdiscriminationasanotherhumansrightsproblemfacingtheU.S.sayingthat,“itisdeeplyrootedintheU.S.,permeatingeveryaspectofsociallife.”

ThesestatementscomeafterWashingtoncriticisedBeijing’scrackdownondissidentsandrightsactivists,andalsoitsincreasedeffortstocontrolthepress,InternetandInternetaccess.ThecriticismsweremadeinarecentU.S.StateDepartmentreportonglobalhumanrights.U.S.SecretaryofStateHillaryClintonsaidshewas“deeplyconcerned”aboutBeijing’srecentactions.

WitharecentwarthatmanydeemasbeingIllegalwagedinIraq,andtheneverendingracialtensionspresentintheU.S.,onecouldeasilyarguethattheChinesedoindeedhaveapoint.JordanM.Martin

NewLithiumIonBatteryTechnologyMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology[MIT]engineershavedevelopedanewlithiumionrechargeablebatterythatiscapableofrecharginganddischargingintento20seconds.

ProfessorofMaterialsScienceandEngineering,GerbrandCeder,isresponsibleforspearheadingtheresearchinthenewtechnology.Thematerialusedtomakethisbatteryisnotnew,whatishowever,ishowtheresearchersaremakingthenewbattery.

State-of-the-artlithiumrechargeablebatterieshavehighenergydensitiesthereforemakingthemgoodatholdinglargeamountsofenergy.Theproblemisthattheyareslowatgaininganddischargingthatenergy.Thelithiumionbatteriescontaintwoelectrodes–onecreatedfromlithiumandonefromcarbon.Bothelectrodesaresubmergedinaliquidpastecalledanelectrolyte.Whenabatteryisbeingcharged,ions,whicharepositivelychargedatoms,flowfromthelithiumelectrodetothecarbonone.Thereverseistruewhenabatteryisdischarging.

Charginganddischargingabatteryisslowbecauseittakesalongtimetodetachtheionsfromoneelectrodeandabsorbthemintotheother.Cedertookaconventionalelectrodecreatedfromlithiumironphosphateandaltereditssurfacestructureallowingionstobereleasedandabsorbed100timesfasterthanwhatisnormallycapable.

Cedersaidthatunlikeotherbatterymaterials,thenewmaterialdoesnotdegradeasmuchwhenrepeatedlychargedanddischarged.Allthiscouldleadtosmallerandlighterbatteriesbecauselessmaterialisneededforthesameresult.

Cedersuggestedthatthenewbatteriescouldmakeittothemarketplaceinjustthreeyears.Itwillbeinterestingtoseehowthisnewtechnologywillimpactthebatteriesfoundinelectriccars.

JordanM.Martin

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play After many years of rumours about a PlayStation phone, the Xperia Play was finally released in the United Kingdom recently. I for one was really excited to hear about this. The pictures I had seen of the device looked pretty impressive. It had all the basic buttons of a PlayStation controller, which was a real plus to me. I thought that there would finally be a phone that was capable of bringing console-like gaming to its users. Apparently I was wrong.

According to a recent review of the device on International Gaming Network [IGN], “no matter how you spin it, this is ultimately a smartphone with gaming capabilities, not the other way around.” If this is indeed correct, it really does blow my mind. Why would Sony think that we need another average smartphone with a PlayStation style controller?

Having read the review at IGN I was immediately reminded of Nokia’s N-Gage, which was once touted as the best thing to ever happen to cell phone gaming. The N-Gage of course turned out to be a colossal failure.

I for one had no problems passing up the Xperia Play for a new BlackBerry, and I am sure many other potential would-be-buyers will also pass on the device.

I think Sony, with great reputation it has a developer of game consoles, should have waited until they truly had a device geared for gaming, bringing Play Station Portable like gaming to the Xperia Play.

This all leads me to wonder, when will cell phone companies realize that the people who are going to buy a phone dedicated to gaming, want exactly that, a device that delivers great, console like games with an extra bonus of doubling as a phone.

Jordan M. Martin

The full review of the Sony Xperia Play can be viewed here:

http://gear.ign.com/articles/115/1159358p1.html

PC Gaming A Better Alternative To Consoles? Is PC gaming a better option to consoles? I would say that it is. The benefits of gaming on a PC, or preferably, a laptop, easily surpasses the disadvantages. PCs have long done what many consoles still are incapable of doing. They allow you to play your favourite music while playing a game. They allow you to multitask and go back and forth from your game, to say, Facebook. They also allow you to take cutting edge graphics anywhere you want with new laptops designed for gaming such as the ALIENWARE M17x.

Most new PC games are made to run with USB controllers such as the X-Box 360 wired controller, which only adds to its appeal as a fully functional console. You also have the option of making an International Organization for Standardization image (ISO) of your game. This allows one to play games directly from their hard disk drive with the use of a virtual drive program such as Daemon Tools which is free to download. Gamers can also connect their PCs to any HDMI supported TV and play their games at a high resolution.

Being able to upgrade your PC is another benefit of gaming on a PC. PC gamers have the option of upgrading key parts of their computers when the hardware becomes dated rather than being forced to purchase a new system every 5 years. Another benefit of PC gaming is being able to play old games on your PC despite having a modern system. Some systems, such as the Sony Playstation 3, are not backwards compatible with previous versions of the console.

I strongly believe that consoles will become a thing of a past just like game arcades. All in due time.

Jordan M. Martin

TheNintendo3DSTheNintendo3DSwasreleasedinNorthAmericaonMarch27.2011andisthefirstgamingdevicethatoffersglasses-free3D.Thedevicecostsabout$250inNorthAmerica.Withallthehypeabout3Dgameplaysurroundingthedevice,ithadahighlyanticipatedsystemrelease.

Thedeviceincludesquiteafewnativeapplicationsthatallowyoutakeandeditphotos,andtwogameswhichcomewiththephone,ARGamesandFaceRaiders,whichallowyoutousetheenvironmentaroundyouas“levels”forgameplay.

Thecriticalpointonwhichtojudgethe3DSisits3Dperformance,somewouldsay.Itwillserveasarelieftomanythatthe3Donthe3DSdoesworkprettywell,thoughgettingatrue3Dexperiencerequiresuserstostaywithinaverynarrowviewingarea.

ThoughImustcommendNintendoforonceagainbeingapioneerinnewtechnology,andthinkingoutsideoftheboxwithitsattestdevice,Iamoncegaindisappointedwiththegamesbeingoffered.Aswithallnewgamingsystems,thegamesfeaturedjusthaveupgradedgraphicsandnorealsubstanceasfarascreatinganewexperiencegoes.Howmanytimesarewegoingtoseethesameshooterorsoccergame,withadifferenttitle,onanewconsole,deliverthesamegamingexperienceasitspredecessorsdidyearsbeforeit?

Ithinkinsteadoffocussingoncreatinganewsystemeveryfourorfiveyears,gamedevelopersneedtospendsometimecreatingnewandinterestinggamesthatthinkoutsideofthebox.Hopefullythe3DSwillbeabletoincorporatethe3Deffectinauniqueandinterestingwayanddoesnotjustendbeinganothergaminggimmick.

JordanMMartin.

WestIndiesNotFitForTestCricket

IstheWestIndies(WI)theworstinternationalcricketteamtoday?Manypeoplewouldsayyes.Ibelieve

thattheWIcricketteamshouldbestrippedofitsstatusasaTest-playingnationbecauseofitslackof

performanceinternationally.

ThestrugglingCaribbeansideplummetedtoanewloweversinceBrianLaraannouncedhisretirement

fromplayinearly2007.TheWInolongerhastheirsuperstarbatsmantocallonintimesofneed.Now

theyarestrugglingagainstweaksidessuchasBangladesh.

WIhavelostfiveoftheirlasteighthomeseries.TheCaribbeansidestruggledtodefeatZimbabwein

2003,ateamwhichhassubsequentlybeenstrippedofitsTeststatus.EnglandwasthelastteamWI

defeatedathomeina2009Test-matchseries.TheonlyotherteamWIhashadanyrelativesuccesswas

againstSriLanka,withwhomtheydrewtheirlasthomeseries.

ManyWestIndiansarefedupwiththeteam’spoorperformanceandwouldratheriftheteamwasno

longereligibleforTestgames.Thiswouldallowtheteamtopracticeatlowerlevelsofcompetitionuntil

theirgameimproveddramatically.Istronglyagree.

Testcricketrequiresgoodtechniqueforasidetobesuccessful.ItdemandsgreatdisciplineunlikeOne

DayInternationals(ODI),whichrequireamoreaggressiveandriskyapproachtothegame.WIstruggle

atbothformofthegame.Alltoooftenweseecarelessno-ballsbeingbowled,simpleballsbeing

dropped,andrecklessbattingdisplayedbythecurrentstockofWIcricketers.Thesecoreaspectsofthe

gameareabsentfromthisWIteam.IthinktheWIplayersshouldtryandlearntheseskillsathome

ratherthantryontheworldstageagainstcompetitionlikeAustralia.Untilthisisdone,WIshouldbe

strippedofitsTestplayingstatus.

WIwasonceawell-respectedteam.Idon’tthinkthisnewgenerationofindisciplineplayersshouldbe

allowedtoruinthelegacyofthosewhocamebeforethem.Ithinkthoseinchargeshouldstepuptothe

plateandactonthisdesperatesituation.

JordanM.Martin