ONLINE
LAUNDRY
Students at Carnegie Mellon University this semester have been logging
onto the Web to do their laundry.
In an experimental Web-based laundry system called eSuds, the students
can check if a washer or dryer is available, sparing themselves a futile trip across
campus to the laundry room. Students use their smart ID cards instead of coins to operate
the machines, and they can also sign up to get an e-mail notification when their laundry
is finished.
Comment: Perhaps students at CMU's Robotics Institute will now be
inspired to develop automatic pressing, folding, and delivery technologies to complete the
e-laundry cycle.
DETAILS: Carnegie Mellon University,
http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases04/040326_complaundry.html
EAR PRINTING FINGERS CRIMINALS
Ear printing and imaging are the latest tools helping law enforcement
officers and forensic scientists to identify people. Using the unique whorls and folds of
each person’s ear for ascertaining identity may become as ubiquitous as
fingerprinting and dental records in the near future, thanks to technologies developed at
the University of Leicester’s Forensic Pathology Unit.
Their computerized system for ear-image and ear-print
identification--the first of its kind--has already been applied successfully in police
cases in the United Kingdom and has assisted in resolving war-crime issues in
Bosnia-Herzegovina. Given an unidentified body, the new technology can estimate how much
time has elapsed since death. It can even tell the geographical origin of the body.
Ultimately, there may develop a system similar to the national
fingerprint system used by police forces around the world, according to Guy Rutty, who
worked for 13 British police forces and assisted in war crime investigations in Bosnia.
DETAILS: University of Leicester,
http://www.le.ac.uk/press/press/earprint.html
WIND SCRUBBING COMBATS GLOBAL WARMING
It may soon be possible to scrub the wind to remove greenhouse gases
from ordinary air.
An Arizona company is creating a 10-square-meter structure to capture
excess carbon dioxide from the surrounding atmosphere. When built, it will be the first
practical model to process large volumes of air with low CO2 concentrations--as distinct
from stack scrubbers, which address highly concentrated carbon dioxide streams.
The design will be finished by the end of the summer 2004 and the first
phase of the prototype is scheduled to be up and running by the end of the year, says
designer Allen Wright.
SOURCE: Society of Chemical Industry,
http://www.soci.org/SCI/pressoffice/2004/html/pr267.jsp
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ATTENTION NONMEMBERS
Join the World Future Society now for just $45 a year ($20 for full-time
students under age 25) to receive THE FUTURIST--the Society's colorful bimonthly
magazine--and other important benefits.
NO-RISK trial membership: https://www.wfs.org/Freeord.htm
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BAD KNEES? NANOTECH OFFERS HOPE
Self-assembling nanotubes could one day be used for artificial joints
and other implants, according to a team of biomedical engineers. The key is that human
bone cells (osteoblasts) attach better to nanotube-coated titanium than to conventional
titanium used in artificial joints.
The nanotubes are especially promising because they can be adapted to
specific parts of the body, according to research-team member Thomas Webster, an assistant
professor of biomedical engineering at Purdue University.
The self-assembling nanotubes use DNA to program molecules to link in
groups of six, forming rosette-shaped rings; numerous rings then combine to create
nanotubes, with widths of about 3.5 nanometers. Using nanotubes to coat titanium for the
artificial joints creates a surface that adheres better to the osteoblasts.
The researchers--a team from Purdue University, University of Alberta,
and Canada's National Institute for Nanotechnology--believe the nanotubes offer promise in
other biomedical applications, such as electronic devices and drug-delivery systems.
DETAILS: Purdue University,
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/2004/040409.Webster.rosette.html
READING LIST FOR CONFERENCE GOERS
The World Future Society meeting this summer will feature presentations
by authors of some outstanding new and recent books. Here are a few you won't want to
miss:
THE BRAVE NEW WORLD OF HEALTH CARE by former Colorado Governor Richard
Lamm: This update of the provocative 1990 volume exposes the weaknesses in policy making
and public expectations that will lead inevitably to a health-care crisis. Lamm offers a
framework for reform that may ignite valuable debate. Check price/buy book.
THE HOTHOUSE EFFECT by Barton Kunstler: Learn how to cultivate a spirit
of innovation in your organization, drawing lessons from the great "hothouses"
of history, from the Roman Empire to the Renaissance to the Jazz Age. Check price/buy
book.
THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY by Jeremy Rifkin, now available in paperback,
traces the path to a more secure and sustainable future by moving away from petroleum
dependence. Check price/buy book.
FANTASTIC VOYAGE: THE SCIENCE BEHIND RADICAL LIFE EXTENSION by Ray Kurzweil and Terry
Grossman (not yet released): Kurzweil, the author of THE AGE OF SPIRITUAL MACHINES, teams
up with Grossman, an M.D., to explore the science behind humanity's increasing longevity
and the prospects for immortality. This book won't be available until October, but you can
pre-order it at: Preorder book.
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HURRY! SAVE $100
April 30 is the deadline to save $100 on registering for the World
Future Society's annual meeting, so don't hesitate!
"WorldFuture 2004: Creating the Future Now!" will be held July
31 through August 2 at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C.
DETAILS: http://www.wfs.org/2004main.htm
