Analyzing the
Blogosphere
The content of weblogs, or blogs, could provide a vivid picture of the
future social landscape, according to a communications scholar at the University at
Buffalo. A new long-term research project will attempt to create a method for analyzing
not just how blogs are used but what they actually say about the larger culture. Some 4
million blogs now exist to provide an outlet for individuals to express their opinions or
share information with the rest of the world, and their numbers are accelerating as new
uses are found, such as for emergency communication or political rallying and fund
raising. Blogging tends to be most popular in the geographic centers favored by the
"cultural elite"--trend-setters of high socioeconomic status. Analyzing blogs'
content could therefore reveal clues to new cultural directions, like having a weather
report for society, according to study director Alexander Halavais.
Source: State University of New York at Buffalo, News Services, 330 Crofts Hall,
Buffalo, New York 14260. Web site www.buffalo.edu.
Fish Pirates
Pirates are poaching fish before fishers can get them to market, raising
concerns
about future supplies of this important food source. "Illegal,
unregulated, and unreported fishing is happening over a large expanse of ocean by people
who are highly mobile and whose chance of being caught is very small," according to
environmental economist Jon G. Sutinen of the University of Rhode Island. Homeland
security and drug interdiction efforts are taking more Coast Guard resources away from
controlling fishing violations. Tracking piracy is difficult, but Sutinen believes illegal
fishing has likely increased in New England due to pressures such as stricter regulations,
deteriorating stocks, and stronger markets. One solution he suggests is to give fishers
exclusive-use rights over particular areas, which would give the fishers incentives to
protect the areas from being plundered.
Source: University of Rhode Island, Department of Communications/News Bureau, 22
Davis Hall, 10 Lippitt Road, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881. Web site www.uri.edu.
Functional Ink
Researchers are making progress in developing functional
inks--the materials that are used to print out three-dimensional metal parts. Parts aren't
just parts--they need specific features, such as hard surfaces and soft interiors,
electromagnetic properties, or heat resistance. At the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany,
researchers have been able to integrate many features into components by using additional
printerheads for the needed functional inks. Thus, they could create steel that would be
hard in specific places.
Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials
Research, Wienerstrasse 12, 28359 Bremen, Germany. Web site www.fraunhofer.de.
Podcasting Booms
The rise of satellite radio has been rapid in the United States, but its
appeal to upscale households could also mean rapid market saturation. To keep growing,
satellite radio providers need to consider expanding options for the less-wealthy public,
warns a new report from Forrester Research. One hint of things to come is the emergence of
podcasting--subscription-based music and other programming sent directly to users' MP3
players. Unlike free commercial radio, however, customers get to choose what they hear and
when, and they can easily record the music to share, store, or enjoy anytime. Podcasting
will see significant growth by 2010, reaching 12.3 million U.S. households, thanks to
wider adoption of MP3 and broadband services, according to Forrester.
Source: Forrester Research, 400 Technology Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts
02139. Web site www.forrester.com.
Alternative Medicine Gains Popularity
Seventy-one percent of Americans over age 50 report using acupuncture,
herbal medicine, or some other alternative treatment, up from about 62% in 2002, according
to a study by Ohio State University. One problem with this growing dependence on
alternatives is that they have not been tested for safety and effectiveness, warns lead
researcher Gong-Soog Hong. The most-likely users of the alternatives were African
Americans, widows, and religious people, as well as those who described their health as
poor. Typically, older adults have more chronic problems that conventional medicines don't
solve, so people in pain try everything they can get their hands on, Hong explains. As
populations grow older, the medical establishment may need to move more quickly toward
understanding nontraditional medicines and the patients who use them, she suggests.
Source: Ohio State University, Research Communications, 1125 Kinnear Road,
Columbus, Ohio 43212. Web site www.osu.edu.
