Scotch Tape Xrays



Who knew that an ordinary roll of Scotch (TM) tape could be used to create Xrays?

Apparently, the Russians did in the 1950’s, but it was never developed. Researchers at UCLA have been toying with the power that comes from peeling tape from a roll in a vacuum. In fact, a mere piece of tape can produce an enormous amount of power, which surprised researchers. In an article being published in the Journal Nature, researchers are suggesting that the finding could lead to the production of inexpensive and easy-to-use equipment that could be used by paramedics on accident scenes or for places where electricity is not available.

The researchers have applied for a patent to protect their work. In this new research, a machine was used to peel ordinary Scotch tape off a roll in a vacuum chamber at about 1.2 inches per second. This caused rapid pulses of X-rays, each about a billionth of a second long, to emerge from very close to where the tape was coming off the roll. And that is where electrons jumped from the roll to the sticky underside of the tape that was being pulled away, As those electrons touched the sticky part of the tape, they slowed down, emitting readable Xrays.

So the question is, does this pose a danger for those of us slaving over wrapping paper this coming holiday season? Not so much. The research shows that this only works in a vacuum, and most of us are not wrapping presents in a vacuum.

So, no excuse for use geeks to not be wrapping presents this year. Dang it.


And the Spam Goes On…



A week or so ago, the government shut down the largest spamming organization in the country. You’d think that would slow down the influx in my mailbox, but it hasn’t. Wishful thinking, I suppose.

Some of the spam I get looks like bounced mail. I thought it was just a clever way of spamming someone, but it turns out it’s a bit more complex than that. Dubbed “backscatter spam,” it is caused when a spammer uses your email address as a spoof in the header of a spam email sent out to millions of people. When one of the email addresses the spammer is sending to bounces back, it goes back to you because your email address was spoofed in the header.

It is estimated that up to 3% of email today is backscatter, although I find that hard to believe. I don’t even get 3% spam mail, much less 3% backscatter. But it does explain the bounced mail messages I see in my box when I know I didn’t email that person. It’s nice to have a decent explanation for the phenomenon.

I wonder, as I always do, why spam works. Are that many people dumb enough to click through a link on a spam email and buy the product being advertised? I’ve never done that and don’t know anyone who has. If people would just not click the links and not spend money at a site they are directed to, spam would have no reason to exist. And how many click-throughs and purchases does it take for a spammer to make any kind of money? It doesn’t seem worth it for a couple hundred bucks, so it must be more lucrative than that. How lucrative, I am not sure.


Libraries Still Have a Purpose



Maxsports writes below that libraries should be torn down and the money used to maintain libraries should be distributed to people in the form of computers. He believes computers are replacing libraries.

I don’t think he’s been in a library lately!

I work in a library in an institution of higher learning, so my view is somewhat skewed, but I have, since I was a very young woman, supported libraries and will continue to do so. Libraries are more used than ever, if my own anecdotal experiences are any indication. This campus library is packed with people seven days a week with students using library resources, from the archives to the manipulable materials to the reference books. And yes, students even check out books, amazingly! In fact, the last three books I wanted from this library were already checked out to a student.

Our local library is less than a mile from our house, and my kids ride their bicycles there once a week (yes, even the 6 year old). They love the library, the librarians, and all of the activities they can participate in. They never come home without a stack of books to read, or a story to tell about some experience they had. My kids have computers at home (yes, even the 6 year old) but that doesn’t keep them from loving and using the library and all of its resources.

What can you get there? Free movies for one. We rarely pay to rent movies, as they are always available at the library within a month of release. Books, lots of books. I can’t afford to buy every book that piques my or my kids’ interest, and borrowing them from the library is the only way to go. It also saves me from buying books that end up being duds. I often hear good things about a book and am tempted to rush out and buy it, but several times I’ve held off, checked it out from the library instead, and got halfway through it only to find it wouldn’t have been worth a fraction of what I might have paid for it. And I won’t even mention the best sellers that come out week after week, fresh and ready at my library, that I cannot afford to spend $20 on at the bookstore.

The biggest advantage of the library, for me, is access to librarians with amazing stores of knowledge. There is no better research on this planet than what exists in the mind of a talented reference librarian. If I’m researching a topic, I can go on my own to the Internet and do my best, but the real, solid, dead-on information is going to come from the librarian who can help me narrow my search and also give me alternate ways of finding information. The advantage of Lexis-Nexis and other library databases cannot be discounted either.

And most libraries also have archival information that will never be found on the Internet. Where else can I look at (and touch) an original piece of work that has been lovingly and carefully preserved but at the library? The Internet cannot do that for me.

Lastly, libraries offer free meeting space for community organizations. Getting involved in my community is as easy as checking the library’s calendar of events; I’ve attended meetings on zoning enforcement, road planning, political action, crafting, and historical research.

And my local library even has a coffee shop, big comfy chairs, and free speedy wi-fi. What’s not to love about that?

As much as I love the Internet, and my computer, and all the things I can do with it, there is a certain value to human interaction that I would miss if I did everything in front of the computer. I cannot imagine not having a librarian to consult when I’m looking for accurate information, or having a library to crash in for quiet time and a good fun read. Thinking on a global scale, there are plenty of countries without libraries or access to information for citizens; to abolish libraries here in the U.S. is to negate them throughout the rest of the world, and that can never be a good thing.

Libraries still have a purpose. I hope we haven’t “come so far” as to not be able to recognize the value of libraries in our everyday lives.


No More Time Off For Me



It never fails. I decide to walk away from the computer for one day and all heck breaks loose.

I needed to focus on a project for a client. I checked all my emails and other vitals, then went into seclusion building a website for a new client. When I was done I stayed unplugged and helped a friend put together a Haunted House for next week. I ended up going out with friends and enjoying the night.

Little did I know, on another site I work on a fire was brewing. It wasn’t a big deal, but really made me scramble when I finally got back online. I (hopefully) put out the fire and continued about my business. It did, however, take me a good 30-45 minutes to take care of – in which it takes up time so I can get other things done.

The funny thing is every time I take time off, something happens. The last time I unplugged, my main website (geekazine) went down. An errant program rewrote my htaccess file and I was down the whole day. What was worse about that was I just posted a big article that was getting higher – than-normal traffic. AUGH!

I have set up some fail safes, though. I put in a couple scripts to email me when certain things happen. It did save me on another issue – I got a site up and running in a matter of minutes.

Site monitoring is a daily thing for me. I have over 10 different sites I have to go to before I even move on to other tasks. It doesn’t bother me – I enjoy what I do. It just seems that things want to go awry when I walk away.

There are a lot of tools out there that can tell you if something goes south. I get emails when the Database has issues or when a site didn’t ping for over 15 minutes. Still, nothing is better than the friend that messages you and tells you what’s going on. For that, I thank everyone that looks out for it.

I am a PC – And a Firefighter. Well, at least one without a cool firefighter uniform. Oh and also no cool red ladder engine to drive around town in. Maybe someday…


Tear Down Libraries



I like libraries as well as librarians who are generally some of the nicest, most helpful people I have met. However there is not much of a need for libraries anymore. The internet has more information than all the libraries in the world can provide and is widely available. I know it is not free in most places though like the library. Free is not exactly correct as they are paid for through taxation. Now I am not suggesting hurting poor people by taking away the “free library”. I think it can be done differently if it has to be done at all. It is not only a place to get free books but also a place to get online for free but you do have to drive to the physical location. Why not take the library budget and use it for free wi fi hot spots in the city?

Now I know everyone does not have a computer so free wi fi does not help them. But there are ways to to get this done also. OLCP is one avenue but there could be plenty more ideas and I am not suggesting giving out free computers through taxes. I think most taxes are unnecessary but I don’t have time to delve into that. Another point is that not everyone uses the library currently so not everyone should get a computer just because they cannot afford one. Separating people in search of knowledge from people looking for a handout is a task indeed. Maybe local business could sponsor kids or a single mother to get a computer in exchange for some volunteer work in the future. The point is a centralized location for knowledge is an outdated idea so other ways of accessing that information has to be achieved.

We live right behind our library and rarely visit it. We get online everyday. That may be different if they had more current books but that is likely a problem in most small towns. If there was free wi fi in our miniscule town we could save $40 per month. At least then we would get something for our taxes. I just think more people would benefit from free wi fi than currently do from brick & mortar libraries. If I could save $480 per year on internet service then I would gladly contribute (voluntarily) a percentage to a fund for the less fortunate in my town to get low cost computers. I put a link to a library website with a study showing increased use at libraries but the study was done by The American Library Association so take it with a grain of salt. If I ran a bakery & did a study on whether cakes were necessary or not, do you think the result would benefit me?

http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/archive/2007/07/07ala/


Podcamp Hawaii this Friday and Saturday



Podcamp-hi-speak-200If you have not been over to the Podcamp Hawaii website in the last few days you need to.

I am really excited as this is going to be an amazing event. With over 500 people registered and two days of some very impressive tracks on WordPress, Podcasting, Social Media and a Business track the event is shaping up to be unlike anything ever seen in Hawaii.

It is not to late to sign up I think they have like a 100 tickets left! Come on down to Podcamp Hawaii and joing me in one of my three sessions. I will be doing a Podcast 101, Podcast Geat and Podcast Monetization.


Using Digital Video To Coach Sports



If you have a kid involved in sports, which is likely since there are so many options available now from golf to fast pitch softball to traditional football, you need a video camera. They are great for training or coaching. You can point out mistakes and strengths that cannot be noticed in real time. Plus the kid cannot watch themselves live they need video evidence, especially the hard headed ones! Our child takes fast pitch softball lessons and when working on it home we use video to show her how to improve. It really works if you take the time to do it. You can break down each motion to get rid of bad mechanics or habits.

Of course if you are a coach you can use video for the same purposes. I know football coaches use game film to prepare for each opponent but they could go further and record each practice to get exact details on their own players. Specialty coaches that train on an individual a basis are crazy if they don’t record their training sessions. It would be a tool for the player to get better and also a way to differentiate their service from the completion not to mention a way to create a training dvd to market to the masses. These personal trainers make great money if they know what they are doing by the way. People will pay all kinds of money to help their kids excel.

The NFL has their system set up for each team to be able to download any video they want for an upcoming opponent. In the old days they used to mail the tapes! They have paid employees that break down every aspect of the opposing team’s games. Some of those guys’ sole purpose is to know every single tendency of the adversary’s quarterback in order to defend against him. If NFL teams see the value in video of players then it is obvious how important it could be for your child. They would not spend the money or time unless it paid off. I think it can pay off for a kid wanting to get better at their chosen sport.