iblog

Rushda: Regulators across Europe are strongly considering making it possible to make phone calls even when in a plane more than 3,000 metres in the sky. Indeed, technology is being developed which will allow mobile phone use without interfering with the aircraft systems.

The plans are flexible as they will allow individual airlines to choose whether they use the technology. As a spokesperson from Virgin Airlines has said:

“We are monitoring customer demand and will act if they say they want to use their mobile phones. If we were to introduce this service in the future we want to ensure we do it in a socially acceptable way.”

The costs of making calls from the sky would understandably be much higher than when on the ground. However, this would only be reasonable and Ofcom has said that it will make sure airlines don’t charge extortionately for the privilege. Ofcom also says that there are still many different considerations to sort out before reaching a final approval, but it is still a likely development in the near future.

It sounds like a great plan, especially for those people travelling on long flights that need to make urgent contact whilst in the air. To say “Hi, I’m on the plane now” to someone thousands of metres down on the ground certainly seems remarkable!

Rushda: Now that a public health threat has marked obesity out as a “potential crisis on the scale of climate change”, it is no surprise that so many of us are worried. It is, therefore, interesting to see the various “funkier” measures which have been introduced to try and tackle it. For example, one such new invention is the “intelligent shopping trolley” which will alert future shoppers as soon as anything unhealthy is dropped into it.

Experts believe that such a trolley will not only make people more aware of what they are buying but will motivate those with a lack of willpower. The trolley works by scanning the bar codes of anything that is dropped into it and triggering red warning lights when it detects something that contains high levels of fat, sugar or salt. The new concept for the trolley will be unveiled tomorrow by the Institute for Grocery Distribution which is currently considering the future of British retail. It is believed that it could actually be a reality in the near future as successful trials have already begun in the States.

Not only does the trolley alert the shopper to unhealthy foods but it has actually designed to be cleverer than that. Using a scan of the shopper’s loyalty card, the trolley can detect what kind of person the shopper is - whether they have diabetes or not for instance, and what kinds of foods they need to watch out for. It also uses a record of previous purchases to help guide the shopper to the best deals and even gives directions around the store.

Sion Roberts, director of consumer industries and retail at the technology company, EDS, believes this is something that really could change shopping remarkably in future. He says:

“Everyone wants more and more information and different information, not everyone wants to know everything about a product. But many shoppers already think that lists of ingredients on packaging are too complicated to read and understand. It will be easier to read larger print on a screen. There will also be red-light alerts if you ask the trolley to give your shopping a health check. It may not stop you putting a box of cream cakes in the trolley but you will be made to think about the decision.”

Rushda: Whatever your theory about whether there is more life out there, the search certainly is hotting up as there is now a new telescope specifically dedicated to sweeping the skies for signs of it. The device will be one of the largest arrays in the world and has been funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

The finished array, named the Allen Telescope Array (ATA), will have 350 six-metre antennas which will be able to sweep over more than 1 million star systems. It will work by detecting radio signals which will then be examined to see if they could come from intelligent life forms. The scientists and creators on the team are very excited by the new development, and even hope to spot “definite” signs by the year 2025.

ATA will be run by the Seti Institute and the Radio Astronomy Laboratory at the University of California. Senior astronomer on the team Seth Shostak says:

“For Seti, the ATA’s technical capabilities exponentially increase our ability to search for intelligent signals, and may lead to the discovery of thinking beings elsewhere in the Universe.”

Personally I am a little sceptical about the whole thing - even if we found radio signals, it would be very difficult to work out what made them “intelligent”, and surely it is a little presumptuous to think that aliens, if they exist, would be using such signals to contact us or otherwise. Thankfully, it is good to know the array will have other uses, such as helping us better understand the other mysterious phenomena in our universe such as supernovas and black holes which are currently only predictions and have not yet been observed.

Rushda: It may seem like something out of science fiction, and it’s difficult to know how seriously to take it, but scientists have produced money which can be used in outer space. The Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination, conveniently abbreviated as Quid, is for the use of inter-planetary travellers when space travel becomes more common in future.

The currency has been specially designed by scientists from the National Space Centre and the University of Leicester for the foreign exchange company Travelex. One of the developers ,Professor George Fraser, is excited about the new invention and says:

“None of the existing payment systems we use on Earth - like cash, credit or debit cards - could be used in space. Anything with sharp edges, like coins, would be a risk to astronauts, while the chips and magnetic strips used in our cards on Earth would be damaged beyond repair by cosmic radiation.”

The Quid coins are specially adapted to outer-space because they have no sharp edges so will not damage anything if they accidentally float free in space. They are made of a polymer which has previously been best used for non-stick pans.

The technology comes after much speculation that space travel will become very common in the near future. Indeed, predictions from the National Space Centre state that even tourist facilities on the Moon by 2050 are a real possibility. There are all sorts of things currently being developed for space tourism - from an inflatable space hotel being produced in the US to VirginGalactic developing spaceships for ordinary use. It only then makes sense, say these scientists, to have a way of using money whilst in space.

The confidence these scientists have is indeed astounding. As Travelex say:

“It’s only a matter of time before people will be walking up to our shops and asking for Quids for their two weeks in a space hotel.”

Furthermore, what’s most bizarre is that they have even decided already what the conversion rate is, currently quoting £6.25 to the Quid!

Rushda: Apple has been under heavy attack recently as it is becoming more and more clear that it is doing everything it can to dominate its market, ensuring that it stays in charge at all times. The latest annoyance that has come to light is that the new Apple iPhone cannot be unlocked and any attempt to do so could result in irreparable damage if one tries to unlock it.

Though illegal unlocking of phones to install new software or allow it to operate on a different network is not right, still this seems a little extreme for Apple, who say that as soon as any updates are installed the iPhone would become “permanently inoperable.” Unfortunately, this is not just an empty threat, as thousands of users who have managed to hack their phone have been shocked to discover that their phone has been disabled. The hacks are anything from mild program additions to software and network changes.

Many Apple customers are understandably frustrated and Apple continues to send out its warnings to all those who are thinking of hacking their phone. Unfortunately, the iPhone will only be able to be used in the exact way Apple wants it.

Rushda: Cars that drive themselves to and from a required destination may not be as far off into the future as once thought - indeed, trials of a driverless “cybercar” have already begun recently in a Northamptonshire town called Daventry. The new car works out the directions using a computer and manages to avoid obstacles using laser technology.

Daventry’s mission has long been to encourage more people to use public transport, so this is an incredible way to increase efficiency and boost enthusiasm. The cybercar can easily be called by pressing a button and will automatically go to an assigned destination without any human input. So far, the car is only really suitable for short trips at low speed - for example, it can be seen as an alternative to a school bus. However developments go in the future, it is clear that the initial trials have been successful and hold great promise for the future. As Daventry District Council leader Chris Millar says:

“We can build lots more car parks and have lots more cars going in or we can look at a viable alternative to the car. We believe this could be the answer.”

The cybercar can be seen in demonstration until 5th October, on a test track at the town’s Eastern Way. Alternatively, a video of it can be seen here.

Rushda: A pair of Britain’s leading environmental scientists have proposed a way of solving the climate change problem using special technology under the sea. The idea is to increase the amount of CO2 the sea absorbs by installing special tubes underwater.

Chris Rapley, head of London’s Science Museum, and Gaia theorist Professor James Lovelock believe that cutting carbon emissions is becoming a lost cause and the most useful thing the government can do to sort out the problem is invest in “huge flotillas of vertical pipes in the tropical seas.” Currently being investigated in the US, the installations would mean that less CO2 ends up in the atmosphere as more would be taken up by the sea. As Lovelock explains:

“We are taking the very strong line that we are not going to save the planet by the regular approaches like the Kyoto Protocol or renewable energy. What we have to do is to look at it in a systems sense, or a Gaian sense, and see if it’s curable by direct action.”

Though the technology is quite complicated, the basic science of it is that the huge floating pipes which start at the surface of the ocean and go down will swell and bob up and down, causing cold water to come up onto the ocean’s surface. A valve would block the reverse occurring so that the surface gradually becomes colder. Apparently, cold water contains more life as it can absorb more carbon, and this will help in the battle against climate change.

The two scientists are not the first to come up with the plan. Indeed, Atmocean, a company in the US, has already started trials of the same technology. Although the research is in its early stages, the firm has high hopes. As Phil Kithil from Atmocean says:

“There is much yet to be learned. We need not only to move towards the final design and size (of the pipes), but also to characterise the ecological effects. The problem we would be most concerned about would be acidification. We’re bringing up higher levels of CO2 along with the nutrients, so it all has to be analysed as to the net carbon balance and the net carbon flux.”

There are other pressing concerns as well, for example, the pipes could cause problems for marine life such as whales and dolphins. However, it is certainly an interesting and promising concept that may end up being many many times more productive than reducing carbon output.

Jeanne: In a scheme designed to increase the availability of computers for children in developing countries, a company known as One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) has set about producing low-cost laptops. The scheme operates as follows. In order to participate, residents in the developed countries such as the United States must purchase two laptops at a total cost of $398 (about ₤198). They then receive one of the laptops for personal use, whilst the second is shipped off, free, for use by disadvantaged children in the third world. The ‘Give One, Get One’ (G1G1) scheme will run for just two weeks starting on November 12 2007. Governments of developing countries can also purchase the low-cost laptops for use by their citizens. Walter Bender, OLPC’s head of software development, has indicated that initial responses to the initiative appear to be very positive:

“From day one there’s been a lot of interest expressed in having some way of people in the developed world participate in the programme.”

The bright green and white laptops are specially designed for use in areas where electricity supplies may be limited. For example, they can be powered by solar energy or foot-pump. The laptops are waterproof and highly durable as well. Crucially, however, they can be produced at a very low cost. They currently cost $188 apiece, but developers hope that they will eventually be able to sell the laptops for as little as $100.

It’s therefore hardly surprising that consumers in the developed world are expressing significant interest in the laptops. However, the organisation does not wish to lose sight of its primary aim – the provision of one laptop per child in the developing world. According to Walter Bender:

“Our motivation is helping kids learn and giving them an opportunity to participate in the laptop programme so whatever will advance that cause we will do. This is something we are going to try and if it looks like it is an effective tool we will do more of it.”

Children in Haiti, Cambodia and Afghanistan are expected to receive the first consignments of OLPC laptops. Other countries classified as LDCs by the UN are also eligible to take part in the programme.

If you’d like to participate in the “Get One, Give One” scheme, then you can obtain more information from One Laptop Per Child.

Rushda: Facebook’s popularity has sky-rocketed over the past few years - from a small site designed for university-based social networking into a huge and indispensable tool for millions worldwide. Now that applications have been introduced, Facebook has become even more versatile than before, with many earning money from their programs. Even better is that now, in a new move to improve Facebook even more, software developers can be given up to £125,000 to develop applications for the site.

Currently, there are around 4,000 small programs of varying quality embedded onto profiles on the site, covering everything from dating to music to utilities for your profile. But Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg wants firms and individuals to create even more “innovative and disruptive programs.” At the TechCrunch40 conference in San Francisco he recently announced that grants will come out of a $10m pot and be given for great ideas to boost Facebook’s popularity further. As the founder says:

“We’re doing this at Facebook to support the ecosystem and help it grow. Any application developer can submit their application and a little business proposal to us. If we think the project is good, we will give a grant for somewhere between $25,000 to $250,000.”

The only restriction is that companies can’t have made any money from their idea previously - Facebook should be the first avenue in which their ideas “get off the ground.”

Rushda: Everyone knows how disgusting it is to find pieces of used chewing gum stuck to pavements, tables, and all sorts of other places, so it is good news that scientists in the UK have finally developed gum that does not stick. This will mean it is easier to remove than the current gum that is on sale.

The gum has been manufactured by chemical company Revolymer, from Bristol. They have developed a special material that can be added to the gum’s ingredients to make it easier for the gum to be removed from surfaces. A number of tests have been conducted to check the effects of the new polymers that have been added to gum, and have shown that they are even effective on hair, which is usually impossible to break free from gum once attached. As head of research Professor Terence Cosgrove, has said of the new procedure:

“The hydrophilic coating means that you always get a film of water around the gum and that is one of the reasons it is easy to remove - and, in some cases, doesn’t stick at all.”

Revolymer claims that using the new technology it will be able to fight the nuisance of gum deposits, which are said to cost thousands of pounds to clean up each year. Only recently, statistics have shown that London’s Westminster Council had to spend more than £100,000 a year to remove chewing gum from its streets.

All that needs to be done now is for the new invention to pass European health and safety tests, after which it could be in the shops as early as next year, and hence saving the government thousands of pounds.