Microchips and photonchips

Earlier this week, Google celebrated the co-creator of the first microchip with one of their Google Doodles. A microchip is defined by Wikipedia as "an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material."




I'll be honest, I read that a few times, and all I got was tiny thingamajig with some tiny conductor thingies that makes computers and the like work. Computers, cell phones, and other digital products couldn't work without them. Various microchip-esque ideas came and went between 1945 and 1958, when the first working microchip was created by Jack Kilby. They have come quite a ways since then. Moore's Law states that (in the long term) the number of circuits that can be inexpensively fit on a microchip of equal size doubles every two years.



Now, a new advance may put Moore's Law in the past. A new chip is in development which manipulates individual photons of light, guiding them and also containing and initiating their interactions. These tiny pathways on a silicon chip represent a huge step towards a quantum computer. Is anyone else thinking about the wonders of tomorrow-land?

Google's Fall Spring Cleaning

With the advent of Google+, many of Google's services have become redundant. In a bout of off -season spring cleaning, the Google team is shutting down many of these programs. Programs on the chopping block include:


• Buzz - Buzz is the social sharing network I have written about in the past. It has been eclipsed by Google+ and other services that beat Google to the punch on this front.

• Jaiku - Another social sharing network that allows users to post snippets and share short links. Unlike Buzz, Jaiku could be used to share photos and the like.

• iGoogle sharing - iGoogle was a sort of personalized homepage for your internet experience. They added games and gadgets for more interactivity (like old Yahoo! homepages, remember those?) The social gadgets let you share your favorite things with other iGoogle users - from your to-do list, to games, to articles.

• Bookmarks list - this feature let users share their bookmarks with friends.

• Friend connect - this feature lets users add social features to their websites, including making registration easy and allowing you to add ratings and commenting to content.

• Gears - this feature allowed users to create offline web apps. They are discontinuing this feature in an effort to move into HTML5, an updated language for web design that allows a lot of fancy new application programming and such. HTML5, in combination with CSS3 allows developers to do a lot of things that previously could only be done by the use of things like Flash.

• Search Timeline - this feature let users look at historical search data. This can now be found by using the Google Trends or Insights features.

• Wave - I wrote about the wave before. This was a really neat idea that just never caught on, which allowed users to interact, webchat, and share files throughout their development.

• Knol - This service allowed experts to work together to create and publish web content.

Recent studies find Autistic brain develops more slowly in some ways - performs better in others

Autistic children are usually (though by no means always) diagnosed in their early childhood.  New research from UCLA, however, indicates that brain development experiences delays into the teen years.  These findings could help account for some of the symptoms of autism experienced by many individuals in this age range.  The parts of the brain that are involved in learning, emotional processing, language, and social skills appear to develop more gradually in autistic preteens.  Often, autistic children experience difficulties with socializing, particularly in this already difficult period of their lives. 

While these new findings help researchers understand (and in the future, possibly ease) some of the difficulties autistic individuals experience throughout their life cycles, one should not take slower brain development in some areas to mean defective or inferior.  Particularly, areas like reasoning tend to be better developed in individuals who have been diagnosed with autism.  This is not limited to so-called “savants.”  While autistic individuals often score poorly on standardized tests or have difficulty communicating, those who know them well would probably tell you that many people with autism are incredibly smart, just not in a way that easily translates into what is “normal,” which is why autism was considered a defect for many years.  

Special Olympics

Today we got a letter from the Special Olympics. Its fund raising time, again, boys and girls!

The Special Olympics started over forty years ago, as a small day camp for individuals with intellectual disabilities. the main goal of the camp was to help the capers to explore the world of athleticism and their physical abilities. Five years later, the first Special Olympics was held, with roughly 1,000 participants. Nowadays, the Special Olympics are an international event held semi-annually, on odd years.

The Special Olympics are held to encourage the participants and others facing the same challenges to explore their abilities and become more confident. At the same time, the games promote understanding among others. On the official website, you find these words:

Dignity, acceptance, and a chance to reach one’s potential – these are human rights worth promoting for everyone. For more than four decades, Special Olympics has been bringing one message to the world: people with intellectual disabilities can and will succeed if given the opportunity.

New Bill to Adapt No Child Left Behind

No Child Left Behind is an act passed in 2001 to regulate the public education system in the United States, requiring certain standards to be met.  This act has met many critics in education and administration.

A new bill has been voted through by a committee that would adapt the NCLB act, though it has yet to pass in either house.  This is the Harkin-Enzi Bill.  It was pushed through largely because the committee members were frustrated with the administration's offering of waivers to some states allowing them to avoid the law's key provisions.

The new bill would limit federal control in most public schools, while increasing the national government's oversight of certain schools with low performance.  Critique of the bill however, claims that it would inflate spending in a way that the government can not currently afford.  The bill would also require schools to begin keeping and offering records on what percentage of children went on to college level education and what percentage of those graduated.  However, there may be  flaws with this provision.  Simply counting students who attend post-secondary education is not necessarily an accurate measure of how many students were intellectually and educationally prepared for it.

What are your thoughts on the new bill?  While most agree the current No Child Left Behind laws are not what is needed, may disagree with this new option as well, for a umber of valid reasons.

The Outlook on Mobile Payment Systems

A digital wallet is a service that allows one to use one's mobile device as a payment medium, much like a credit card.  Google Wallet is one of the major front runners, along with their competitor Isis.  While Google seems to have a lead due to their presence in the smartphone market via the Android operating system, there are several other players who have various associations with credit card and phone provider companies.  Paypal is also in competition with Google on this front, through they say that adoption of mobile payment systems is further away than some think.

The mobile payment system still faces some issues - particularly the security concerns of users.    Some individuals worry that phones could be lost or stolen.  Personally, I think this is the same issue people face with credit cards.  Even if the phone is lost, users will need to enter a 4 digit code.  Additionally, the app will not store identification, so users will still need to carry their IDs with them for use.  Further, while the phone is asleep, you won't be able to make transactions.  This means that no sleeping phone (in your pocket for instance) can unknowingly be charged.

The wallet system has been unveiled for American Eagle Outfitters, The Container Store, Foot Locker, Guess, Jamba Juice, Macy’s, OfficeMax, and Toys R Us as of last week.

National Disability Employment Awareness onth

This October is the first National Disability Employment Awareness month.  (Yes, we know it's a mouthful.)   President Obama has declared it so.  Our government defines disability in the following way:

• A person may be disabled if he or she has a physical or mental condition that substantially limits a major life activity (such as walking, talking, seeing, hearing, or learning).
• A person may be disabled if he or she has a history of a disability (such as cancer that is in remission).
• A person may be disabled if he is believed to have a physical or mental impairment that is not transitory (lasting or expected to last six months or less) and minor (even if he does not have such an impairment).

A number of organizations provide support for disability employment.  This support can take a number of forms:

• Federal law requires that employers make reasonable accommodation for disabled employees.  This means that any accommodations that do not cause significant expense or difficulty for the employer must be made for employees or potential employees who have  a disability.
• Training and education is provided by many organizations for individuals with disabilities.  This may be to help them seek employment for the first time or to re-train to obtain or return to employment after incurring a disability in some way.
• Some organizations work to match individuals with jobs that they will find suitable and fulfilling.  These programs are generally non-profits, and may either work one of two ways.  One way is to help connect employers and employees for a traditional work arrangement.  The other is to hire individuals with disabilities directly and find work for them with third party employers on a full- or part-time basis, temporarily or indefinitely.

You can read the full text of President Obama's press release on the White House website.

Scores for MN state tests are out

Last year's AYP scores came out for Minnesota recently.  The state Department of Education defines these scores as:

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a means of measuring, through standards and assessments, the achievement of No Child Left Behind’s (NCLB) goal.  The goal of NCLB is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.

Every year, students in the sixth grade take standardized tests.  In Minnesota, those tests are referred to as the MCATs - the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment-Series tests.  Schools are graded not only on how well the students perform, but also on how many of them actually take the tests and what attendance is like on a day-to-day basis.    The scores also break students down into subgroups: all students; American Indian/Alaskan Native students; Hispanic students; Black students not of Hispanic origin; Asian/Pacific Islander students; White students not of Hispanic origin; limited English proficient students; students eligible for free- or reduced-priced meals and special education students.

Schools that are Title 1 (they receive funding based on having a certain number of free- and reduced-price lunch students) can face repercussions if they score consistently below their targets.  These targets are increased yearly, with the goal of having all students proficient in math and reading by 2014.  Schools that don't meet these standards are required to make improvements in various ways.  More years below their goals mean more required improvements.  If they do not begin scoring closer to or above their targets in a certain timeframe, they receive funding cuts.

These scores are released publicly, and can be found on the MN Dept. of Education website.

Facebook updates, Google+ opens to public

Google+ initially saw limited adopters and mixed reviews. The overall reaction was that while all the features and usability improvements over Facebook were great, everyone was on Facebook already.... you get the idea. While Google+ might be fun to check out, might even seem more attractive as a social networking site, it is a challenge to get millions of users to pick up everything (online) and move to a new home. They continue to gain momentum, however, and it seems like Facebook is helping them do it.


Facebook has become known for making substantial changes to the user interface without a whole lot of advance warning or choice for the users. Recently, they updated their display by introducing a "Facebook within a Facebook" feed on the side bar and adding a "Top News" section at the top of the homepage. Before that it was updates to the friends list. These frequent updates have generally been met with more than reluctance by the user base. Some would even say that they have been met with disgust. Roughly 86% of users dislike the newest round of Facebook updates. That statistic can be found on this really great infographic from SodaHead data with other details about users and opinions of Facebook, as well as on the on-going poll available on the Wall Street Journal (87.4% as of 9/25).

At the same time as Facebook's updates (Kind of. More updates from Facebook are imminent), Google+ is opening to the public. The service is no longer invite-only, but is available to all. They are also amping up the action with an added 100+ features since it was unveiled in June, and more to come. Integration with email and document storage is only part, though it could be a game changer. With Google's full array of services, they are in a position to offer the consumer:

• social networking

• photo sharing

• photo editing

• email

• document storage

• web chat

• video conferencing

• search

• advertising

• an e-library

• blogging

• translation

• news

• geo-check ins

• and more, all from one place

With functionality and ease of use the major item of consideration for the majority of consumers, this may mean quite a bit for the search giant. Add to that the technology (and attitudes) that has won over the geek crowd and Google+ is in a fantastic position.

If only they can talk more users into jumping ship from Facebook.

Touchable holographic images - Up and coming tech

I recently found and read this article about a touchable 3D technology.  Researchers in Japan have been working to improve upon the current 3D technology available.  Their work has been with glasses-free 3D, for one thing. They use retro reflective surfaces to projected  images that actually appear somewhere other than the light source. I am personally very excited for glasses-free 3D, as I wear glasses or corrective lenses on a day-to-day basis, and they generally do not play nicely with the 3D glasses necessary for viewing some films and games in the 3D format they were intended for.  Where these scientists have jumped ahead of their peers and competitors is the leap into touchable 3D technology.  They use an input interface with infrared sensors that can sense where the user is and work with the 3D output to allow the 3D objects and characters to respond instantly in real time to the actions of the user. Moving forward, they are looking to bolstering the interface with a sensor that will allow the user to experience tactile feedback, possibly in the form of a glove.

While I was a little disappointed after reading the article and then watching the video, this is still exciting technology to watch in the future.

Intel's Edge for Windows 8

You've heard me rave about Windows 8 before.  The raving continues.  I am so very excited about the prospect of a newer, faster, better Windows.

Not that there's anything wrong with Windows 7.  It was the highest grossing pre-order in the history of Amazon.  It featured a boatload of new features, including a faster boot time than previous iterations.  Minor criticisms include some security flaws.

Windows 8 is likely to be something completely different, since it is created for tablets as well as traditional PCs.  Not only will the interface be very different, it is being released for both Intel and AMD as well as ARM - a processor more commonly used for mobile devices, as it is ideal for low-power products.  Adding an ARM version of Microsoft Windows 8 further stresses the fact the Microsoft is looking to move more strongly into the tablet and mobile markets with this OS.  While ARM will be more functional for low-power, mobile items, it will also support full PC systems.  However, the ARM processor version of Windows 8 will not be backward compatible with all older programs, like the Intel version will be, and as all previous Intel and AMD versions of Windows were.  That one feature will probably ensure Intel's continued success in the processor market.

Windows 8 is expected to be available to consumers in Fall 2012.

Sinister Squirrels Secretly Sabotage

Fiber optic communication is an exciting alternative to traditional electrical transmission.  Using fiber optics, we can transmit information at even greater rates than with copper wiring that is often common.  Information is transmitted through fiber optical cable by sending pulses of light, which forms an electromagnetic wave.  These waves are formulated to carry information.  Once the light pulses reach their destination, it is converted into an electrical signal.    The bandwidth available over fiber optics is staggering, but limited by the distance information must travel.  Lately, we've noticed large spools of fiber optics being put in along the roads near where I grew up.  This is even more exciting because like many areas in the region, the only internet service currently available there is dial-up.  I know.  Terrifying.

How do you feel about squirrels?  They're pretty cute, huh?  All furry and chittery, eating their acorns and stuff.  Not so much if you grew up in the country.  Squirrels are noisy.  They get into everything.  They eat the bird seed.  They eat your one chance at escaping dial-up...

That's right. These diurnal rodents are responsible for a large amount of the damage to fiber optics cables, causing extensive and expensive destruction to the cables.  This not only costs the fiber optics companies money, it also slows the spread of the fiber optics network.

If I had any sympathy for squirrels after they infested my grandparent's basement one winter, it's certainly gone now.

Images from Wikipedia

Got the Invite, Google+ exploration

This past weekend, as I was browsing Facebook, I was excited to discover that a friend had been invited to Google+, and not just from the irony.  Within minutes, I had an invite, but no computer at which to explore.  This week will be a learning week for me, as I interact with Circles, Sparks, etc...

In a previous post, I discussed some of the features of Google+, and I will soon have a review of those features up for you.  I the meantime, I've been inviting people.  The main drawback to the service is currently two-fold for me: not many of my contacts are using it yet, and I cannot take my Facebook photos with me.  For many of use, Facebook has become the main home of our photo albums.  Personally, I have nearly 2000 photos uploaded over the last four or five years, which I do not want to part with.  Further, Google+ is offering a growing suite of editing tools that make its photo albums enticing.  Hopefully a resolution will be found that will allow Google+ users to keep their Facebook photos and integrate them into the new service.

I am also excited to see how Google+ flows into ecommerce and online business.

Since the whole application is still in Beta, we can expect to see quite a few changes and additions before it is widely released.  In the meantime, I'll be making notes and sending invites.chesterc

Nurture vs Nature - Autism

The cause of autism and ASD has been a topic for much discussion, research, and debate for years, more so as the prevalence of this disorder increases.  There has recently been a quantity of research regarding genetic links to ASD.  In fact, in a post from last month, I discussed a couple of these studies, which were finding more solid links between certain genes and proteins and autism.

Today a new study reports a more tangible link to environment in development, as well.  Often, children in a family are more likely to have autism if another family member also has it.  This study on twins and families indicated that up to 55% of the cause of autism may be environmental.  While this seems to be contradictory to the previous studies, it is not.

It is becoming more and more clear that autism is not simply something you are born with, an "in your genes, if you have it you have it and there's nothing to be done" disorder.  Instead, while ASD is certainly linked to genetics, it is also largely influenced by environment.  A child with the genetics that say he or she may have ASD will not necessarily develop autism.  Instead, whether or not they present autistic symptoms may be determined by other factors.

Think of it like this.  Everyone who gets speeding tickets and traffic violations has (or had) a vehicle, or at least used one.  However, not everyone who has a vehicle gets traffic violations.  Having the vehicle is necessary to the ticket, but is not the sole factor.

Likewise, it is appearing more and more likely that while genetics may determine who is at risk or likely to develop ASD, environment plays a role as well, possibly even in larger part than genes.  When it comes to ASD, nature and nurture work together to decide if an individual will begin displaying autistic symptoms or not.

Google Plus

Google is the number one search engine.  When they roll out algorithm updates, it shakes the SEO world and everyone scrambles to catch up.  Adwords and Analytics are household names in the web industry, like how most disposable adhesive bandages are automatically referred to by the brand name Band Aid.

In the past, Google's forays into the world of social media have been pretty un-spectacular.  Now, however, they have started to release what may well be a game-changer.  Google+ is a social networking application for PC or mobile that brings all of the best features of sites like Facebook and combines then with the Google innovation and resources.  Tying in to their array of currently available services, this new product is currently available through invitation only.  This makes it more desirable and allows the early-adapters to get the hang of it before it becomes widely used.  It also allows Google to respond in real-time to any concerns from users.  I found in my research a couple of places where users had made suggestions and replied a day or so later, thanking Google for actually responding - something many people have despaired of in regards to Facebook for ages.  (Internet ages of course, something like several months or a year in the real world, I suppose.)

The down side to the invitation only releases of Google+ is that a social networking site can only get so far if only a fraction of your social network has it.  If no one you know is no it, the only draw is the novelty - there is no practicality until it becomes more widely used.  That same factor was probably the largest downfall of Google Wave, discussed in my previous post.  Every network has to start out with only a few users, however.  The bigger question is whether Google+ will be able to over take or co-exist with Facebook, as Facebook was able to do with MySpace.  (In related news, I have heard rumors that Justin Timberlake recently was involved in a buy-out of MySpace, with plans to revamp it largely as a music sharing site.)

Some distinctive features of Google + include:

• Circles.  Rather than a post going out to everyone you know and then some, you will be able to filter your posts and feeds by your social circles - work colleagues, family, friends from school, friends from *insert hobby here*, etc...
• Sparks.  I haven't used Google+ yet, but it sounds like this feature includes things you're likely to be interested in in your stream without requiring that you go out and find it first.  It also allows you to connect with others with similar interests.
• Hangouts.  This features allows you to jump into a video conference when you feel like it, "stopping by," effectively.  This allows multiple users to swing in and out of video chats as they are available and smoothly shows all the webcams.  Don't have a webcam?  Get one.  Or get an awesome, rugged, portable laptop that comes standard with a great one built in.
• Mobile Upload.  Google+ allows you to sign up for a service that automatically adds pictures to a private album in the cloud so that you can post them anytime any where without the hassle of uploading.

Will these features be enough to push Google+ past the shiny-and-new-and-exclusive stage of its current popularity?  That remains to be seen, but there are rumors and comments indicating that there may be a multitude of extra new features in the works, including shared games directly on the networking service, among other things.  I for one am anxiously awaiting an invitation from my early-adopter friends.  

Google is Making Waves in Social Netwokring

How many of you out there remember Google Wave?  How about Google Buzz?  


Google Wave was a service based on online real-time collaborative editing.  This service was released by invite only, at first, and allowed users to video chat, share documents, edit those documents, and see changes made by other in real time.  It also tracked the changes so you could see who had done what.  This could have revolutionized group projects and business proposals.  There were only two problems.  First, as a completely new type of service to most people, there was quite a bit of a learning curve, not just to learn how to use but also in what situations it would be helpful to use the service.  Second, because of the slow, invitation-only roll-out, there were relatively few others using the service.  Speaking from personal experience as one of the first users of the wave in the general public (I don't consider myself part of the beta, early-adopter, trend-setting crowd), only one of my contacts was using Wave.  There was not a whole lot of incentive to learn all of its features, and we had few applications for it in our lives.  Google Wave is still available, to the best of my knowledge, but I believe that it is no longer being developed or released for new users.


Google Buzz is a social networking service that takes Twitter's lead and moves further.  You can post links, comments, pictures, etc... and share them with your contacts.  What's more, it is integrated directly into Google's mail application, which currently holds over 7% of the market share, if you will, for email clients.  Moreover, Google's mail app is growing in usage by over 20% annually, making it the second fastest growing email client, next to iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad.  Even so, most people don't bother with Google Buzz.


Now, Google is rolling out a new, more extensive, social networking site.  Look for my next post, with more details.

Rebels Without a Cause: LulzSec

Most people have heard of Anonymous.  They are a mostly-political activist group of hackers, or hacktivists. Anonymous has gained a fair reputation in the last several months for being powerful enough to take down what sites they like, for supporting file sharing, and for activities supporting revolution in the Middle East.

Aside from these morally motivated pursuits, Anonymous is also responsible for several less defensible attacks and pranks, such as bombarding YouTube with porn disguised as family-friendly film.

Lately, a new hacker group has been making headlines: LulzSec.  LulzSec, or Lulz Security, is a grey hat hacker group committed to revealing and making fun of embarrassing security flaws.  Grey hat in this case means neither malicious hacking for personal gain (black hat), or paid hacking meant to test security features and reveal gaps before they are exploited (white hat).  Big name hacks include PBS, Sony, Bethesda Games, pron.com, Infragaurd (affiliated with FBI), and CIA.

These attacks range from just-for-fun, pointing-out-a-problem-cause-we-want-to-help, on down to the government attacks, motivated by a statement made by the Pentagon that hacking could be considered an act of war.  LulzSec considers it a game, not war, and seemed upset by the comparison.  In retaliation, they hacked the Senate website, releasing some non-crucial data along with  taunting statement (previous link is to an article by LulzSec, contains profanity).

LulzSec's main message breaks down into a few points:

1. Don't everyone be so serious.
2. Be more careful with your security (don't reuse passwords).
3.   It's a game.  We're winning.

Personally, I'd say the first two are fairly good advice.  

Fabulous February

Well, February has rolled around again, and you know what that means. My birthday! And a whole bunch of other stuff.


Groundhog's day was today, and groundhogs around the world are ready for Spring. As am I. However, some wonder whether we've been doing it wrong.  Despite good forecasts by the mammalia, a huge winter storm is pounding the Midwest and Northeast. 


Other fabulous February events include Black History Month, remembering  important people and events in the history of the African diaspora, and encouraging today's youth.


Also this month is the Mobile World Congress, an annual show being held in Spain featuring new technologies, as well as Valentine's Day, a much lower-tech event on the same day.


In the astronomical field, February marks a large discorvery of exoplanets -- some of which are pretty weird -- by the Kepler Space Telescope, as well as the mock arrival of a mock space mission to a mock Mars.


Completely unrelated, a new Harvard report says that college shouldn't be pushed quite so hard for students, the TSA is working on a less invasive body scan, and Google is accusing Microsoft search engine Bing of cheating - copying results from Google's search engine.  


What's new for you in February?