Universal Rule

Book Reviews

Tuesday, February 25, 2003

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New DNA Computer Functions sans Fuel: "[The] team, led by Ehud Shapiro, has announced a novel model of its biomolecular machine that no longer requires an external energy source and performs 50 times faster than its predecessor did. The Guinness Book of World Records has crowned it the world's smallest biological computing device." [News Is Free: Popular Items]

DNA, the Keeper of Life's Secrets -- Comment()
Celebrating 50 years of DNA: "By itself, therefore, the DNA discovery showed that every living creature from the lowliest bacterium to George W. Bush is really just a machine made of molecular parts that whir and click like the workings of an infinitely complex watch." [Google Technology News]

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Nanotech to pave way for micro-machines: "Nanotechnology--the science of making devices with features measuring less than 100 nanometers (or one-ten-millionth of a meter)--will let companies make smaller and cheaper products than ever before, which in turn will lead to new markets, according to Albert Pisano, a professor of engineering and computer science at the University of California at Berkeley." [CNET News.com > t e c h n o c u l t u r e]

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Curiouser and curiouser! writes that We're all knowledge workers now: "Here is a question: How do you bring knowledge management to people who do not see knowledge as part of their job? For example the workers in a process plant. There is knowledge all around them and embedded in the work that they do. How, in practical terms, to do you make them knowledge workers?"

How do Google and Pyra fit together? -- Comment()
Megnut points to Questions About Google Acquisition: "... leading bloggers were bursting with ideas last week. Many said that by tapping into Weblogs, or blogs, which link to and comment on the freshest material on the Web, Google will be able to build more human intelligence and timeliness into its already formidable search engine."

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Cells in blood may morph into liver, nerve cells: "Scientists have been able to coax a type of cell found in blood into several different types of specialized cells, including white blood cells, neuronal cells and liver cells. [...] Because such stem cells "can be easily gathered from a patient's own blood supply and be stored in liquid nitrogen, our studies suggest that they may be valuable candidates for transplantation therapies," Dr. Eliezer Huberman told Reuters Health." [Reuters Health eLine]

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Sony DSC-V1 - 5 mp, 4x zoom: "Sony has today announced its first foray into the compact prosumer market since the excellent DSC-S85. The DSC-V1 is designed to battle against Canon's hugely popular PowerShot G3..." [Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)]

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Sony DSC-P8 and P10: "Sony has today announced two new ultra-compact, pocketable 'P' series Cybershot digital cameras. The DSC-P8 has a three megapixel sensor and three times optical zoom lens, the DSC-P10 has a five megapixel sensor and three times optical zoom lens." [Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)]

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Sony DSC-P32, P52, P72 and P92: "As a part of no less than nine new digital cameras Sony has introduced four new Cybershot 'P' cameras with a range of features. The DSC-P32, P52 and P72 are all based on a three megapixel sensor and incrementally a fixed, two times and three times optical zoom lens." [Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)]

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Job No. 1 for Apple: Find a Parade and Get in Front of It: "The gauntlet has been thrown down. When David Stutz, a former product line manager at Microsoft, fired off a version of his resignation letter last week, arguing that Microsoft must innovate, it was a wake-up call to packaged software vendors: Decide how you'll bring value to free software, or face extinction." [osOpinion]