Sometimes life gives you the best surprises. I walked into the kitchen this afternoon and noticed on our windowsill possibly the biggest insect I’ve ever seen. It was still alive but reluctant to move.

Kapokapowai Bush Giant Dragonfly. See a bigger version of this photo (250 Kb).

What a stunner! I grabbed a few photos but didn’t think to measure it until I’d already taken it outside.

I actually had no idea what it was. It looked like a dragonfly, but it was so huge, and what was it doing in our kitchen?

Kapokapowai Bush Giant Dragonfly. 10 cm long, 13 cm wingspan.

There’s a measure along the edge of my insect book. Deb held the book up while I tried to grab a shot with my iPhone 4S. The Kapokapowai seems to be around 10 cm long, with a wingspan of around 13 cm.

My go-to book is Andrew Crowe’s Which New Zealand insect?. According to page 77 about the native Kapokapowai Bush Giant Dragonfly, Uropetala carovei:

The male has broad claspers at the back. Seen early summer to autumn near the edges of native forest. With a wingspan often reaching 13 cm and a body length 79–86mm, this is New Zealand’s largest dragonfly. Clattering flight. Large eyes, far apart. It can eat 20 huse flies in one hour and has been seen catching insects as large as cicadas. Yet the adults themselves are often eaten by rats, wild cats, kingfishers and even wasps. The Māori name (in its various forms: kākapowai, kapowai) has been used for all large dragonflies and means ‘water snatcher’.

Kapokapowai Bush Giant Dragonfly. Just look at those wings.

What a beauty! I hope more will visit in future.

All photos were with my iPhone 4S. I love the camera on the 4S!

Tech Universe: Tuesday 31 January 2012

• LONG LAUNCH: So you think you’ve seen rocket launches: that big whoosh and the thing hurtles into the sky. It’s all over in seconds. Not if you watch the narrated 8 minute version of the launch of Apollo 11 on 16 July 1969. The launch was recorded on film at a massive 500 frames per second. So what took 30 seconds of real time takes 8 minutes in this video, with fascinating detail. There’s a lot more goes on that just a whoosh and a roar. Spacecraft Films.
• ATTRACTIVE SOAP: Oil spills. Sigh. They’re an enormous problem to clean up, but scientists at the University of Bristol may have something to help. They dissolved iron in liquid surfactant to create a soap that can be controlled by magnets. The magnetic properties could mean that the soap can be readily removed from the environment once it’s done it’s cleaning job. And, with any luck, recycled too. University of Bristol.
• JAWS OF DEATH: Researcher at the University of California, Irvine tethered a transistor 25 times smaller than the circuitry in smartphones to teardrops. They aimed to discover how the antiseptic proteins called lysozymes in our tears actually destroy dangerous bacteria. They used the transistor to listen to a single molecule of protein. What the transistor showed is that lysozymes have jaws that latch on and chomp through rows of cell walls. The researchers hope this technique may prove useful in detecting cancerous molecules. I have visions of old-style video games. University of California, Irvine.
• SEE HOW IT RUNS: The Genius BlueEye DX-Eco wireless mouse won’t chew through batteries the way other mice sometimes do. That’s because it doesn’t need batteries to run. Instead it uses a gold capacitor that you charge for about 3 minutes per day. The makers claim you can recharge it up to 100,000 times. Hooray. No more worrying about how to dispose of dead batteries. Genius.
• DON’T GET TOO COMFY: Sitting in one position all day can cause all kinds of problems for the human body. And while for some of us, that just means we don’t get up and walk around often enough, for people who use wheelchairs it can be a serious problem. Engineers from Empa and the company «r going» in Switzerland are testing a new ergonomic seat for electric wheelchairs. The backrest of the seat shell is constructed of ribs and joints which simulate the structure of a human torso. An ergotherapist uses a console to program the movements of the backrest. Meanwhile, a pressure mat on the seat measures how the users change their sitting position, shifting the location of pressure points. Initial testing suggests this approach will be effective in helping users change their position frequently. It’s a sort of high-tech poke in the ribs then. Empa.

Tech Universe: Wednesday 01 February 2012

• LEANING TOWARDS MILAN: Normally if a building’s on a lean you’d stay clear of it. Except in Pisa, Italy, of course. Now Milan has a pair of hotels that lean on purpose. The architect designed in a 5 degree lean on the pair of buildings that make up the NH Fiera hotel. It must have been a nightmare for the builders, trying to keep everything ‘square’. NH Hotels.
• DRIVING MARS: NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have created a couple of interactive websites that let visitors ‘drive around’ on Mars. You have to install the Unity Web Player browser plugin, but once it’s installed you have an interactive, 360 degree view to play with, tilting the view, zooming in and turning around. Go play on Mars. Gizmodo. Explore Mars: Curiosity. Explore Mars: Spirit’s Journey.
• SCIENCE AND ART COLLIDE: In the past to test if a work of art was a forgery you’d have to take a physical sample and destroy it. Now nuclear physicists at the University of Notre Dame, USA, test using accelerated ion beams. The proton beam causes electrons to rearrange themselves and emit electromagnetic radiation that betrays what elements make up the work. This helps identify the composition of pigments or other materials, revealing forgeries. It also helps explain where ancient artefacts derived from, revealing trading partners for example. Ah, an archaeological tricorder. Physics Today.
• PRECISION DRONE: You’d think the Americans were the only ones to have drone military aircraft. But the Europeans are making headway too: the nEUROn is a technology demonstrator for a European Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle. It’s the first stealth combat drone developed in Europe on behalf of half a dozen countries. One of its capabilities will be to drop Precision Guided Munitions. The maiden flight is expected in the middle of this year. Let’s hope the precision extends to hitting real targets and not civilians. The Aviationist.
• FISH FEED: Last year’s tsunami in Japan hit the fishing industry hard. One fishing firm, Sanriku Toretate Ichiba, have installed web cams on their vessels. As they catch fish they sell them online, rather than simply bringing the catch to market in port. They hope to help make fishing more sustainable by matching supply and demand and reducing the quantity of fish that goes to waste. If you’re buying from a seller you trust, why would you need a physical marketplace? New Scientist.

Tech Universe: Thursday 02 February 2012

• FLY AND DRIVE: Is that a plane in your garage? Terrafugia’s Transition vehicle is a ‘roadable aircraft’. It’s a light-sport aircraft that must operate out of an airport, but it can fold its wings, shift power from the propeller to the rear wheels and drive on the roads. It includes such car safety features as airbags and crumple zones. It’s intended to allow you to drive from home to the airport, fly to an airport near your destination and then drive the rest of the way. It uses petrol rather than aviation fuel. That vehicle idea just might fly. CNN.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE2Ij7Rfw1Q

• WIRELESS OLYMPICS: The 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games will be challenging in many ways, not least of which is the demand for wireless connections. With more than 26,000 members of the press expected to attend there’s an enormous demand for wireless for broadcast use. Ofcom, the provider, will be borrowing spectrum from the Ministry of Defence and taking over whitespace freed up by turning off analogue TV. Hey folks, keep in mind that every single spectator also plans on using wireless to live tweet the events! BBC.
• BIG PHISH: The big email providers want to clean up emails, especially spam and phishing. To that end they’re collaborating on Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance, a specification for email authentication. Contributors include Google, AOL, Facebook, PayPal, Microsoft and Yahoo. Anything anyone can do to help kill off spam is a welcome contribution. DMARC.
• SMART GPS: Microsoft’s Pedestrian Route Production will combine data from GPS, weather reports, crime statistics and demographics. Then it will advise users on routes that avoid dangerous parts of town, bad weather and difficult terrain. Will it also stop people from blindly driving into rivers because the GPS showed that was the way to go? NPR.
• SHOECAM: The Bootstrapper project at the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany uses cameras below a table to record people’s feet. It’s not just any table though, but a touchscreen table being used by more than one person. The system identifies shoes and matches the wearer to actions on screen using arm position as a guide. The system is wide open to spoofing — a user could wear the same shoes as someone else. But it could be an adjunct to other more cumbersome techniques for tracking multiple touchscreen users. And maybe the shoes could include some kind of double authentication token too. Technology Review.

Tech Universe: Friday 03 February 2012

• 3D CRIME: There’s a crime scene, with all kinds of evidence, and investigators tromping around in the middle of it potentially creating problems. At the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands researchers are working on an augmented reality system to capture and mark images of a crime scene for later study back in the lab. First an investigator wears a head-mounted display that sends 3D video to a laptop in a backpack. They use hand gestures to overlay markers, for example pointing out a blood spatter. The system stores a 3D model of the scene, complete with overlay markers. That can’t be real — we haven’t seen it on TV yet. New Scientist.
• THE SHINING: Need a bit more light? The 4Sevens XM18 ‘flashlight’ will surely exceed all your needs. With around 35 lithium batteries and 18 LED components it produces 15,000 lumens — enough to light up your whole neighbourhood. Just don’t point it up at the sky. 4Sevens.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPJgwFiigs8

• A SHOT IN THE PARK: Engineers at the Sandia National Laboratories in the USA have created a bullet that can navigate for up to 2 Km at twice the speed of sound to reach its target. The bullets are about 10 cm long and have an optical sensor in the tip. The shooter shines a laser beam on a far-off target. Actuators inside the bullet respond to data from the sensor to steer it with tiny fins. The guidance means that even with cross-winds or changes in air density the bullets can be accurate to within a few centimetres. Moral of the story: if you’re a target, don’t stand still. Wired.
• MIND YOUR LANGUAGE: Spy movies prove to us that passwords can be hacked and fingerprint or retina scanners can be foiled. So how can we actually authenticate ourselves when security requires it? DARPA are exploring the idea that we all interact with our technology in unique ways, because we all think slightly differently. These cognitive fingerprints could also show whether the person who started a computer session is the same one continuing to work with it. Metrics could include keystrokes, eye tracking on the page and the specific language someone uses. Who would have thought it — our misuse of apostrophes could finally come in handy. Network World.
• SENSITIVE PARKING: The SFPark program in San Francisco aims to help drivers find car parks, so reducing traffic congestion, accidents and pollution. A magnetic sensor is embedded in the ground beneath each parking spot and sends its data to a central management system. Drivers use a website or smart-phone app to see real-time data about where spots are free and how much they cost. That real-time data is also useful for city planners. Give it up; take the bus. Technology Review.

Do you need a writer or trainer? I’m available for and looking for casual, short-term and long-term contracts writing articles, help files, training manuals, websites. See my Portfolio then Contact me.

Notes: I write a Tech Universe column for the NZ Herald. This is a fun assignment: Tech Universe brings 5 headlines each day about what’s up in the world of technology. Above are the links from last week as supplied. The items that were published in The Herald may differ slightly.

While I find all the items interesting, some are just cooler than others. I’ve marked out those items.

It’s hard to find any information about Te Raekaihau headland on Wellington’s South Coast.

But I was driving past recently when I glimpsed the start of a walking track. Today was the day for the dogs and I to explore the track. It was a good day for it — overcast and neither cool nor warm.

Te Raekaihau track starts opposite Princess Bay on the South Coast.

The Headland

There’s quite a bit written about Te Raekaihau Point — the darkish spot on the Coast where you can get good views of the Southern sky because there aren’t too many artificial lights around. But my searching for information about the headland and its tracks didn’t produce anything useful.

Even though apparently Te Raekaihau, part of Te Ranga a Hiwi, can be translated as the headland that eats the wind it actually wasn’t a windy walk at all.

The Journal of the Polynesian Society tells us:

Te Ranga-a-Hiwi. We have seen that this is the Maori name of the range extending from Pt. Jerningham to the coast between Lyall and Island Bays, and on which are the three peaks known as Mt. Victoria, Mt. Alfred and Mt. Albert.

Steep climbs

If you’re thinking of doing this walk be ready for some very steep climbing. I think my calves will be complaining tomorrow.

One of several signposts on Te Raekaihau walk. In the background is a glimpse of the South Island.

The tracks themselves were overgrown and clearly not used much. We did meet a party of 3 women coming down the hill just as we were starting up, but didn’t see anyone else.

Where we walked on Te Raekaihau.

There were plenty of signposts, though, crucially, not where we needed them on the track we were coming down at the end of the walk. After stumbling around lost, but heading downhill, we eventually came out behind The Pines.

Beautiful views

As you’d expect, the higher we climbed the better the views.

On the next page are half a dozen photos I took on the walk. The page comes in at around 300 KB.

All up we walked a tad less than 3 Km and spent an hour doing it.

I wouldn’t do this walk in or soon after rain as it’s too overgrown, and parts are very steep so could be horribly slippery. But if you’re fit, enjoy scenery and fancy a different walk then give it a try.

As always, dogs are supposed to be on leash, though I can’t really see why they need to be on this walk.

More dog walks

A couple of years ago I started up the Run Spot Run website to review off-leash dog walks in Wellington, New Zealand. If you have dogs please visit and help fill in and build up the information.

Tech Universe: Monday 23 January 2012

• SUPERBUS: Big cities need to move a lot of people around, so forget your piffling city bus that carries maybe 50 people to work in the morning. Go big: China’s Youngman JNP6250G superbus is 25 metres long and can carry 300 people. It has 2 bending sections to allow it to go around corners, and 5 doors. The buses will be used on Bus Rapid Transit in Beijing and Hangzhou. Maybe they’d be useful in Auckland too. China Tech Gadget.
• NO SPACE FOR TRASH: At the moment if you can get off planet you’re pretty much free of laws and regulation. You can litter as much as you like, and just generally do anything you can afford. Now at last the US is joining existing European efforts to create an International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities. The Code aims to establish guidelines for the responsible use of space, including cleaning up our space environment. Section One: no storing or sharing files in space. Network World.
• SUGAR PHONE: The Smart GlucoMeter from iHealth is a detachable dongle for an iOS device that helps track blood sugar levels. Add a small sample of blood to a test strip and insert the strip into the dongle. The iHealth app records the level and produces various charts and alerts. Our health in our own hands. Wired.
• PUT THIS IN YOUR PIPE: Researchers in California have found a way to use cheap plastic to remove CO2 from the air. One of their goals was to filter out CO2 from the air being used by iron-based batteries. They added inexpensive polyethylenimine to the surface of fumed silica and created a material that was good at absorbing CO2 from humid air at comparatively low temperatures. Sounds like we should attach these to the exhaust pipe of every vehicle on the road. Science Now.
• FOUR BY ONE: Silicon wires just 4 atoms wide and 1 atom tall can carry as much electrical current as copper wires, according to researchers from Australia and the US. The wires are made from chains of phosphorus atoms within a silicon crystal. This could be very useful for creating actual quantum computers. They must surely have much wider application than just quantum computers. PhysOrg.

Tech Universe: Tuesday 24 January 2012

• GIANT EYE: The Giant Magellan Telescope will be situated high in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile in 2020 when it’s finished. The telescope will have 7 mirrors, each 8.4 metres in diameter, arranged as segments of a single mirror 24.5 metres in diameter. The spun glass has to be polished to an optical surface accuracy within about 25 nanometers. The GMT will be able to acquire images 10 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope. It should be a whole lot easier and cheaper to maintain and repair too. Giant Magellan Telescope.
• PAINLESS EYE: After some eye surgeries patients must use anaesthetic eye drops at regular intervals over several days. Researchers at the University of Florida have found a way to use Vitamin E to load topical anaesthetics into silicone contact lenses so that they release slowly over 1 to 7 days. What other substances could be added to contact lenses for slow release? MedGadget.
• ROBOTS INSIDE: Researchers from Israel and the USA collaborated to create a robot that will be able to swim through the intestines and send back images. The microswimmer is the size of a large pill. This is different from current similar devices because its movements can be controlled so it can be directed to where it’s most useful. Its copper and flexible polymer tail vibrates in response to the magnetic field created by an MRI scan and propels the device. Next on the list is presumably a handheld device to create the required magnetic field. Singularity Hub.
• HEART OF STEEL: Our societies run on solid copper wire, so it’s not actually terribly funny when people steal it then communications go down. With the price of copper still rising, in some places telecom cable theft is epidemic. The GroundSmart Copper Clad Steel cable hopes to deter theft, simply by being equally effective but less valuable. It uses a thin layer of copper casing around a steel core. Take that, copper thieves. PC World.
• SPIRALLING POWER: A concentrated solar power plant has a central tower that receives sunshine reflected from mirrors all around it. The tower then generates power. Now researchers at MIT and Aachen University in Germany have found that arranging the mirrors in the same kind of spiral pattern as seen in sunflowers can reduce the footprint by 20% and increase the power. The Fermat spiral pattern is more compact, and reduces shading and blocking by neighbouring mirrors. The mantra should always be: follow what nature does. ScienceDaily.

Tech Universe: Wednesday 25 January 2012

• FOLD TO PARK: The Hiriko Citycar is a prototype small foldable electric car from Spain, in collaboration with the MIT. Yes, foldable. The wheels contain all the stuff that’s usually under the bonnet, allowing passengers to enter and exit through the front. The front part swivels from horizontal to vertical and the rear slides forward so the car folds up easily for parking. You could store a six pack in your one-car garage. Hiriko.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSKpE2d3BaY

• CASH FOR PHONES: What to do with that old phone? Try to sell it? Put it in the rubbish and feel guilty? Keep it until the next eWaste Day? The ecoATM has the answer. To help prevent fraud you provide identification. Then the ecoATM physically scans your device and provides information on its value. If you accept the deal you walk away with cash from the machine in exchange for your phone or MP3 player. It’s currently available in several US states. The easier recycling is the more likely we’ll do it.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuKpAgF59f8

• WRIST CONTROL: WristQue is a project in its early stages at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It’s a wristband packed with sensors to detect changes in temperature, humidity and light. It also has a couple of buttons. The wristband is designed to interact with a smart building to help control the temperature in various rooms. The system can build up predictive patterns of activity and behaviour and also react to direct input from users. In a 3-week trial energy usage was reduced by 24% because less air-conditioning was needed to keep all occupants comfortable. An even smarter system would allow for microclimates so each person could get the right temperature, not just endure the average for the room. New Scientist.
• 2-WAY LIGHT: BASF and Philips have created a transparent Organic Light Emitting Diode — when it’s switched off, anyway. When it’s switched on it provides light. Used in a car sunroof for example, it would allow occupants to enjoy natural daylight, but at night it would light only the interior of the car. This would handily replace a skylight in a building too. PhysOrg.
• CLOUD WORKING: Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have created a luminous ceiling that gives the impression of working outdoors under an ever-changing cloudy sky. The lighting conditions resemble those produced by passing clouds. 50cm by 50cm tiles each contain 288 red, blue, green and white light emitting diodes that together generate more than 16 million hues. A diffuser film in matt white below each tile ensures individual points of light aren’t visible. A preliminary study suggests that users find the dynamic lighting to be extremely pleasant. Computers in the cloud, workers in the cloud; what’s not in the cloud? Fraunhofer Institute.

Tech Universe: Thursday 26 January 2012

• POLE POSITION: Getting tired of your electric skateboard? Looking for something a little different? The Personal Rover is an 800W 4-wheeled electric powered board that you steer with handles like ski poles rather than a T bar. You stand facing forward on this one. It also has casters and a small platform at the back so you can store it in a vertical position. Stand, Rover, stand. Personal Rover.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk-OeXz4Ve0

• GUN SHOW: The New York Police Department have a new gadget to help officers determine if someone’s carrying a gun. The infrared scanner works from a distance of around a metre and will be mounted on a van. Since infrared rays can’t pass through metal it’s easy to see a gun’s location on the human body. Police hope to extend the scanner’s range to 25 metres. If it’s mounted on a van I’d think the biggest problem would be getting a clear view of the suspect in the first place. NY Post.
• NANO SPONGE: On the battlefield uncontrolled bleeding is a leading cause of death. Traditional methods of controlling bleeding have many drawbacks for use in battle. So MIT researchers developed a nanoscale biological coating that consists of layers of thrombin and tannin. This is sprayed onto sponges that can be stored for months then used when they’re needed. The sponges mould to the shape of any wound. Tests showed that applying a sponge for 60 seconds with light pressure would stop bleeding. Pick up a few for your home first aid kit. MIT News.
• CARTOON TEST: The Dynamic Ocular Evaluation System is an inexpensive eye test for young children that’s also easy to administer. The child watches a 3 minute cartoon or plays a computer game. Infrared light is used to test various aspects of the child’s vision. Results are recorded digitally and can be sent to a specialist if needed. The child needs only watch the screen and doesn’t have to answer any questions. The idea is for pediatricians to be able to administer the tests during routine visits. I wish eye tests for adults were as simple. The University of Tennessee.
• HIDE AND SEEK: The US military have started using a weapon called the XM25. This 6 Kg gun programmes the 25mm round it fires to explode near its target rather than when it hits something. The point is to be able to kill enemy combatants who are taking cover behind objects such as rocks. A laser rangefinder determines the distance to the covering object, then the shooter estimates the distances from the object to the person and feeds in that data. After firing, a computer in the XM25 calculates the distance the round has travelled and detonates it so as to cover the target with lethal shrapnel. It’s accurate at ranges of up to 500 metres. At the moment each bullet has to be made by hand and costs several hundred dollars. Imagine if it could be programmed to disable, perhaps with sound or light, rather than kill. The Economist.

Tech Universe: Friday 27 January 2012

• 3D EARTH: The German Earth observation satellites TanDEM-X and TerraSAR-X have completely mapped the entire land surface of Earth for the first time. The data is to create a high-precision, 3D digital elevation model of Earth. The radar system views the ground from two different points in space only around 150 metres apart. Analysis creates an exceptionally accurate, global and homogeneous 3D elevation model. Since different land areas reflect or absorb the radar signal differently the satellites need to make several passes to acquire all the data they need. Now they should combine that with Google Maps. DLR German Aerospace Center.
• STACKED CHIPS: A new CMOS image sensor from Sony is more compact than previous CMOS sensors and captures better quality images, even in low light. The new sensors will be useful for small devices such as cellphones, especially since they are also faster and draw less power. These benefits all derive from a new stacked arrangement of the components. It’s all in the way you hold the sensors. Sony.
• DOG MEET SNAKE ROBOT: A robot snake with a camera can help rescuers see what’s going on inside piles of rubble or other disaster scenes. But how does it get there? One delivery mechanism is a rescue dog. The camera’s strapped under the dog in a special harness. When the dog finds a human it barks. That releases the robot snake so it can explore the area, sending images back to base. And then how does the snake robot get out again? IEEE Spectrum.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p9L9lGgztE

• CIRCULAR SCAN: Taking a photo of an object is one thing. A 3D representation is another. The OrcaM Orbital Camera System from NEK in Germany combines the two into a system to digitise objects. An object up to 80 cm in diameter and weighing up to 100 Kg is placed inside a spherical scanner that uses special patterns of lights. Multiple cameras capture images then software reconstructs a 3D geometry. The digitised images could be used on the web, in computer games or even in movies. Isn’t the whole 3D thing already covered in movies? NEK.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHEi55oJJOA

• ROAD BLOCK: The Scosche cellCONTROL is a small device that uses Bluetooth to block calls as soon as a vehicle begins moving. Users activate the system online and download an app to their phone. Then they install a small trigger unit into the vehicle. As soon as the vehicle is in motion the unit blocks drivers from being able to text message, email or make phone calls unless a handsfree headset is detected by the mobile device. Tampering or misuse are reported to an administrator. Sounds good, if it still leaves passengers able to make calls. Autoblog.

Do you need a writer or trainer? I’m available for and looking for casual, short-term and long-term contracts writing articles, help files, training manuals, websites. See my Portfolio then Contact me.

Notes: I write a Tech Universe column for the NZ Herald. This is a fun assignment: Tech Universe brings 5 headlines each day about what’s up in the world of technology. Above are the links from last week as supplied. The items that were published in The Herald may differ slightly.

While I find all the items interesting, some are just cooler than others. I’ve marked out those items.

Tech Universe: Monday 16 January 2012

• JUST BREATHE: European scientists are developing biosensors that can detect the presence of tumour markers of lung cancer in exhaled breath. Our breath contains all kinds of organic compounds, and cancer doesn’t have a single marker. Instead several compounds together can betray it. Tecnalia developed novel materials sensitive enough to detect the compounds medical teams are interested in. Being able to detect tumours early improves the chances of being cured. Sensitive materials, eh. Like a dog’s nose? Tecnalia.
• PAWSED: PAWS may just save your life one day. It stands for Portable, All-Terrain, Wireless System — a lightweight night and day camera that straps on to a search and rescue dog and sends a wireless signal back to a human controller nearby. A trained dog can search through rubble or a collapsed building, while a rescue commander can watch what it sees. An infrared view can cut through dark spaces, Once the dog locates someone who’s trapped the rescue team can go in. The UK makers had to source a camera that weighed even less than a standard helmet cam so a dog could wear it. Does the dog get a helmet too? BBC.
• WALKABOUT: Ekso Bionics hope their new exoskeleton can help people with paraplegia to walk on their own. It’s intended for medical facilities where people can be supervised while they train to use it. A physiotherapist helps control the device with a remote, while the human inside it needs to learn to balance their upper body. In case you think this sounds familiar, Ekso were previously called Berkeley Bionics. If you can walk unassisted now, don’t take it for granted. IEEE.
• SHIFTING SANDS: Teaching robots to walk on a hard surface is tricky enough. On sand it’s enormously more difficult because sand shifts, and the feet sink in. Engineers from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, have been studying how a small model robot foot walks in sand. They plan to use this data for full-size robots. Eventually they hope to help robots walk on any kind of sand or loose soil. And maybe it could be applied to exoskeletons too. New Scientist.
• EVERYONE KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE: The US Government runs the current Global Positioning System, and that introduces problems of a political nature. Now China has its own version of GPS in operation. Beidou make available location, timing and navigation data in China and surrounding areas. 10 satellites are currently in orbit for Beidou, while another half dozen should launch soon. Then the network will be doubled over the next few years. Beidou should be correct to within 10 metres for civilians, but the Chinese military can access more accurate data. What’s good for everyone is that the system is compatible and interoperable with the world’s other navigation systems. Meanwhile the European system called Galileo should be up and running in a few years. Location, location, location. BBC.

Tech Universe: Tuesday 17 January 2012

• POD PILGRIMS: The pods are coming to Amritsar, India. Transport pods, that is. As many as 500,000 Sikh pilgrims visit the Golden Temple each year, and authorities are concerned about the building degrading because of vehicle emissions. The electric pods will help carry visitors to the shrine. The personal rapid transit system is like the one at Heathrow Airport in London. 200 automated electric pods will shuttle an average of 100,000 passengers per day over 3.3 Km of track. Each pod will carry 6 passengers, and must withstand both 50 degree Celsius heat and monsoon rain. There are surely plenty more places that could use this kind of system. New York Times.
• BOTTLE SEATS: The 2012 Ford Focus Electric uses sustainable Repreve fabrics. The hybrid blend fabric is created from used plastic water bottles and polyester fibre manufacturing waste. Each car keeps 22 bottles out of the landfill. That’s a drop in an ocean of plastic water bottles. Repreve.
• ENERGY GO ROUND: The Energy Return Wheel suspends a wheel within a wheel. As the wheel touches the road a special rubber membrane between the two absorbs energy and noise and returns the energy later in the cycle. This has the potential to save fuel and to offer a smoother ride. Moreover the tire is airless so punctures aren’t a problem. The wheel can be used on any vehicle. If the ride’s smoother, long distance travel may be less tiring too, I guess. Energy Return Wheel.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGvRnij2zoE

• TAG YOU’RE OUT: Wheelchair users need those specially marked parking spots but often the spots are used by those who shouldn’t be there. New Zealand’s Car Parking Technologies may have a solution. Their system provides eligible drivers with an electronic tag. Sensors in the parking spots detect the tag and instantly notify parking enforcement personnel when a car with no tag stops there. The system costs about the same as the current permit system, and could be easily adapted for other kinds of reserved parking too. Even better: just connect it to an instant fine system. Gizmag.
• SUPERSPEED TRAINS: China has just tested a train that will speed through the countryside at up to 500 Kph. The train’s made of plastic reinforced with carbon fibre and has a maximum tractive power of 22,800 kilowatts. Officials say it won’t necessarily travel that fast though as they have concerns about safety. The landscape would just be a blur at that speed. PhysOrg.

Tech Universe: Wednesday 18 January 2012

• HE’S ALIVE, JIM: Would you like to win US$10 million? All you have to do is create a working medical device like the tricorder used on Star Trek. The Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize wants competitors to come up with a portable, wireless device that fits in the palm of your hand and accurately monitors and diagnoses 15 health conditions. The device must also be easy to use, to have a shot at winning. Go. Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize.
• COLD STORAGE: Cramming bits onto a hard drive is one way to store computer data. IBM hope there may be another way. Conventional storage has the spin of atoms aligned and that causes problems. This new technique used counter-aligned spin. Researchers were able to store a magnetic-memory bit in just 12 iron atoms. While this would allow much denser data storage there is a problem. Researchers had to assemble each bit under a scanning tunneling microscope and the data was only held for a few hours. Oh, and it was at almost zero degrees Kelvin. It’s all in the way you spin the data. Technology Review.
• HIGH HOPES: The Baluarte Bridge was recently completed in Mexico and is now the tallest suspension bridge in the world. It is 1,124 metres long, supported by 152 steel suspenders, with a 520 m central span and 4 lanes suspended at a height of over 400 metres. The Eiffel Tower would easily fit underneath. The bridge cuts 6 hours travel time off travel between Durango and Mazatlán and should help open up travel in Mexico. That’s one way to get high in Mexico. Presidency of the Republic.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu_CkrLpkkY

• INVISIBLE STYLES: There are cameras all over the place, and facial recognition software has become alarmingly accurate. But what say you don’t want to be easily recognised by security software? Hoods and masks may not be allowed in many places, but some clever make up and hair styles could do the job. Computer Vision’s Dazzle technique takes its name from Word War 1 camouflage that appeared to break up the shapes of warships. Using patterned makeup and carefully cut hair could fool facial recognition software. Which profilers could see as a reason in itself to suspect a wearer. CV Dazzle.
• SHARP-EYED BIRD: The US Army has some new drones that can take off vertically, hover and reach an altitude of up to 6 Km. The A160 Hummingbird carries a 1.8 gigapixel colour camera that can provide real-time video streams at 10 frames a second. Operators can use the camera to track up to 6 objects on the ground, even if they’re moving in different directions. Those are some scary capabilities. BBC.

Tech Universe: Thursday 19 January 2012

• WINDOW TV: Samsung’s Smart Window is a large TFT LCD touchscreen. It can be completely transparent and function as a window in the wall of your house. But wait, there’s more. It also lets you use apps such as for weather or recipes, or to check Twitter, and works as a TV. It has day and night modes, and apparently doesn’t show what you’re watching to the outside world. SO the neighbours won’t know about your secret shopping channel obsession. Gizmodo.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTVPVobDrms

• SEA ROCKET: Russia’s Phobos-Grunt spacecraft was meant to be on its way to Mars. Instead it failed after launch late last year and entered a decaying orbit. The other day it re-entered the atmosphere, breaking apart and scattering debris into the Pacific. The Pacific seafloor must be littered with dead spacecraft by now. Scientific American.
• NUDGING SPACE: It’s not only the Phobos-Grunt launch that went very wrong. One that was kept quiet until the craft was rescued was the US Air Force’s $2 billion AEHF-1 communications satellite. It failed to reach its required orbit when a fuel line clogged. Controllers had to find another way to boost it thousands of miles into place. Eventually they used hundreds of tiny thruster manoeuvres. At least it should be a while until that one comes down in the Pacific. Wired.
• ROCKET BRICKS: Here’s one rocket that shouldn’t end up in the Pacific: it’s made of 120,000 Lego bricks and took 250 hours to build. It’s a 5.76 metre tall scale model of the Saturn V rocket, complete with gantry, liquid fuel tanks and the NASA Astrovan. Maybe you shouldn’t try this at home: the model was built by an Australian LEGO Certified Professional. Really? Certified to work with Lego? The Brick Man.
• DOLPHIN DETECTORS: The US Navy has 80 bottlenose dolphins in San Diego Bay that have been trained to detect mines and drop acoustic transponders nearby. Apparently dolphins have been used several times in the last decade to detect mines, in part because of their powerful sonar. Perhaps they could also be trained to locate bits of failed spacecraft. The Atlantic Wire.

Tech Universe: Friday 20 January 2012

• 3D CHINA: China Central Television is launching a 3D TV channel as a trial. Viewers with 3D sets and high definition digital TV set-top boxes can watch their service. 3D channels are already available in Japan, South Korea and India. I’m surprised there’s enough 3D content to actually fill a channel. BBC.
• GO SOLO: The Solowheel is a gyro stabilised, electric unicycle about the size of a briefcase. It’s powered by a lithium-ion battery, and has fold out footpegs. Step on and travel 25 to 30 Km at 16 Kph over rough pavement. When you arrive fold it up and carry it with you. That’d be very handy for those who commute by train. Solowheel.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp_GxDPyYik

• WILL FLY FOR OIL: We hear a lot about military uses for drones, but the Aeryon Scout micro unmanned aerial vehicle, based in Nome, Alaska, has been proving its worth to citizens. The drone flies on 20-minute missions from the beach in Nome and sends back images of ice in the Bering Sea. Why? To help a tanker carrying much-needed oil to find its way as close to Nome as possible then lay out a 1.6 Km hose back to shore. Sounds like every city and town should have its own drone. The Anchorage Daily News.
• WHALERCOASTER: Whales are tricky to track because they swim deep under the sea for much of the time. US researchers have been radio-tagging whales with sensors to record the orientation, depth and speed of whales as they swim. Eventually the tags fall off, surface and send back their data. The Track Plot software from a computer scientist at the University of New Hampshire in Durham displays the data in video animations. The data helps researchers understand the behaviour of whales. The video shows a path that would make a pretty good roller coaster ride. Science Now. Video:
• FAMILY FINDER: In a crisis aid workers have a lot to do very quickly. Researchers from The University of Manchester in the UK, created software to quickly and accurately locate missing people and to point people towards safe zones, all using mobile phones. The Where’s Safe app replies to an SMS with info about safe areas. The REUNITE software and web app accepts phone recordings by aid workers of people separated from their families. These are uploaded to a website, transcribed and used to help find displaced people. Info can then be sent back to the aid worker’s phone. Crowdsourcing, crisis and cellphones: a great combination. The University of Manchester.

Do you need a writer or trainer? I’m available for and looking for casual, short-term and long-term contracts writing articles, help files, training manuals, websites. See my Portfolio then Contact me.

Notes: I write a Tech Universe column for the NZ Herald. This is a fun assignment: Tech Universe brings 5 headlines each day about what’s up in the world of technology. Above are the links from last week as supplied. The items that were published in The Herald may differ slightly.

While I find all the items interesting, some are just cooler than others. I’ve marked out those items.

One of my Internet pals in New Mexico gave me a little gift yesterday, which left me grinning like a fool. Virginia DeBolt went to hear one of her favourite authors speak — someone who’s one of my favourites too: Nevada Barr.

After the talk Virginia had Nevada Barr hold up a sign:

I made this hokey looking sign for Miraz, and Nevada happily posed with a greeting to her far-away fan. The last thing she told me after signing my book, was, “And hi to Miraz.”

This is Virginia’s photo (resized to fit here):

Nevada Barr says Hi Miraz.

The ebook geography problem

I first discovered Nevada Barr’s books a little more than a year ago, thanks to the Kindle store. I mentioned them in Try an ebook today — they’re fun.

What that article didn’t mention though was that only her first book — the one that got me hooked on her writing — was available to me on Kindle.

I came across Track of the Cat (An Anna Pigeon Novel), was interested, downloaded it moments later after paying by credit card and was reading it within minutes, all without leaving the couch. Oh, and ‘shipping’ was free.

Some of the Nevada Barr Kindle books available to US-based readers.

As soon as I finished it I went back to Amazon to buy the next one in the series.

Did you know that if you visit from a US IP address you can see around 21 of her books in the Kindle format, mostly at US$7.99 per book, but if you visit from a New Zealand IP address you see only one (plus one anthology that includes some of her work)?

That day I was in the swing. I had my figurative wallet out and was about to willingly hand over some virtual cash, and … nothing but frustration.

Frustration!

This is not the first time I’ve been disadvantaged by geography. Another of my most favourite authors is Marcia Muller and it’s the same story — I can’t buy her books in Kindle format. Not a single one of her superb Sharon McCone series is available to me on Kindle, because I’m in New Zealand.

I’ll spare you the long rant, but this really annoys and frustrates me.

When I bought the paperback of Muller’s Locked In from Amazon back in September 2010 — I’ve tried and failed to find any of her books locally, except occasionally in second hand stores — I paid US$7.99 for the book and US$9.98 for shipping. New Zealand is a long way away from almost everywhere.

All of the Nevada Barr Kindle books available to NZ-based readers.

I only paid those prices because I had a coupon that covered half the amount. Shipping at the rate I can afford takes weeks.

I suspect most Kiwis who buy from Amazon save up until they have a bunch of items and then buy them all at once to save on shipping.

I’ve bought numerous books from Amazon since then — none were on paper and all were Kindle books.

No spontaneous purchases

So, back to the Kindle Store. I was ready and willing to pay out a sum of money for the instant gratification of reading the series one after the other on my iPad. But it was no go because they wouldn’t sell the books to me.

In fact, if I was logged in they wouldn’t even show the books to me.

The Library loop

So I bought something else instead and read that. Then sometime later I borrowed my partner’s Library Card and visited Wellington Central Library. I haven’t owned, wanted or needed a library card for well over a decade now, perhaps more like 15 years.

After a 10 minute drive to town, finding a free space, paying for parking, I found the correct shelves in the Library and was lucky enough to find the next few books in the series.

I borrowed them, drove home, read them. Then repeated the process, with the added frustration of not finding a couple of books in the middle of the series.

An eternal optimist

I’m now a few books behind with both favourite authors. I’m really reluctant to buy anything on paper any more, and definitely won’t buy a hardback book. Those hardbacks always seem to be published first — it’s very annoying.

I keep thinking with each book that this time they’ll let me buy the Kindle version. Each time so far I’ve been disappointed. I’m in New Zealand so I’m not allowed to buy that version.

Authors and publishers please sell to me

Here’s my plea: authors and publishers, it’s the 21st century. We have devices that display your ebooks superbly. We have instant delivery at almost zero cost. We have a global economy. We have the technology to pay you in your country instantly in your currency from our country.

We have folks here who want to pay you for your products delivered as ebooks.

For that matter, we have people who want to buy all kinds of digital products, including movies and music, if only they were legally available to us. We’re talking books, music and movies here folks, not heroin or biological warfare agents.

Authors: please sell us your work, as ebooks. That $4 parking fee? I’d rather pay it to you for your ebooks than to the Council to rent a small rectangle of roadway for an hour.

And if it’s your publisher who’s stuck in the 19th century, give them a push! Show them the wonders of this newfangled thing called the Internet. I’m sure they’d like to expand their market.

Nevada Barr: thanks for the Hi, and the photo. That was a nice little buzz for the day. From you in New Mexico to me in Wellington, New Zealand in the blink of an eye. The Internet is magic!

Tech Universe: Tuesday 10 January 2012

• THE SIGN OF THE TEXT: Typing out text messages is such a pain — there’s the tiny keyboard to deal with for one thing. So how about being able to type text messages by hand gestures and sign language? One group of developers has added flex sensors, a tiny gyroscope and a handful of Arduino to a glove and hooked it all up to an Android phone. After a bit of training the phone will type what the gloved hand signs. Sign you later. DVICE.
• GRIDS IN SPACE: Plenty of groups are trying to restrict the Internet by imposing censorship of various kinds. At the recent Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin a group decided to create a Hackerspace Global Grid. It could create an independent communications network and perhaps even send an astronaut to the Moon. The first step is a grid of low-cost ground stations to track and communicate with satellites. It’s a bold plan, even though they’re going where the professionals have gone before. BBC.
• TOOTH BRUSH: If even the thought of the dentist’s drill sets your teeth on edge you may like the sound of the painless plasma drill. US researchers have been working on a cool plasma brush that cleans out cavities without pain by creating chemical reactions on the surface of the tooth. The plasma kills bacteria and allows the tooth to bond better to the filling. That means fillings should last longer too. And if it’s painless you shouldn’t need injections either, so no more numb mouth. So long as it doesn’t have the same high-pitched whine. MU News Bureau.
• A LIGHT SLEEP: Some wavelengths of light can disrupt our sleep if we’re exposed to them for an hour or two before bedtime. A Florida inventor hopes to overcome that problem by creating a bulb whose light still looks white but is missing the blue 465 to 485 nanometers of the spectrum. Clinical trials have begun, and if they go well a new LED bulb could be ready within a couple of years. Don’t get the sleepytime blues. Discovery News.
• A LIGHT CLEAN: Chemical engineers in China found a way to make fabric clean itself when exposed to sunlight. They spiked titanium dioxide with nitrogen ions which gives it photocatalytic capabilities in UV light and visible light. Then they added silver iodide nanoparticles and coated the fabric with nanoparticles of the new compound. The photocatalytic part means that when TiO2 is exposed to light, it breaks down dirt and kills the microbes that cause odour. The silver iodide speeds up the process. And you can still wash the fabric the old-fashioned way with water, if you like. That sounds good: a spot of sunbathing could replace doing the washing. io9.

Tech Universe: Wednesday 11 January 2012

• QUICK TO RISE: A 30 story building would take what, the best part of a year to build? Try 15 days. In Hunan Province, China, Broad Group manufactured prefabricated modules to a high precision, then assembled them in 15 days to complete the building. The steel structure has been tested to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 9, and includes features to make it extremely energy efficient. That’s scarily fast. Gizmodo.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdpf-MQM9vY

• BURN SWEETENER: Bad burns may lead to bad scarring. Now researchers at Johns Hopkins University have created a drug-free hydrogel that appears to help the skin regenerate without scars. The hydrogel promotes the formation of new blood vessels and skin, including hair follicles. It’s a water-based three dimensional framework of polymers that includes a dissolved polysaccharide. It’s absorbed harmlessly over 21 days while tissue regenerates. So, that’s a version of sugar water, right? Johns Hopkins University.
• UNDERWATER TELESCOPE: The KM3NeT telescope will be sited in Europe — at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. It’s an array of thousands of optical sensors, designed to help in the search for dark matter. When neutrinos collide with the Earth they emit charged particles. Those particles then create a faint light deep in the sea. The facility will also house instrumentation from Earth and marine sciences. It seems exploring the universe is a wet job. KM3NeT.
• SOUNDS OF SILENCE: Scientists from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany are working on a way to bend sound waves, to create a cloak of silence. They created a plate from both soft and hard microstructured polymers. Different rings of material within the plate resonated at different frequencies, guided sound waves around a central area and trapped them. In their small-scale proof-of-concept the scientists created an area where the sound waves were neither absorbed nor reflected — as though they just weren’t there. Now you hear it; now you don’t. Gizmag.
• GAPS IN TIME: What could you do with 50 picoseconds? Researchers from Cornell University have found a way to create tiny gaps in the travel of light, so making it possible to hide a brief event — provided it’s no more than 50 picoseconds long. They pass a beam of light through a split time lens. The lens makes a portion of a light beam more blue so it travels faster. It makes the next portion more red so it slows down. That creates a brief gap. Then the faster light can be slowed down so the slower portion catches up again and the gap is sealed. That just has to be useful to someone. Ars Technica.

Tech Universe: Thursday 12 January 2012

• SHARP AS SILK: Had to get an injection recently? Hurt much? Would it be better if the needle was tiny and made of silk? Engineers at Tufts University have created micro-needles from fibroin, the major protein in silk. The needles are 500 microns tall and 10 microns wide — 1/10th the width of a human hair. The needles penetrate the skin, but not far enough to reach the nerves. A patch of needles can release medication over time and without pain. There’s great potential here for spy thrillers. Scientific American.
• SOLAR PAINTING: How about just painting solar cells onto your house? At the University of Notre Dame researchers used semiconducting nanoparticles to produce energy. The solar paint is easy to produce and could be easily applied to a surface. The paint contains nano-sized particles of titanium dioxide, coated with either cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide and suspended in a water-alcohol mixture to create a paste. Brushed onto a transparent conducting material and exposed to light it generates power. At the moment it’s only 1% efficient, but it’s a good start. I’m waiting for the day when everything generates power we can use. University of Notre Dame.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cEyOxCwUw8

• CHEW MORE QUIETLY: In Australia termites cause up to $3 billion of damage each year, so it would be good to detect their presence early. Researchers at Edith Cowan University created a tiny wireless sensor that listens for chewing sounds. If it detects activity it can send an email or SMS with GPS data to a pest control firm. Could termites evolve to chew more quietly? ScienceNetworkWA.
• SEAT LOCK: Researchers at the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology in Tokyo want to stop people from stealing your car. Their anti-theft car seat contains 360 sensors that generate a 3D representation of the weight and weight distribution of the person sitting in it. A central laptop can match this pattern to authorised drivers. The system is apparently 98% accurate. So car thieves must first disable the laptop. Mobile Mag.
• PHONE EATS PAPER: Wait. Don’t throw that envelope in the recycling bin. Instead use it to top up your mobile phone battery. Sony have a prototype device that generates electricity by turning shredded paper into sugar. The sugar is then used as fuel. Drop shredded paper into a combination of water and cellulase enzymes, shake, add oxygen and more enzymes, and you have power. Quick: there’s a market for a new style of paper recycling bin. BBC.

Tech Universe: Friday 13 January 2012

• TOUGH TOUCH: Corning’s Gorilla Glass features in many touchscreen devices. Now they have a new version that’s thinner and more touch-sensitive. Gorilla Glass 2 is 20% thinner but the same strength as the previous version. The reduced thickness means a user’s fingers are closer to the touch sensitive materials and that means faster and more accurate responses. The new glass also lets more light through so screens can be brighter. There’s another gram off the weight of your smartphone. CNN.
• FOLLOW THIS: An electric bicycle usually adds a heavy battery to the bike frame. The Ridekick bike trailer takes a different approach. It stows a battery in a small trailer that pushes the bike along when you need a boost. It can be installed on most bikes in a few minutes, and the trailer can also hold groceries or a briefcase. The fully charged trailer can push the bike for up to 19 Km at up to 30 Kph. Clever. Ridekick.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS5hSF2PnME

• BIKING SOUTH: Helen Skelton’s on her way to the South Pole — by bike. She’s also using skis and a kite for added speed. It’s not just your average road or mountain bike though, and it probably doesn’t have a battery in the trailer, even though it’s uphill all the way. The 20 Kg bike was specially designed by Hanebrink for the 805 Km journey. It uses heavy fat tubeless tires on lightweight hand-made wheels. The width of the tire helps it ‘float’ on the snow rather than sinking in. The tires have thin steel belts inside to make them more durable. The bike has a low centre of gravity and uses a lightweight frame. All the parts have to be able to withstand freezing. So when she’s skiing, she has to tow the bike too? BBC.
• BIG STORAGE: We usually think of as battery as being a small chunk of stuff that powers a car, bicycle or TV remote. In Zhangbei, China though the world’s largest battery uses arrays larger than a football field. BYD’s battery energy storage system combines 140 Megawatts of wind and solar energy, 36 MWh of energy storage and a smart power transmission system. That’d power a fair few bikes. CleanTechnica.
• SKATE UP: SpnKiX are a skate, with rechargeable lithium batteries in a motor, and a wireless remote control. Strap the skates on over your shoes and press Go on the remote. It has a variable speed control so you don’t just have to go full tilt. Removable training wheels help you get started. Max speed is 16 Kph. I wonder if they’d get me up Wellington’s hills? SpnKiX.

Do you need a writer or trainer? I’m available for and looking for casual, short-term and long-term contracts writing articles, help files, training manuals, websites. See my Portfolio then Contact me.

Notes: I write a Tech Universe column for the NZ Herald. This is a fun assignment: Tech Universe brings 5 headlines each day about what’s up in the world of technology. Above are the links from last week as supplied. The items that were published in The Herald may differ slightly.

While I find all the items interesting, some are just cooler than others. I’ve marked out those items.

Sometime last year I followed a link and ended up, entranced, in the middle of Dicebox:

Dicebox, an online graphic novel by Jenn Manley Lee, tells the story of an eventful year in the lives of Griffen & Molly, a couple of itinerant factory workers in a space-traveling future. Currently on Chase, Book Two of Four. Wander, Book One, can be read online in its entirety here.

A reduced size and reduced quality scene from Dicebox.

When I had the chance to buy Book One as a PDF I grabbed it, and am about to enjoy the book all over again on my iPad.

What they didn’t teach me at school

I grew up a reader, of books. I loved the study of English and did a University degree in English and German. Mostly what we did in both languages was read and analyse novels, plays and poetry.

I’m no great scholar though and by the time I had a Bachelor’s degree I was tired of University and sick of analysing literature.

One category of fiction that was entirely overlooked in the curriculum was graphic novels, and somehow I’d never really come across them growing up.

As a small child I read The Beano comic books, and as an adolescent I guess I’d run into Classic Comics that retold literature in graphics. But that was it.

And perhaps that was a good thing as it meant I came to Dicebox without preconceptions.

Beautiful scifi about interesting women

I guess any snippets of graphic novels I had come across were generally dark, grotesque, violent and definitely had strange ideas about women, their clothing, and the size of their breasts.

Dicebox combines sci-fi with absolutely beautiful drawings and strong, independent, interesting, realistic women.

A reduced size and reduced quality scene from Dicebox. Note the flying cars.

Seeing is a new experience

I just love reading these images.

Perhaps all graphic novels do what Dicebox does — I wouldn’t know.

I’ve learned to see details that normally I’d never notice. In the first image above, for example, the scene opens with one view of a courtyard. But in the next frame the viewer has moved around and closer to zoom in on Molly as she sits on a bench.

I’m not a visual person, and am surprised I even noticed that detail. The images are so beautiful I guess I look at them more carefully than I usually would.

The frames of the novel are rich, textured and subtle. I ask myself why they are placed as they are, staggered or overlapping, some wide, some narrow, some bleeding to the edges of the page.

Interesting worlds

As migrant workers Molly and Griffen travel about from one planet to another. The locations they visit are creatively imagined. Mostly we see human interactions, but high tech slips in from time to time, with tracking pins, stasis for spaceflight, holographic computer displays, flying cars, and even a space elevator.

If you like scifi, Dicebox has the elements you enjoy. If, like me, you’ve never read a graphic novel, this is the one to start with.

And remember to thank Jenn Manley Lee for her work by buying a hard copy book or the PDF — the PDF is a ridiculously cheap US$5. I have a copy and can vouch that it’s gorgeous on an iPad. We need to support those who produce and publish their work independently.

Have you read Dicebox? Do you regularly read graphic novels? Can you recommend other graphic novels about scifi with strong and realistic women as lead characters. Please tell us about it in the Comments.

On Christmas morning, at about 3 am, I struggled out of bed and quietly gathered together a few things I should have thought to collect the night before.

With a torch, my camera and a pair of binoculars in my daypack, and a woolly rug under my arm I quietly exited the house and walked up the path to the car.

I was heading to the top of Mt Victoria hoping to see Comet Lovejoy.

Cross about the cross

I’m cross about the cross on the top of Mt Victoria in Wellington, New Zealand.

There is a ridiculously bright lighted cross on the tower at the top of the hill. This manmade object really disrupts our view of the wonders of the universe at least twice a year: at Easter and Christmas. It shines ferociously all night long, wasting electricity and proclaiming the hubris of those responsible.

I don’t ascribe to a religious belief, but if I did I’d have to puzzle why anyone would want to obscure a god’s amazing creation with such a monstrosity. It’s extremely bright and dazzling and must annoy the neighbours enormously.

It certainly made it more difficult for me to find a good spot to enjoy the comet.

A darkish spot

On top of the reservoir is a cosy spot by the steps where the light from the cross is shaded. The spot looks East and South — perfect for viewing Comet Lovejoy.

Once my eyes had recovered from the glare of the cross I could see the comet without problem. The tail swept for maybe 30 degrees from just above the horizon and up into the sky.

Unfortunately the comet appeared just above Kilbirnie and the airport, so there were loads of orange streetlights and sundry other lights just below it.

The day before I’d read a post on Ice In Space which mentioned camera settings the poster had used and that had worked. I figured I could try those same settings. I fumbled with my camera in the dark, but managed to set everything eventually.

Unfortunately I broke my tripod last year and haven’t yet been able to fix it, so I had to prop my camera on a very low wall and hope for the best.

I was glad of the rug to sit and kneel on.

Comet Lovejoy over Wellington, New Zealand.

Poor timing

Then came the timing problem. I didn’t want to wreck my night vision by looking at my iPhone so had to simply count and hope for 1 minute. I made several shots, counting for what I thought was 20, 40 and 60 seconds, but which turned out to be more like 53, 77 and 119 seconds.

Well, don’t count on me to keep time if there’s a bomb due to go off …

I had also forgotten my remote shutter release so had to keep my finger on the shutter and try to keep still.

The best of my efforts appears above. Although it’s a pretty lousy photo it is mine and does show the comet.

There are numerous much better photos available online. Try the Ice In Space thread I linked above for some.

Birds brought dawn

The best view of the comet was around 3.30 am. Soon after that the first Tui started singing in the dawn and I packed up my few items and drove home.

I’d do it again, that’s for sure. It was worth struggling out of bed in the middle of the night.

Star light, star bright

One of my themes for this year is that the starry night is the birthright of everyone on Planet Earth. It’s there for all of us to enjoy — we need to protect it.

Do you use outside lights that actually don’t need to be on in the middle of the night? Do your power bill and neighbours a favour and turn the lights off. Pull your curtains at night. Let’s brighten up the stars, planets and comets before we make them invisible.

Star light, star bright,
The first star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.

Here in New Zealand we get our Internet courtesy of a very long underwater cable. The approximately 30,000 Km long Southern Cross cable stretches across the seabed between the US and New Zealand.

But how exactly does that cable carry signals?

Luckily Engineer Guy, Bill Hammack, has taken the time to explain it for us in plain language and with an easy to follow video. Take a look.

Bill uses a laser pointer and a bucket of glycol to show how fiber optic cables works, and how engineers use them to transmit signals across the ocean.