IBM spins ultrasharp nanomanufacturing tool 100,000X smaller than a pencil tip
IBM says it has developed a silicon carbide tip for nanomanufacturing applications that it claims is a thousand times more wear-resistant than current tool bits and 100,000 times smaller than a pencil tip.
IBM scientists say the the new tip can be used to fabricate all manner of bio sensors, for example for managing glucose levels in diabetic patients or monitoring pollution levels in water. Read more
FBI opens thorny Steve Jobs 1991 investigation file
The FBI today released a background check it did on Apple's founder Steve Jobs founder when he was being considered for a position on George H.W. Bush to the President's Export Council in 1991. Read more
NASA wants green rocket fuel
NASA today said it was looking to for technology that could offer green rocket fuel alternatives to the highly toxic fuel hydrazine used to fire up most rockets today. Read more
IRS pumps up iPhone, Android app for tax savvy
The first version of the Internal Revenue Service's IRS2Go smartphone app had 350,000 downloads and while that doesn't make it the Angry Birds of the taxpaying set, the new version could be even more popular.
More news: White House fires-up science/technology extravaganza Read more
Navy wants electromagnetic railgun to pump out 100s of rounds per minute
The US Navy wants to develop the power system necessary to get its prototype electromagnetic railgun to fire hundreds of rounds per minute rather than the single shot it is capable of today. Read more
DARPA wants novel security technology to protect SCADA, embedded systems
Technologists from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will this month detail a new program it wants to develop that can secure embedded ssyems in everything from large supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems that manage physical infrastructure, to medical devices, computer peripherals such as printe Read more
Stephen Colbert avoids toilet controversy, just loves NASA to pieces!
Stephen Colbert, host of the nightly 'The Colbert Report,' and NASA supporter says he loves space and loves it more now because of what research work NASA is doing with the International Space Station.
In a public service announcement released today Colbert says: "I love looking up at the stars and wondering what distant planets are still out there and to be discovered and can we frack them for methane." Read more
Super Bowl super bust: US seizes 307 websites; grabs $4.8M in fake NFL merchandise
The piracy, counterfeit and copyright battle has moved to the Super Bowl. Read more
NASA's 16 top technical challenges for the next 5 years
Drastically reduce the costs of safely and reliably getting into space; more effectively mitigate the impact of space radiation on humans; develop more robust mobile robotics and build a new generation of space telescopes to more effectively study space are just a few of the 16 high-priority technologies NASA should be working on in the next five yea Read more
Has high-tech helped or hurt crime fighting? DoJ wants to know
The US Department of Justice is offering a $1 million grant to study the impact advanced technologies such as mobile communications, sensor networks and Web-based applications have had on the law enforcement community and crime. Read more
NASA launches multi-player Facebook game
NASA said today it had launched what it called its first multi-player online game to test players' knowledge of all manner of space-related activities. Read more
DARPA takes aim at "Achilles Heel" of advanced computing: Power
The power required to increase computing performance, especially in embedded or sensor systems has become a serious constraint and is restricting the potential of future systems. Read more
Federal judges wary of Facebook, Twitter, Google+ impact on juries
The impact of social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+ and others on federal juries is a concern that judges are frequently taking steps to curb.
According to a study 94% of the 508 federal judges who responded said they have specifically barred jurors from any case-connected use of social media. The Federal Judicial Center was asked by a committee of the policy-making Judicial Conference of the United States to survey all 952 federal judges, of whom 53% responded on the issue. Read more
Biggest solar shot since 1995 is Earth-bound
Seems not a week goes by without s big solar flare erupts sending the Earth a massive shot of solar wind, radiation and electromagnetic pulses capable of damaging satellites, GPS and electronics - but this week the blast is large - the largest since 1995, NASA said. Read more
London 2012 Olympics will see massive wireless spectrum consumption
The 2012 Olympic games in London are going to need a massive spectrum outlay - some 20,000 separate wireless frequency assignments which is more than double the number usually assigned in a year - to handle the expected communications requirements.
More news: Kodak: A look at the icons of an icon Read more
Cutting-edge electronics will require US to revamp auto defect investigations
The often complex, interconnected electronics systems now proliferating across most cars and truck will require the US government that watches over auto safety -- the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) -- to revamp the way it handles and researches problems. Read more
Anonymous takes out DoJ, RIAA in response to Megaupload.com take-down
It has the makings of a nasty battle. Read more
Copyright, piracy battle rages: Megaupload.com shut down, execs jailed
The US Department of Justice today said it charged seven people and two corporations with running what it called an international organized criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for massive worldwide online piracy of numerous types of copyrighted works.
The DoJ stated that through the company known as Megaupload.com and other related sites, the group has generated more than $175 million in criminal proceeds and cost copyright holders more than half a billion dollars. Read more
NASA: Solar blasts decreased orbital debris in 2011
While high-levels of solar activity is not good news for satellites, GPS and electronics they can have one benefit: such massive solar bursts can decrease the amounts of dangerous orbital debris. Read more
US finally backs an international space "code of conduct"
Perhaps it was the concern that the nearly 14 ton Russian Mars probe would land smack-dab on the White House or maybe they just came to their senses, the US State Department today said it would indeed work with the European Union and other countries to develop a formal space code of conduct. Read more
- About Layer 8
- Layer 8 is written by Michael Cooney, an online news editor with Network World
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