http://www.soniaarrison.com/blog Technology & Society Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:24:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Researchers Peter Majewski and Chiu Ping ‘Candace’ Chan in South Australia "have discovered a simple way to remove bacteria and other contaminants from water using tiny particles of pure silica coated with an active nano-material." Here's the news story. http://www.soniaarrison.com/blog/2008/08/15/cheap-clean-water-using-nanotech/ Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) came under fire for making a ruling that many consider outside its authority. Without levying a fine, it charged that Comcast violated federal policy when it interfered with a file-sharing application used by consumers. This new plot twist in the Net neutrality story ... http://www.soniaarrison.com/blog/2008/08/08/fcc-comcast-decision-was-political-failure/ This article says it could happen. I doubt it (for a variety of reasons: technology being one of them), but it's definitely a wake up call. So, stop surfing the Internet and GO WORK OUT NOW! http://www.soniaarrison.com/blog/2008/08/06/all-americans-will-be-fat-in-40-years/ This is nice to see, especially given his recent comments about Internet use... http://www.soniaarrison.com/blog/2008/08/06/john-mccain-asks-a-question-on-linkedin/ The Salk Institute's Ron Evans just released a study where certain drugs trick a mouse's body into thinking it exercised. Sounds a bit matrix-like to me, but if it could work on humans without side effects, the demand would be overwhelming. From USA Today: "Sedentary mice that took the ... http://www.soniaarrison.com/blog/2008/08/01/exercise-in-a-pill/ Now, this is quite disturbing. As if going through airport security weren't bad enough, but now officials are authorized to take AND COPY your data. Increase in identity theft, anyone? http://www.soniaarrison.com/blog/2008/08/01/homeland-security-could-take-your-laptop-at-airport/ "The 16-hour operation was carried out last Friday on a farm worker who lost both arms in an accident." Read more here. http://www.soniaarrison.com/blog/2008/08/01/worlds-first-transplant-of-two-arms/ This is a great article by Gregory Pence at the University of Alabama. He argues that: "Wholly unintentionally, the U.S. ban on federal funding jump-started innovation in assisted reproduction. One byproduct of the ban was that the National Institutes of Health and ethics committees had no mechanism for regulating research ... http://www.soniaarrison.com/blog/2008/07/26/baby-making-has-been-driven-by-the-market/ When it comes to the Internet, Republican presidential candidate John McCain recently said that he's "an illiterate who has to rely on his wife for any assistance he can get." In an era where the Internet is playing an ever greater role, does such an admission matter, and does it ... http://www.soniaarrison.com/blog/2008/07/25/internet-habits-and-the-presidency/ Well, this is a headline we don't see very often, but it shouldn't surprise anyone. As older people become healthier, why wouldn't they continue to have sex? http://www.soniaarrison.com/blog/2008/07/22/more-seniors-having-sex/