Power utilities go high tech in an attempt to stop copper theives

The Globe and Mail has an interesting article about the power utilities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia turning to DataDot technology to deter thieves from stealing copper grounding wire from substations. The technology involves painting tiny micro dots onto the wire, the dots can then be uniquely identified by a code that is laser etched onto them. This allows the utility to identify the wire as their own and may serve as a deterrent. In my opinion, it will only really aid police in identifying wire as being stolen, after the fact, and will help in prosecution. Which, I guess, in turn helps to deter the thieves. I don't expect the scrap metal dealers will be examining the wire they purchase with microscopes. The technology though is quite interesting and the manufacturer describes many uses, mostly from the recovery standpoint.

The latest in USB hubs

I've been contemplating the purchase of a USB hub for a short while now. Not that it should be a tough decision to make, just that I'm a bit of a procrastinator at times. My Dell has 4 USB ports, one occupied by my printer, another by my web cam, the third usually has my HomeScan cable and the forth alternates between my thumb drive and digital camera. To make matters worse the two ports on the front of my PC are angled downward towards the floor, while this does allow the little door on the front of the Dell to remain closed, it is often a point of contention as I find it difficult to plug into from a seated position.

Alas, I think I'm glad I waited! According to Engadget, Belkin has just introduced 3 new hubs to the market. While I'm not overly excited about two thirds of the new offerings, the Swivel Hub at $29.99 US may just be what the doctor ordered. It allows you to swing its four USB ports in any direction via an articulating joint. I'll just have to decide which is more practical in my case, another cable to dangle from my desk or removing the little door on the Dell to accommodate the Swivel Hub... there I go again!

Image from Engadget.

This is about as green as your ride can get

Found this little beauty on Gizmodo, I can't think of a mode of transportation that leaves less of a footprint on mother nature. Except perhaps your two feet! It is a little hard to tell in the movie but there is no seat, no chain, just a wheel and some peddles. The Gizmodo post has a good picture. It reminds me of the B.C. comic strip, perhaps we have come full circle now...

Big brother watches New York City

Engadget is reporting that New York City will soon be under the watchful eyes of a London style "surveillance veil" consisting of thousands of video cameras monitoring people and vehicles. The "Lower Manhattan Security Initiative" will have more than 100 cameras in place by years end. The cameras will be capable of reading license plates and enable authorities to send out alerts if suspect vehicles are detected. The move is the start of a greater plan which will eventually see 3000 or so cameras by end of next year, as well as a series of gates that will be installed at intersections, giving the city the ability to block off traffic at the push of a button. The project which is being hotly debated on Engadget, is expected to be in full operation by 2010.

Google addresses security concerns of hosted applications

Google has been busy over the last few years developing and acquiring technology that would end up being hosted applications such as Docs and Spreadsheets, Calendar, Talk and Gmail. While many individuals and small businesses have embraced the hosted concept, big business is a harder sell with security being the major concern. Google has made a large stride towards easing these concerns with news today that they are acquiring Postini, "a global leader in on-demand communications security and compliance solutions". The deal worth $625 million will likely get done in the 3rd quarter of this year, according to the news release. While there are obvious gains for Google, they promise to "continue to support Postini customers and invest in Postini products."

Sony to drop PS3 price by $100 US, new model coming

Just in time for the industry's big trade show, E3, Sony has announced a reduction in the price of the Playstation 3 by $100 US and a new beefier model to be rolled out in Asia initially. Sony's PS3 has lagged behind the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 and the move is an attempt to draw more customers to the gaming platform that has been badly beaten at the cash register. A new PS3 with an 80GB hard drive has also been announced, it will sell for $600 US and come bundled with the breakout title "Motorstorm" which has sold a million copies to date. The new price makes it just slightly more expensive than the most expensive Xbox 360, although Microsoft is rumored to be contemplating a price shift of it's own. Good news for the gaming crowd! CNN has the story.

Electric utility and Ford team up for plug-in hybrid

Ford Motor Co. and Southern California Edison are teaming up in an attempt to bring plug-in hybrid vehicles to market more quickly. The plug-in hybrid is primarily run on electricity but switches to internal combustion engine when the batteries run low. They are known as plug-in hybrids because the batteries that drive the electric motor is recharged by plugging into a standard wall jack. Mass production of the vehicles, which many manufacturers are prototyping, has been held back by cost and battery technology. The purpose of this partnership, in which the electric utility will get one vehicle by the end of this year and as many as 20 by 2009, is to test the vehicles durability and impact on the power grid. The Globe and Mail has the story here.

Boeing launches 787 on o7/08/07

The best pre-selling commercial jet to date has yet to carry passengers but was celebrated with much fan fair in Washington yesterday. The 787 Dreamliner will carry it's first paying customers next May. Boeing has already received 677 orders for the 330 passenger (depending on configuration) commercial jetliner whose range is 8,500 miles. A company spokesman is quoted as saying "The most important promise of the Dreamliner,is to make the world a smaller place, and in doing so, bring us all together." CNet has the story here.

WOW on the iPhone?

The creator of this video, found on Gametrailers.com, claims to be playing World of Warcraft on his iPhone. I'm not that impressed to be honest, the game play looks incredibly bad... I think I'd be terribly frustrated if this is indeed for real. The system does not seem very responsive, perhaps this is due to the AT&T data network that was complained about during the last TWIT.

Business Startup from zero to launch in one long weeked

Startup Weekend is an interesting concept! The idea is to bring a number of people together, throw your ideas on the table, decide on one idea to pursue and then build it in 3 days! Once built the participants will receive equal equity in the startup. As I write this there is only a little more than 12 hours to launch. The idea chosen from 50 entries is Vosnap, a social site that facilitates quick decision making among a group, wonder where that came from? This is brainstorming to the extreme and it will be interesting to see if the 70 participants can pull it all together, and what the end product will look like. I know from experience that working on projects under extreme time lines is difficult, but there is also a strange rush to it. If you get the right combination of people together great things can happen in a short period of time, but it only takes a few odd balls to spoil the productivity. Matching strengths and controlling the rebels will be key to the success of this experiment, in my humble opinion. Good luck weekenders! Wish I could be there to experience this. By the way, there are some interesting ideas in the ones that were rejected...