Federal Grinch to Regulate Christmas Lights

Federal regulators say “Bah, Humbug!” to Christmas lights

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has created an example of regulate first and explain why later. In October they proposed new regulations to outlaw strings of bulbs, lighted lawn figures and similar items that would be declared as hazardous. The red tape deals with certifying wire sizes, fuses, and tensile strength of all “seasonal decorative lighting products.”

This includes Christmas tree lights, lighted wreaths, menorahs, outdoor strands, lawn figures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, or Santa or Rudolph or Frosty the Snowman. Yes, Kwanzaa, too. CPSC is an equal opportunity Scrooge. The agency estimates that their proposed regulations will impact 100 million items per year with a market value of $500 million.

Why the burning need to regulate Christmas lights now?  Good question.

Of course, those items already are covered by safety regulations and also by industry standards and oversight. CPSC admits that 3.6-million unsafe lights were recalled under existing safeguards in place since 1974.

So what is CPSC’s justification for adding red tape to the red, green, blue, yellow, white and other colored displays? They report 250 deaths from fires or electrocutions by Christmas lights. That’s not 250 deaths per year; it’s 250 deaths since 1980. They had to add together 33 years of statistics to misportray danger.

But to look on the bright side, writing and arguing over and enforcing the new regulations will employee dozens, if not hundreds of bureaucrats for the foreseeable future.  And that's really what it's all about. The reason for the season, as they say,

Wombat-socho has "Rule 5 Sunday: Happy New Year!" ready.

Electric Eels, the Original Puppet Master?

Shocking news: Electric eels exert remote control over prey

Electric eels, those perilous predators of South America, can unleash a potent electrical jolt to wallop their hapless prey. But this zap is not used merely to stun other fish.

A new study shows that the eels use it to exert a form of remote control over their victims, causing fish that may be hiding to twitch, thus exposing their location, or inducing involuntary muscle contraction to incapacitate their prey.

"Apparently, eels invented the Taser long before humans," said biologist Kenneth Catania of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, who conducted the research published on Thursday in the journal Science.

The study reveals precisely what an eel's zap does to its victim. In laboratory experiments, Catania showed how the electrical discharges remotely activate the prey's neurons, or nerve cells, that control the muscles.

Yeah, thats' pretty much what happens when you shock a fish, or almost anything else for that matter. The electricity stimulates the muscle, which causes them to contract. . . a twitch.

While hunting, the eels periodically give off two high-voltage pulses separated by a 2 millisecond pause, causing a massive involuntary twitch in nearby hidden prey, the study found. The eels, highly sensitive to water movements, can detect motion caused by the twitch, learning the other fish's location.

We've known a lot about electric fish for a long time. I did a junior high science fair project using an electric catfish I borrowed from the fish store I worked at. Yeah, these days that would get you in trouble for animal cruelty, but back in the early 60s you could do a lot in the schools, including learn.

The only thing I got out of this is that scientists realized that electric eels used the "shock" response to help them sense their prey. But it has also long been known that the eels use the electrical system, using weak power output, as a sense organ, to sense fish nearby. They share this trait with their whole family of South American Knifefish, and some other unrelated fish, including some African fish, and the Torpedo Ray.

Electric eels typically live in very brown and dirty water, and having another way to identify that fish near them besides sight (and they have small, weak eyes) is a considerable help.

The eels can also put off a massive pulse, which can stun a man or even a horse, and certainly any fish nearby. We had a couple of large eels at the fish store.  Ugly as sin, they just sat laid around and zapped the goldfish we fed them. We handled them with great care. Little ones were kind of cute, though.

Do Electronics Send Birds Astray?

Electromagnetic ‘noise’ can disrupt migratory birds’ navigation, study says

For decades, scientists have known that migratory birds rely on the Earth’s magnetic field as one way to help orient themselves and fly the right direction.

But researchers in Germany have documented for the first time that the electromagnetic “noise” produced by modern societies could cause those avian navigation systems to go haywire, according to findings published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
. . .
Mouritsen and his colleagues stumbled upon the startling findings by chance, and the conclusions were seven years in the making.

European Robin

Years ago, they were trying to conduct a basic, often-repeated experiment in which European robins are placed in an enclosed, funnel-shaped container lined with scratch-sensitive paper during the migration season. Even inside a cage, without visual cues, the birds typically orient themselves using their internal compasses and scratch in the appropriate direction of migration.

But again and again, the birds in Oldenburg could not seem to orient themselves, Mouritsen said. Only when researchers covered the small wooden huts with metal screening and connected it to a grounding wire, blocking man-made electromagnetic noise, did the birds go in the right direction again.

“It’s significant, because we found a very clear, repeatable effect of electromagnetic noise made by electrical equipment that prevents a bird, in this case a European robin, from using its magnetic compass,” Mouritsen said.

What elements of our electronics heavy society is responsible for the noise that's discombobulating the birds electromagnetic navigation system?

He said relatively minor levels of electromagnetic activity, with an intensity 1,000 times below limits laid out by the World Health Organization, appeared to be enough to disrupt the birds. The interference that switched off the birds’ internal compasses did not appear to come from cellphone signals or power lines, as their frequencies were either too low or too high. Rather, signals in the range of AM radio stations or fields generated by other electronic equipment are more likely to blame, although researchers have not pinpointed the precise cause.

That wasn't much help.  Do we need to start putting Faraday cages around all our electronics, except for the ones designed to broadcast bird safe signals?

“The levels of radio-frequency radiation that affected the bird’s orientation are substantially below anything previously thought to be biophysically plausible, and far below levels recognized as affecting human health,” Joseph L. Kirschvink, a professor at the California Institute of Technology, wrote in an essay accompanying Wednesday’s study in Nature.

I've featured at least three birds one this blog recently that were transients on their way north; Semipalmated Sandpipers, Lesser Sandpapers, and the Rose Breasted Grosbeak.  To my knowledge, there isn't a great deal of evidence suggesting that large numbers of migrating birds are wandering off their migration paths as a consequence of stray electromagnetism, but birds do, with some frequency, show up in unexpected places, giving serious bird watchers a thrill. I don't think it's a problem needing a solution just yet though.

Will Nano-Vacuum Tubes Revolutionize Computing?

New combines advantages of transistors and vacuum tubes

The new device is a cross between today’s transistors and the vacuum tubes of yesteryear. It’s small and easily manufactured, but also fast and radiation-proof. Meyyappan, who co-developed the “nano vacuum tube,” says it is created by etching a tiny cavity in phosphorous-doped silicon. The cavity is bordered by three electrodes: a source, a gate, and a drain. The source and drain are separated by just 150 nanometers, while the gate sits on top. Electrons are emitted from the source thanks to a voltage applied across it and the drain, while the gate controls the electron flow across the cavity. In their paper published online today in Applied Physics Letters,

Vacuum tubes suffered a slow death during the 1950s and ’60s thanks to the invention of the transistor—specifically, the ability to mass-produce transistors by chemically engraving, or etching, pieces of silicon. Transistors were smaller, cheaper, and longer lasting. They could also be packed into microchips to switch on and off according to different, complex inputs, paving the way for smaller, more powerful computers.

But transistors weren’t better in all respects. Electrons move more slowly in a solid than in a vacuum, which means transistors are generally slower than vacuum tubes; as a result, computing isn’t as quick as it could be. What’s more, semiconductors are susceptible to strong radiation, which can disrupt the atomic structure of the silicon such that the charges no longer move properly. That’s a big problem for the military and NASA, which need their technology to work in radiation-harsh environments such as outer space.

I remember the transistor revolution (a little dimly, it's been a while).  Old TVs and radios had vacuum tubes, they died frequently, and you had to pull them out and find which one was bad and replace it; today you just throw away the TV and buy a new one.  A hand held radio was a virtual miracle.

High end guitar amps are still mostly powered by vacuum tubes, and most of those tubes are now available from Russian sources. The Russians continued to use them for many things, including jet aircraft long after we abandoned them for virtually everything else.

It's too early to say if this could be the beginning of a new era in electronics, but it would be cool if it was.  Someday soon, we'll run out of atoms for Moore's Law to continue, so maybe this will stave off end of the continued improvements in electronics a few more years.

You Think Driving While on the Cell Phone is Distracting?

Email in your eye? Next-generation video screen glasses could lay messages or GPS over your field of vision

But one company specialising in cutting edge visual technology waIsraeli company Lumus has shown off the PD-18-2, which may look like a cumbersome pair of shades but allow the user to see high-quality images while they walk.nts to beam information directly into your field of vision.

Lumus, an Israeli company, specialises in what it calls Light-guide Optical Element (LOE) technology.  It's latest product is the PD-18-2, which may look to the untrained eye like a cumbersome pair of sunglasses. But inside the lenses of the glasses, the user can see high-quality full colour images.

Products like this are already on the market for professional and military use, but where the next-generation PD-18-2 differs is that users can see though the spectacles too, instead of having the images block their vision. The translucent lenses allow for what the manufacturer calls 'augmented vision', overlaying images or graphics over your usual field of vision.

They are designed for professionals such as pilots, surgeons and soldiers but there are hopes that it can be adapted for the consumer market so people could watch film or TV on the move, or play video games as they walk around.

We commute to work approximately 1 hr each way daily, up a main artery towards Washington D.C.  Whenever we see someone doing something stupid in the car, we tray to ascertain whether they are using a cell phone or not.  I would estimate that they are about half the time.

If this technology became available to the DC commuters, I'm sure that some subset of them would adopt the technology, and that it would start to be a significant source of accidents.  But then, the same people are already on their cell phones and texting while driving, so maybe it would only make it a little worse. 

Mom's Prius Problem

When Mom got back to California after her trip out here to Alex's wedding, she found her Prius dead in the parking lot.  Apparently, the Prius uses a standard 12 V auxiliary battery to "start" (or at least operate many systems).  However, there is such a constant drain on the system that "starting" battery can be drained in a few days of being parked:

A call to Toyota Agency in Stockton revealed a STUPID FLAW in the Prius.

It has only a 12 volt auxiliary battery which starts the car, then the big battery takes over. It is not uncommon for people leaving a Prius at an airport to come back and find it dead! To me, the solution is do not take it to the Airport. But if you leave it home, you should have someone disconnect the battery, otherwise it will die at home...was the advice of the Service Manager. If not driven 3 - 5 days, it is not uncommon for this to happen...it can also be jump start by another car.

Bottom line is that I do feel much better...I do not have to be afraid of driving it around here.

That seems like a pretty important flaw.  If nothing else, they should provide a "cut-off" for the small battery so that you can easily leave it shut off over an extended period of inactivity and then easily reconnect it later.

In Japan, TV Watches You

New TVs will watch you and record your emotions

In Japan, NHK is testing out little cameras embedded in TVs that watch you watching them, analyzing your movements and facial expressions to figure out what programs and advertisements you like and what you don't. Is this a good idea or a terrible one? It could be both.

While most people might not be comfortable with cameras in their TVs watching their every move, the argument for it does sort of make sense: if your TV can tell what ads and shows you do and don't like, it'll be able to adjust what it shows you to be more of what you like to see. It's like Gmail: by reading your email (you did know that Google reads all your email, right?), you get Google ads that matter to you instead of random annoyingness. Or that's the idea, anyway.

 I hope my next TV is prepared for intense boredom.

Dying For an iPad 2?

Explosion at China iPad Factory Shows Supply Risks 

An explosion at one of two factories that make Apple's new iPad 2 highlights the risks of a global manufacturing strategy that has cut costs but concentrates production in a few locations.

Foxconn Technology Group, the contractor that manufactures Apple's iPhones and iPads, said Friday's blast in the western city of Chengdu killed three employees and injured 15. The Taiwanese company said production was suspended but did not respond to questions. Monday about how supplies of iPads might be affected.

Foxconn said the blast was caused by combustible dust in a workshop that polished products. It said operations in workshops that do similar work at its other factories in China would be suspended pending an investigation.

Estimates by industry analysts of the impact on iPad production ranged from minimal to up to 2.8 million units in lost output. That is equal to just over half the number sold in the first three months of this year but Apple says sales are so strong it already is struggling to keep up with demand.

It would be a shame if Apple couldn't keep up with the demand.  At least those three won't need to buy them.

Smart Ass Phones?

Don’t Let Your iPhone See You Naked

If you’re an iPhone 4 user, it’s possible your phone may be going iPaparazzi on you. Some users of FaceTime are reporting in an Apple Discussion forum that a glitch is bringing up random photos of them that they themselves haven’t taken. “Very creepy for my phone to be taking pictures of me when I haven’t told it to,” writes one Machead.

Wired has a video of someone experiencing the glitch, though Wired staff were unable to replicate it and note that it seems to be affecting a small number of users. One forum commenter says the front-facing camera snapped a photo of him at work, where he has never taken a photo nor used FaceTime. One iPhone security researcher tells Wired, “I guess the moral of the story is don’t let your iPhone see you naked.”

 Hopefully my TracFone isn't smart enough.

23 Years of Windows Upgrades

Some guy installs every version of Windows on a computer, upgrading each time.  Doom II works on all of them.

RIP Hard Drive!

The hard drive in my 6 month old Windows7 desk top computer started doing odd things late last week, clicking, and responding very slowly. I blogged etc on an old lap top over the weekend, somewhat painfully, because my accustomed applications weren't available.  I managed to back up all the data and took the computer back to the shop I bought it from on Saturday afternoon, and they replaced the hard drive under warranty  (1 TB Seagate).  I got it back basically stripped, just the operating systems.  I've spent the last hour and a half getting it 75% up (Firefox, Anti-virus, E-mail) but the good news is it mostly over.  I'll have a few installs left over the next couple days, but I should be back in business.  Now, if I could just think of something interesting to blog about...  Or maybe I have a pretty picture among all those back ups.

Update:  Thanks to Ted:

Electronics; can't live with it, can't live without it

The electronic lock (transponder, transmitter, whatever) for my 13 year old Subaru outback has been dying for some time.  It didn't owe me anything, but having been knocked around my pockets for the last few years (it is the second in the series), there was no loop left to attach it to a keyring, and the hole I drilled through the case to hang it off a large fishing swivel had broken as well.  You couldn't read the buttons (and after all these years, I still tend to punch the wrong button).  Even the Subaru imprint in the plastic had worn smooth, and pocket lint and dirt was starting to cause it to function erratically.

So today, after a lunch meeting with friends, I stopped by the dealer, and got a new one.  Sixty dollars, and a set of Chinglish instructions for how to program it.  I didn't get it right, so I convinced a service guy to help me, and he took it out of sight and got it working.  By the time I got back to work it no longer functioned.  I fiddled with it at home, and realized the old one could be program but not the new one.

So I swapped the batteries.  The old battery in the new one worked, and not vice versa.  For 60 bucks, the battery in the new one should have darn well worked.  Anyway, I now have a working new one and a dead old one, which we'll probably fix for Georgia.

I thought electronics were supposed to make life easier.  I could just use the key...