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U.K. government drops central database scheme
Burden of storing communication logs will now fall to ISPs
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A lost or stolen laptop costs companies nearly $50,000
A company may pay $1,000-$2,000 for a laptop computer for one of its employees; if the employee lost the laptop or it was stolen, the cost to the employer would average $49,246
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Financial crisis offers opportunities for start-ups
A world of failing corporate titans and changing government policy is chaotic, but chaos creates opportunity and leaner times bring focus; savvy and nimble start-ups are in a position to exploit the situation
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Growing problem: Private security companies pose risk to privacy
Government mandates in the U.K. now require more and more businesses to collect more and more information about individuals who use these businesses’ services; private contractors are hired to handled the collection and handling of the personal information collected; these contractors are not bound by the tight rules governing the government handling of such information (not that the U.K. government is doing a very good job following these rules)
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New detection devices from Smiths Detection
Smiths Detection shows three new devices for quicker and more reliable detection of biological and chemical agents; soldiers and first responders will also appreciate the light weight and the ability to operate the gear with only one hand
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Unstructured data search: Attensity Corp. forms Attensity Group
What with the mountains of information the Internet age allows, there is a need to search these vast haystacks for the few important needles; this is what unstructured data searches do; a leading player, Attensity Corporation, joins with Empolis GmbH and Living-e AG to form Attensity Group
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Self-healing concrete for safer, durable, and cheaper-to-maintain infrastructure
Wolverines researchers develop self-healing concrete; the concrete self-heals itself when it develops cracks; no human intervention required — only water and carbon dioxide
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U.K. government's budget proposal attracts lukewarm reaction
Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling’s budget — described by the chancellor as “the world’s first carbon budget” — offers support to U.K.’s fast-growth technology sector, but some say it is not enough; EFF’s Gilbert Toppin: “The measures are helpful though he should have gone further to make a real difference”
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General Atomics shows latest entry in Predator UAV series
With a 41-foot long fuselage and 66-foot wingspan, the Predator C Avenger is capable of flying at over 400 KTAS and can operate up to 60,000 feet
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Russia to build new-generation nuclear icebreaker by 2015
Russia is locked in legal dispute with four other countries over rights to the mineral-rich areas in an under the North pole — areas which are slowly becoming accessible as a result of global warming; to make sure it gains ready access, Russia invests a new generation of nuclear ice breakers
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Aussie company receives $250 million to prove wave power concept
Investec Bank gives West Perth-based energy developer Carnegie Corporation $250 million to demonstrate the viability of its wave technology
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F-35 project hacking case highlights need for tighter contractor security
Hackers managed to download terabytes of information about one of the Pentagon’s most prized weapons systems; experts say this latest breach highlights the need for stricter security requirements for contractor networks
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South Africa: Intelleca awarded voice biometrics contract
South African leading network operator awards Intelleca large voice recognition contract; the operator plans to implement the solution across a range of business areas in its contact center
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Colin Cummings named new ICx technologies CEO
Cummings will succeed Hans Kobler, who will continue as chairman; Kobler will go after opportunities the company sees from increased government spending; company’s detection unit suffered from delays in DHS business in the fourth quarter
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Outsourcing Winter Olympic security increases costs to RCMP
The Canadian government says the security budget for the 2010 Winter Olympics, to be held in Vancouver, is $900 million; it is five-times greater than the original $175 million budget; many Canadian and American security companies stand to benefit
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The long view
Are We Ready for a ‘DeepSeek for Bioweapons’?
Anthropic’s Claude 4 is a warning sign: AI that can help build bioweapons is coming, and could be widely available soon. Steven Adler writes that we need to be prepared for the consequences: “like a freely downloadable ‘DeepSeek for bioweapons,’ available across the internet, loadable to the computer of any amateur scientist who wishes to cause mass harm. With Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 having finally triggered this level of safety risk, the clock is now ticking.”
A Brief History of Federal Funding for Basic Science
Biomedical science in the United States is at a crossroads. For 75 years, the federal government has partnered with academic institutions, fueling discoveries that have transformed medicine and saved lives. Recent moves by the Trump administration — including funding cuts and proposed changes to how research support is allocated — now threaten this legacy.
Bookshelf: Preserving the U.S. Technological Republic
The United States since its founding has always been a technological republic, one whose place in the world has been made possible and advanced by its capacity for innovation. But our present advantage cannot be taken for granted.
Critical Minerals Don’t Belong in Landfills – Microwave Tech Offers a Cleaner Way to Reclaim Them from E-waste
E-waste recycling focuses on retrieving steel, copper, aluminum, but ignores tiny specks of critical materials. Once technology becomes available to recover these tiny but valuable specks of critical materials quickly and affordably, the U.S. can transform domestic recycling and take a big step toward solving its shortage of critical materials.
Microbes That Extract Rare Earth Elements Also Can Capture Carbon
A small but mighty microbe can safely extract the rare earth and other critical elements for building everything from satellites to solar panels – and it has another superpower: capturing carbon dioxide.