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Flood-proofing New York City with storm barriers
New York City faces two problems with water: rising ocean level and surges created by hurricanes and Nor’easters; engineers propose a system of barriers to prevent New Orleans-like flooding
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Melting Greenland ice threatens northeast U.S., Canada
The melting of Greenland’s ice sheets is driving more and more water toward the already threatened coastlines of New York, Boston, Halifax, and other cities in the northeastern United States
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U.S. unprepared for severe solar storms
Mankind’s vulnerability to disruptions caused by severe solar storms has increased as a result of the increasing dependence of human societies on technology and electricity; a storm on the scale of the 1859 Carrington Event could damage the U.S. electrical grid to such an extent that vast regions of the country could be without power for weeks, perhaps months.
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The government's new mail room // by Keith James
How CRF regulations overhaul mail security — and the keys to timely compliance
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Flu vaccine contracts worth $46.7 million awarded
Two companies awarded $46.7 million to supply influenza vaccine to the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies
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The first true flying car: DARPA's Transformer TX
DARPA, in its FY 2010 budget request, has asked for $2 million to develop the Transformer TX; the list of requirement makes for a true flying car: it is quiet; it hovers; it carries up to four people and can run for up to two hours on one tank of fuel; it travels on roads; and can be operated “by a typical soldier”; it should also be able to run on an autopilot if need be
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Scientists unsure how Tasers work
There is a growing interest in nonlethal weapon, and Taser stun devices are among the most heavily used — and researched — nonlethal systems; scientists are still unsure how, exactly, these devices achieve their stunning effect
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DHS develops medical scanner-at-a-distance device
The first task of first responders arriving on a scene of a disaster is quickly and accurately to sort the living casualties by priority order for medical care; new device assesses — from a distance — the medical condition of those injured in the disaster; it does so by using laser doppler vibrometry and a camera to measure pulse, body temperature, and muscle movements such as breathing
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How soon they forget: Organizational memory and effective policies // Jon Shamah
Large organizations, either in the private sector or public sector, always have a churning of staff; the problem is that within one or two cycles of churn, anecdotal knowledge, and other unwritten information, just gets lost from the organizational memory; when something bad happens, few people know those solutions which have proven to work in the past and those that have failed miserably
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Mobile WiMax to be rolled out in Atlanta in June
Clearwire says it will roll out mobile WiMax in Atlanta next month, with other cities to follow
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IEEE ICRA 2009 showcased advances in robotics
ICRA 2009, the world’s premier robotics event, was held in Japan last week; researchers demonstrated the latest in robotics — from tree-climbing robots to robots than can create ice sculptures on their own
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U.S. schools take steps toward greater safety -- but problems remain
CDW-G 2009 School Safety Index finds that K-12 districts are taking steps to improve network and building security, but that increased breaches caused an overall decline in schools’ physical and cyber security scores
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U.S. reassesses safe water levels in New Orleans' outfall canals
New Orleans has three outfall canals, the role of which is similar to that of a storm drain under a city street; since Katrina, there have been disagreements among engineers as to how much water would it be safe for each of the three canals to handle during a storm
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Swine flu vaccine is not going to be ready for a while yet
Even if the World Health Organization declares the current swine flu to be a pandemic, vaccine will arrive too late for many
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DARPA looks for inertial-nav to be embedded in smart boot's heel
DARPA is funding the development of smart shoes: soldiers and first responders will be equipped with shoes with embedded inertial navigation sensor; sensor will help in keeping track of soldiers, special operatives, and first responders in harsh environments
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The long view
The Surprising Reasons Floods and Other Disasters Are Deadlier at Night
It’s not just that it’s dark and people are asleep. Urban sprawl, confirmation bias, and other factors can play a role.
Why Flash Flood Warnings Will Continue to Go Unheeded
Experts say local education and community support are key to conveying risk.