• MSV to operate two mid-Atlantic radio talkgroups

    Specialist in hybrid satellite-terrestrial communications network will operate radio talkgroups which will allow emergency units from several states to cooperate more easily during emergencies

  • IAEA finds South Africa's nuclear facility safe

    On 8 November 2007, the South African nuclear center at Pelindaba was the subject of two mysterious, and simultaneous, attacks; the country’s nuclear monitoring agency, and the IAEA, declare security procedures at the nuclear plant to be satisfactory

  • Funding for developing nuclear clean-up tool

    As nuclear power draws renewed interest — what with the rising price of oil and growing worries about global warming — there is more interest in tools and solutions to help deal with nuclear waste and nuclear clean-up

  • As TWIC is implemented in more ports, hurdles emerge

    Port managers worry that there are still some unresolved issues with TWIC, the port employee credentialing system; one example: Will the card typically be used as a flash pass or will the readers need to be used? If readers have to be used, just think of this: A truck has long mirrors on the outside of the cab, preventing the driver from getting close enough to a reader to submit a fingerprint; moreover, truckers often have dirty hands, which may make it difficult to read the fingerprints; there are other issues

  • American Superconductor's New York grid work moves forward

    Massachusetts-based American Superconductor signed a contract to to develop and install new electrical power-grid technology in New York City which would enable Con Edison better to handle power surges and interruptions caused by accidents, weather or terrorist attacks; after government agencies’ squabble, and congressional examination of the contract, DHS tells company to go forward

  • Disgruntled employee deletes 7-years worth of architectual drawings

    An employee in a Florida architectural firm believed she was about to be fired; she came to the office on Sunday and deleted 7-years worth of drawings and blueprints, valued by the firm at $2.5 million

  • NSA, other spy agencies enlisted in effort to address cyber vulnerability

    Prepare for another heated NSA-domestic spying debate: The Bush administration issues secret directive on 8 January — informally known as the “cyber initiative” — expanding the intelligence community’s role in monitoring Internet traffic; the goal is to protect against a rising number of attacks on federal agencies’ computer systems

  • First commercial hot-dry-rock geothermal power plant to start operation

    Hot fractured dry rock technology was invented to draw energy from deep underground areas where geothermal heat is abundant, but no water exists to carry the heat to the surface; Aussie company this week to begin operation of the world’s first commercial dry rock geothermal power plant

  • Invenergy, GE Energy in $1 billion wind turbine deal

    Since 2004, GE’s wind turbine business has grown 500 percent, with its wind business revenues exceeding $4 billion in 2007; half of all wind turbines sold in the United States since 2005 were manufactured by GE

  • MapSnapper allows queries of points of interest on maps

    Southampton University researchers develop MapSnapper; solution allows cell phone users to take pictures of map sections and have the pictures come back to them with points of interest added; these points of interest can then be queried further; solution could help phone screen advertising — and first responders rushing to the scene of a disaster

  • On the water front // by Ben Frankel: UN secretary-general says "Water is running out"

    Serious water shortages are afflicting ever-larger swaths of the globe, with global warming exacerbating the problem; there are 192 countries in the world, with a population of nearly 6 billion: Experts say that in 102 of these countries — with a combined population of 3.9 billion — water-related crises create a high risk of violent conflict; there are opportunities here for investors and technology companies

  • Magnetic fingerprinting to contribute to air traffic safety

    European researchers develop an innovative system which monitors tiny fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by a passing plane; system increases airport safety even in the worst weather conditions

  • Estonian student convicted for 2007 attack against Estonian Web sites

    A 20-year-old Estonian student has been fined $1,642 for launching a cyber attack which crippled the Web sites of banks, schools, and government agencies

  • GAO critical of DOE's handling of Russian nuclear scientists program

    In 1994, the U.S. Department of Energy established the Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention (IPP) program to engage former Soviet weapons scientists in nonmilitary work in the short term and create private sector jobs for these scientists in the long term; GAO finds problems in how the program was managed, and questions accuracy of reported achievements

  • MIT awards more than $1.6 million to fund research projects

    MIT Energy Initiative unveils first seed grant winners for energy research; innovative research projects include harnessing microbes, developing new materials, curbing pollution, harvesting wasted watts, and much more