• FERC issues conditional licenses for ocean energy projects

    New policies allows FERC to issue licenses for new hydrokinetic projects even though certain authorizations required from other entities are outstanding

  • Phishing attacks escalated in 2007

    Gartner survey finds that $3.2 billion was lost due to phishing attacks in 2007; 3.6 million Americans lost money in phishing attacks in the twelve months ending in August 2007, compared with the 2.3 million who did so the year before

  • Existing biotechnology would save energy, cut CO2 by 100 percent

    A major — and surprisingly overlooked — contribution to reducing greenhouse gasses: New analysis shows that use of existing biotechnology in the production of bulk chemicals could reduce consumption of nonrenewable energy and carbon emissions by 100 percent

  • Extending the life of oil fields and coal mines

    Canadian researchers believe tiny underground bacteria may hold promise of extracting methane gas from abandoned oil fields and coal mines; all you have to do is feed the bacteria nutrients such as vitamins and minerals down boreholes

  • Senate passes energy bill; mixed news for alternative energy

    Senate passed an energy bill which lacks many alternative energy measures which are included in the House’s version; bill may have a chilling effect on investors in clean tech; still, the bill calls for increase in auto fuel efficiency and expands the renewable fuels standard

  • Quantum communication over long distance, flawed networks possible

    Chinese scientists offer possible breakthrough in quantum communication — overcoming the problem of quantum entanglement between photons at long distances; the scientists show a quantum-communications network in which producing entanglement over a long distance is conceptually possible

  • L.A. reservoirs emptied after high levels of contamination discovered

    Two of Los Angeles’s beloved landmarks — Silver Lake and Elysian Park — are emptied after tests revealed bromate, a disinfectant byproduct that can form when treated water reacts with naturally occurring mineral bromide in sunlight

  • FERC seeks industry cyber-security plans

    Earlier this year, government scientists hacked into a simulated power-plant control system and caused an electric generator to destroy itself; as worries about the vulnerability of the U.S. power grid to cyber attacks grow, regulators demand that utilities submit detailed reports about their progress in addressing potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities

  • Dutch health insurance database easily accessible

    The Dutch Vecozo medical database is used by Dutch health care workers to make payments easier and to check Dutch medical insurance data; trouble is, at least 80,000 people are able to search the database, which contains personal information about nearly every Dutch citizen

  • EVT shows enhanced video management tool

    What with CCTVs being installed by the thousands on street corners, along perimeter fences, and as part of border protection, there is a need to effectively and efficiently manage the avalanche of visual information coming in to the command center; this is where EVT’s new tool comes in

  • AT&T shows RFID solution for schools

    RFID-GPS solution will allow school district to monitor schools buses, but also school equipment, students and teachers, and visitors; it will also help in disaster response

  • Critical infrastructure employees to receive vaccine in influenza pandemic

    HHS, CDC, and other government agencies conduct three-day public discussion on how to prioritize allocation of vaccine during an influenza pandemic; majority of discussants emphasize need to distribute vaccines first to employees in critical infrastructure

  • Early warning system for earthquakes

    Shake, rattle, and respond: By analyzing earthquakes when and where they strike, a computerized system could save lives

  • Georgia to consolidate IT infrastructure

    The State of Georgia spends $617 million a year on IT; governor wants to consolidate IT spending, eliminating 1,100 jobs in the process

  • Fiber optics no obstacle to cyber crime

    Fiber optics are an ideal transmission medium, and the length of cable installed around the globe is estimated at more than 300 million kilometers; fiber optic networks are employed by many banks, insurance companies, enterprises, and public authorities as their communication backbone, supporting critical business activities; fiber optic cables are as vulnerable to hacking as traditional copper wires