Solar powered 3D Printer / Sun Cutter etc..

*The work of Markus Kayser*

http://thisiscolossal.com/2011/06/markus-kayser-builds-a-solar-powered-3d-printer-that-prints-glass-from-sand-and-a-sun-powered-laser-cutter/

http://www.markuskayser.com/work/sun-cutter/

/A

Simple uC + Assembler, learn uC programming.

Base 2 Electronics:
Simplest possible uC with I/O pins, learn assembly programming
with an assembler written in python, everything open sourced:
(Tulsa Univ).

https://www.base2.us/

More Interesting stuff

* Teen Builds Nuclear Bomb Detector

A teenager has created a homemade, hand-held nuclear bomb detector.
It utilizes a small fusion reactor that he made when he was 14,
and detects nuclear materials by shooting neutrons at closed
containers and exciting any nuclear materials inside which,
in turn, causes more radiation to be
produced, and is detected by the device. This may provide a simpler, more
effective alternative to searching containers visually, one-at-a-time. No
information is given about how safe such a practice is.

1. http://www.sciradioactive.com/Taylors_Nuke_Site/Current_Projects.html
2. http://gizmodo.com/5813207/teen-builds-nuke-detecting-device-saves-us-all-from-horrible-death

* First Exploit On Quantum Cryptography Confirmed

Physics World reports on researchers demonstrating a full eavesdropper
on a quantum key distribution link.
Unlike conventional exploits for security vulnerabilities that are often
just a piece of software, spying on quantum cryptography required a
box full of optics and mixed-signal electronics. Details are published
in Nature Communications.

Report from Vadim Makarov
0. http://www.vad1.com/
1. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/46305
2. http://www.iet.ntnu.no/groups/optics/qcr/full-eavesdropping-2011/#suitcase
3. http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v2/n6/full/ncomms1348.html
4. http://arxiv.org/abs/1011.0105
5. http://it.slashdot.org/story/10/08/30/0647243/Hackers-Eavesdrop-On-Quantum-Crypto-With-Lasers
6. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/07/quantum_crypto_attack_dispute/

* NanoNote Goes Wireless

"Even though completely copyleft, the [1]NanoNote
hand-held platform failed to get the attention of many due to its low
specs and the lack of wireless connectivity. The objective to keep things
open had its price, and wireless technology is a mine-field of patents
and NDAs. Now, a few gifted hackers [2]designed an add-on card to bring
wireless to the NanoNote. It's not what you would expect; WLAN
compatibility was sacrificed, going for the less encumbered IPv6 over the
802.15.4 standard instead. The resulting dongles won't win a prize for
the highest bandwidth, but excel at simplicity, energy efficiency and
manufacturability. Want to see the ugly details? Designs, source code and
production documentation are [3]published under open source licenses."

Links:
1. http://en.qi-hardware.com/wiki/Ben_NanoNote
2. http://downloads.qi-hardware.com/people/werner/wpan/web/
3. http://projects.qi-hardware.com/index.php/p/ben-wpan/source/tree/master/

* New Imaging Technique Helps Explain Unconsciousness

"A new imaging technique called fEITER (for functional
Electrical Impedance Tomography by Evoked Response) attempts to
[0]explain the process of slipping into unconsciousness. The fEITER is a
[1]portable device that creates 3D imagery based on evoked potentials
measured hundreds of times a second. The interesting finding from these
studies is that unconsciousness appears to result from a buildup of
inhibitor neurons. From the article: 'Our findings suggest that
unconsciousness may be the increase of inhibitory assemblies across the
brain's cortex. These findings lend support to Greenfield's hypothesis of
neural assemblies forming consciousness.'"

0. http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/display/?id=7143
1. http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_lrg/brain-3d-1.jpg

* Kilobots:

Costing a mere $14 each and buildable in about five minutes, but you
you don't just get yourself one single Kilobot -- designed to swarm in
the thousands.

Links:
0. http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/artificial-intelligence/kilobots-are-cheap-enough-to-swarm-in-the-thousands
1. http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/ssr/projects/progSA/kilobot.html

/A

http://french.about.com/od/beglisten/Beginning_French_Listening_Exercises.htm

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Jim Williams, analog circuit guru, dies
Bill Schweber, Planet Analog
6/13/2011 10:23 AM EDT

Very sad news: Jim Williams of Linear Technology Corp—one of the world's
best analog-circuit designers, experimenter, hands-on guy, project
genius, damn nice guy, story teller, mentor, eternal student, engineer,
collector of historical scientific instruments, master of true and
measurable precision and accuracy, and much more—passed away
unexpectedly. Many of you know of him though his detailed, voluminous
application notes, or his many articles in EDN.

I knew Jim for decades, his sheer love of engineering and
experimentation was always a pleasure to absorb; he was a no-nonsense
person who liked tangible things and did not fall under the sway of
"hot" trends as the solution to all your problems, whether it was
software, Twitter, or Facebook. I recently saw him in his lab at LTC,
and our encounter inspired this column, here. Due to his talents and
accomplishments, Jim could easily have gotten away with being a
know-it-all expert and pundit, but he was actually fairly humble and had
genuine humility, as he wrestled the demons of circuit and component
reality, usually winning (and sometimes losing).

Jim began his career in the MIT Nutrition Lab, building circuits and
systems for their experiments and research. As far I know, he was not a
formally degreed EE; he was largely self-taught. He traveled back to MIT
each year to give a guest lecture to EEs and also do some recruiting and
outreach on the joys of analog.

Jim was a man who truly understood the analog signal chain, what it
could do, what it couldn't do, its vagaries and foibles, and how to make
it do what you wanted despite pushback of the laws of physics. His mind
was "one" with op amps, converters, references, and power supplies. He
will be sorely missed by his family, friends, and the engineering
community. I invite and encourage any of you who knew him, or knew of
him, to add a comment below.

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Youtube to MP3

Tips:
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/grabbing-your-music-youtube-do-it-your-way

/A

Yoga keeps toppers fighting fit

<from indiatimes>

It may be a new trend, but it is several thousand years old. Yoga, once
associated with sages and gurus, is turning into a lifestyle statement.
Youth are taking to it in a big way, and swear that it calms jumpy
nerves and improves concentration, and helps them crack exams.

In fact, toppers who are basking in the glory of success at the end of a
gruelling exam season, attributed it to yoga. TOI came across several
such students from all streams, one of them being Aditya Gaonkar, top
state IIT scorer and CET engineering topper. Aditya feels yoga is one of
those things that helped him sail through the entrance tests. "Yoga
helps me a lot and improves my concentration while studying. It improves
the general health of a person and good health is important to study,"
he said.

"I used to suffer from an eye disorder when I was 10, and when all else
failed, I turned to yoga. I learnt it from my mom, who learnt it from a
yoga guru. Sometimes, I also learn from Baba Ramdev's CDs," says Aditya.
He performs a combination of light asanas (postures) like surya namaskar
and ends with pranayama (breathing exercises) for about 30-45 minutes
every day," he said. Yoga also reduces the stress students of his age
normally feel, he says. "It frees your mind, makes you feel calm, yet
energetic enough to study."

Amitha Ajith Kamath, ISC high scorer from Vidyashilp Academy, agrees. "I
initially started meditation after my 10th grade on a friend's
suggestion, as I was under a lot of stress. I didn't have a problem with
concentration, but I didn't think it would help me improve," said
Amitha.

Amitha learnt yoga and meditation in school and feels that it
significantly reduced her anxiety level. "I became stress-free, calm and
relaxed and my mind was clear, this helped me concentrate," says Amitha,
who prefers meditation to yoga.

Amitha feels there is a direct link between meditation and her academic
performance. "It definitely helps, and I recommend it to all students.
I'm sure they'll see a positive change in performance."

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