The CubeSat and StenSat programs support the development and deployment of picosatellites by educational, commercial and possibly individual interests. For a price of about $30,000, you design and develop your own (very small) satellite for launch into low earth orbit by One Stop Satellite Solutions from the Baikonur cosmodrome.
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Picosatellites weigh about 1Kg, and thus, have limited functionality. But imagine having your own satellite network…!
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Aside from buying a copy of MS Office(TM), there are some other, non-traditional ways to increase personal productivity. Consider the following:
Listening to Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major has been touted as a way to improve memory, learning and reasoning. In 1993 it was dubbed the “Mozart Effect“, and it had parents buying Mozart’s music to play to their infants and children. Detractors have since been unkind, to put it mildly. But now, new research indicates that the “Mozart Effect” may well be true. This article indicates that investigators at Stanford have found measurable positive effects in the brains of rats exposed to the Sonata. These rats performed better on various tasks after listening to this particular piece of piano music.
Therefore, if the “Mozart Effect” is true, then this blog can claim: Click here to increase your I.Q.! 
Switching from the auditory sense to the olfactory sense….
Peppermint has long been thought to have a beneficial effect on humans. Research here, indicates that physical tasks are considered about 20% easier by the subject, following administration of peppermint. In fact, there are commercial products that have been built around this effect, such as this inhaler from a company called Peak Performance:
Although this product is conveniently packaged, you can probably achieve the same effect by splashing some peppermint oil on yourself, or perhaps even by simply chewing some peppermint (not simulated) flavored gum.
Also EEG studies such as this one, and this one, indicate that peppermint is also a mild mental stimulant and increases brain beta-wave activity (15-20Hz), which is associated with alertness and mental activity.
In conclusion, I’m not sure if I completely believe these items. It seems to be a bit of a stretch that one composer would have such an effect, but not others. See this link for some background. On the other hand, and if you have a pending exam or important meeting, what’s the harm in some Mozart with peppermint?
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The EDGE network is next generation of the GPRS data connectivity on GSM phones. It’s supposed to be as fast as 230Kbps. But we all know that GPRS also did not live up to its promises of fast connectivity, we will wait and see how the phone companies implement this new technology. Rogers Wireless in Canada is scheduled to launch this service June ‘04.
The first phone to come to market is the Nokia 6230. We won’t go into the details of this phone, but it’s safe to say it has everything and some more! Click here to read more about it.
Announced today (April 23), the Sony Libré eBook reader promises to re-popularize the electronic book.
Based on electronic ink technology from E Ink Corp, the Libré delivers a sharp, high-contrast, newspaper-like reading experience. Electronic ink is based on microcapsuled charged-ink particles as show below. The concept is not unlike xerography used in photocopiers.
The 10MB memory can hold about 20 books. The 6inch SVGA (black & white)screen has 170 dpi resolution and 4 grey scales. EBooks will be rentable via download from a special Sony website for about $5, but will self-destruct after 60 days to alleviate the problem of unauthorized copies.
The 4xAAA batteries will last for about 10,000 page-turns, with very little power being consumed at other times. With a built-in zoom, audio playback, a dictionary, index and cut-and-paste scrapbook, a weight of only 190grams and dimensions of 7.5in x 5in plus a price of about $375usd, it looks like a great product.
NHJ Corp plans to introduce the VTV-101, a wrist-TV, in May.
At a resolution of 280×220, with a 1.5″ TFT LCD, and a thickness of 3/4inch it will sell for less than $200. The maximum battery life is 1hr and the optional battery pack extends that to 3hr.
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Canadian wireless companies slow to release latest phones, but at least in time they release them 
Data Device Features
Processor: Intel 400 MHz
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM5500
Memory: 32MB ROM , 64MB RAM
Mode: 800/1900 MHz Dual-band 1X digital
Display: 3.5? 240×320, 65K colour, TFT QVGA screen
Language: English only
Includes: AC adapter with plug and connector adapters, carrying case, stereo headset
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Today, Sony Corp announced 2 new Qualia products. The four previously-announced Qualia’s are described in a post dated April 2, 2004. These 2 new products are:
![Sony Qualia 017 [gold-plated]](http://x.gadgetmaniac.com/wordpress/upimages/Qualia 017 - gold-plated.jpg)
Qualia 017
The 017 is a $1720USD portable minidisk player modelled after the previously-available highly-rated very-compact MZ-E10. The Sony announcement makes note of the beauty, craftwork and tactile qualities of the 017. Customization options include gold-plating and engraving, which will increase the price by two-thirds. Orders accepted April 24.
Qualia 010
These stereo headphones sell for $2,394. The innovative nano-composite diaphragm and the high energy-density neodymium magnets support a frequency response of 5-120,000Hz…whereas most other headphones operate in the range of about 20-20,000Hz. From July 1. The news release is here.
Although Pioneer released this $40,000 seven-channel digital surround sound system a while ago, the PDSP-1 continues to have an interesting feature set.
The system consists of one 5-inch thick single-source speaker panel, which contains 254 individual speakers, each with its own digital amplifier. The panel projects up to seven separate sound beams, by using phased array beamforming.
The beamforming algorithms can subsequently be adjusted in order to compensate for room size, floor and wall texture, as well as curtains. As the PDSP-1 provides 500 watts of 5.1-channel surround sound, no other speakers are required. This eliminates the need for 4 or 5 conventional speakers. This is the world’s first digital sound projector.
Alternatively, the Acoustic Projector from Yamaha, with only 56 speakers is expected to be considerably less expensive. Introduced at CES 2004, it should be available by year-end 2004. Good for those with space constraints.
The 2 devices described above are examples of smart antennas. This same principle can be applied to cellphone networks in order to increase network capacity and reduce interference. This achieved by steering the beam toward a specific individual…instead of broadcasting in all directions evenly.
But more on smart antenna systems later.
You can perform simple modeling of the U.S. national budget at this site. “This simulation asks you to adjust spending and tax expenditures in the the 2004 budget proposed by the White House in order to achieve either a balanced budget or any other target deficit”.
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…not to turn this into a science blog, but a significant event in basic physics research occurred today with the launch by NASA of Gravity Probe B.
The “B” was built to confirm the effect known as Frame-dragging - as predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity. It employs 4 of the world’s most perfect spheres in a gyroscope. 
“B” will measure both the geodetic effect (bending of spacetime), and frame-dragging (twisting of spacetime). Frame-dragging predicts that rotating bodies drag space and time around themselves as they rotate, in a kind of vortex or whirlpool.
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