Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Apple, which has spent the past day pulling older models of the iPhone and iPad inventory from the shelves of its online store in Germany, is now restoring them.

Apple has pulled several iPad and iPhone models from its German online store after Motorola Mobility enforced a patent injunction against its rival, reports the "BBC" (http://macte.ch/7GmXq). Now in a statement given to "AllThingsD" (http://macte.ch/TVRgM), Apple confirmed that the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and 3G/UMTS-based iPads should be returning to the shelves of its German online store in a matter of hours.

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Apple's FileVault disk encryption can be circumvented in less than an hour, according to a computer forensics firm, reports "The Register" (http://macte.ch/pGMcM). Technology from Passware can purportedly capture the content of a Mac machine's memory, via Firewire interfaces, before extracting encryption keys.

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Apple has pulled several iPad and iPhone models from its German online store after Motorola Mobility enforced a patent injunction against its rival, reports the "BBC" (http://macte.ch/7GmXq).

The move follows a December ruling that Apple had failed to license one of Motorola's wireless intellectual properties. iPhone users in Germany may also face the loss of their push email iCloud service after a separate patent victory by Motorola, notes the "BBC." Apple has said it will appeal.

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On a cool overcast Sunday the dogs and I explored tracks on Te Raekaihau headland on Wellington's South Coast. The climb was steep, the little-used tracks narrow, but the views were absolutely worth the effort.

It’s hard to find any information about Te Raekaihau headland on Wellington’s South Coast.

But I was driving past recently when I glimpsed the start of a walking track. Today was the day for the dogs and I to explore the track. It was a good day for it — overcast and neither cool nor warm.

Te Raekaihau track starts opposite Princess Bay on the South Coast.

The Headland

There’s quite a bit written about Te Raekaihau Point — the darkish spot on the Coast where you can get good views of the Southern sky because there aren’t too many artificial lights around. But my searching for information about the headland and its tracks didn’t produce anything useful.

Even though apparently Te Raekaihau, part of Te Ranga a Hiwi, can be translated as the headland that eats the wind it actually wasn’t a windy walk at all.

The Journal of the Polynesian Society tells us:

Te Ranga-a-Hiwi. We have seen that this is the Maori name of the range extending from Pt. Jerningham to the coast between Lyall and Island Bays, and on which are the three peaks known as Mt. Victoria, Mt. Alfred and Mt. Albert.

Steep climbs

If you’re thinking of doing this walk be ready for some very steep climbing. I think my calves will be complaining tomorrow.

One of several signposts on Te Raekaihau walk. In the background is a glimpse of the South Island.

The tracks themselves were overgrown and clearly not used much. We did meet a party of 3 women coming down the hill just as we were starting up, but didn’t see anyone else.

Where we walked on Te Raekaihau.

There were plenty of signposts, though, crucially, not where we needed them on the track we were coming down at the end of the walk. After stumbling around lost, but heading downhill, we eventually came out behind The Pines.

Beautiful views

As you’d expect, the higher we climbed the better the views.

On the next page are half a dozen photos I took on the walk. The page comes in at around 300 KB.

All up we walked a tad less than 3 Km and spent an hour doing it.

I wouldn’t do this walk in or soon after rain as it’s too overgrown, and parts are very steep so could be horribly slippery. But if you’re fit, enjoy scenery and fancy a different walk then give it a try.

As always, dogs are supposed to be on leash, though I can’t really see why they need to be on this walk.

More dog walks

A couple of years ago I started up the Run Spot Run website to review off-leash dog walks in Wellington, New Zealand. If you have dogs please visit and help fill in and build up the information.

Superbus; No Space For Trash; Sugar Phone; Giant Eye; Painless Eye; Robots Inside; Spiralling Power; Fold To Park; Gun Show; 3D Earth; Dog Meet Snake Robot; Circular Scan; Road Block.

Tech Universe: Monday 23 January 2012

• SUPERBUS: Big cities need to move a lot of people around, so forget your piffling city bus that carries maybe 50 people to work in the morning. Go big: China’s Youngman JNP6250G superbus is 25 metres long and can carry 300 people. It has 2 bending sections to allow it to go around corners, and 5 doors. The buses will be used on Bus Rapid Transit in Beijing and Hangzhou. Maybe they’d be useful in Auckland too. China Tech Gadget.
• NO SPACE FOR TRASH: At the moment if you can get off planet you’re pretty much free of laws and regulation. You can litter as much as you like, and just generally do anything you can afford. Now at last the US is joining existing European efforts to create an International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities. The Code aims to establish guidelines for the responsible use of space, including cleaning up our space environment. Section One: no storing or sharing files in space. Network World.
• SUGAR PHONE: The Smart GlucoMeter from iHealth is a detachable dongle for an iOS device that helps track blood sugar levels. Add a small sample of blood to a test strip and insert the strip into the dongle. The iHealth app records the level and produces various charts and alerts. Our health in our own hands. Wired.
• PUT THIS IN YOUR PIPE: Researchers in California have found a way to use cheap plastic to remove CO2 from the air. One of their goals was to filter out CO2 from the air being used by iron-based batteries. They added inexpensive polyethylenimine to the surface of fumed silica and created a material that was good at absorbing CO2 from humid air at comparatively low temperatures. Sounds like we should attach these to the exhaust pipe of every vehicle on the road. Science Now.
• FOUR BY ONE: Silicon wires just 4 atoms wide and 1 atom tall can carry as much electrical current as copper wires, according to researchers from Australia and the US. The wires are made from chains of phosphorus atoms within a silicon crystal. This could be very useful for creating actual quantum computers. They must surely have much wider application than just quantum computers. PhysOrg.

Tech Universe: Tuesday 24 January 2012

• GIANT EYE: The Giant Magellan Telescope will be situated high in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile in 2020 when it’s finished. The telescope will have 7 mirrors, each 8.4 metres in diameter, arranged as segments of a single mirror 24.5 metres in diameter. The spun glass has to be polished to an optical surface accuracy within about 25 nanometers. The GMT will be able to acquire images 10 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope. It should be a whole lot easier and cheaper to maintain and repair too. Giant Magellan Telescope.
• PAINLESS EYE: After some eye surgeries patients must use anaesthetic eye drops at regular intervals over several days. Researchers at the University of Florida have found a way to use Vitamin E to load topical anaesthetics into silicone contact lenses so that they release slowly over 1 to 7 days. What other substances could be added to contact lenses for slow release? MedGadget.
• ROBOTS INSIDE: Researchers from Israel and the USA collaborated to create a robot that will be able to swim through the intestines and send back images. The microswimmer is the size of a large pill. This is different from current similar devices because its movements can be controlled so it can be directed to where it’s most useful. Its copper and flexible polymer tail vibrates in response to the magnetic field created by an MRI scan and propels the device. Next on the list is presumably a handheld device to create the required magnetic field. Singularity Hub.
• HEART OF STEEL: Our societies run on solid copper wire, so it’s not actually terribly funny when people steal it then communications go down. With the price of copper still rising, in some places telecom cable theft is epidemic. The GroundSmart Copper Clad Steel cable hopes to deter theft, simply by being equally effective but less valuable. It uses a thin layer of copper casing around a steel core. Take that, copper thieves. PC World.
• SPIRALLING POWER: A concentrated solar power plant has a central tower that receives sunshine reflected from mirrors all around it. The tower then generates power. Now researchers at MIT and Aachen University in Germany have found that arranging the mirrors in the same kind of spiral pattern as seen in sunflowers can reduce the footprint by 20% and increase the power. The Fermat spiral pattern is more compact, and reduces shading and blocking by neighbouring mirrors. The mantra should always be: follow what nature does. ScienceDaily.

Tech Universe: Wednesday 25 January 2012

• FOLD TO PARK: The Hiriko Citycar is a prototype small foldable electric car from Spain, in collaboration with the MIT. Yes, foldable. The wheels contain all the stuff that’s usually under the bonnet, allowing passengers to enter and exit through the front. The front part swivels from horizontal to vertical and the rear slides forward so the car folds up easily for parking. You could store a six pack in your one-car garage. Hiriko.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSKpE2d3BaY

• CASH FOR PHONES: What to do with that old phone? Try to sell it? Put it in the rubbish and feel guilty? Keep it until the next eWaste Day? The ecoATM has the answer. To help prevent fraud you provide identification. Then the ecoATM physically scans your device and provides information on its value. If you accept the deal you walk away with cash from the machine in exchange for your phone or MP3 player. It’s currently available in several US states. The easier recycling is the more likely we’ll do it.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuKpAgF59f8

• WRIST CONTROL: WristQue is a project in its early stages at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It’s a wristband packed with sensors to detect changes in temperature, humidity and light. It also has a couple of buttons. The wristband is designed to interact with a smart building to help control the temperature in various rooms. The system can build up predictive patterns of activity and behaviour and also react to direct input from users. In a 3-week trial energy usage was reduced by 24% because less air-conditioning was needed to keep all occupants comfortable. An even smarter system would allow for microclimates so each person could get the right temperature, not just endure the average for the room. New Scientist.
• 2-WAY LIGHT: BASF and Philips have created a transparent Organic Light Emitting Diode — when it’s switched off, anyway. When it’s switched on it provides light. Used in a car sunroof for example, it would allow occupants to enjoy natural daylight, but at night it would light only the interior of the car. This would handily replace a skylight in a building too. PhysOrg.
• CLOUD WORKING: Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have created a luminous ceiling that gives the impression of working outdoors under an ever-changing cloudy sky. The lighting conditions resemble those produced by passing clouds. 50cm by 50cm tiles each contain 288 red, blue, green and white light emitting diodes that together generate more than 16 million hues. A diffuser film in matt white below each tile ensures individual points of light aren’t visible. A preliminary study suggests that users find the dynamic lighting to be extremely pleasant. Computers in the cloud, workers in the cloud; what’s not in the cloud? Fraunhofer Institute.

Tech Universe: Thursday 26 January 2012

• POLE POSITION: Getting tired of your electric skateboard? Looking for something a little different? The Personal Rover is an 800W 4-wheeled electric powered board that you steer with handles like ski poles rather than a T bar. You stand facing forward on this one. It also has casters and a small platform at the back so you can store it in a vertical position. Stand, Rover, stand. Personal Rover.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk-OeXz4Ve0

• GUN SHOW: The New York Police Department have a new gadget to help officers determine if someone’s carrying a gun. The infrared scanner works from a distance of around a metre and will be mounted on a van. Since infrared rays can’t pass through metal it’s easy to see a gun’s location on the human body. Police hope to extend the scanner’s range to 25 metres. If it’s mounted on a van I’d think the biggest problem would be getting a clear view of the suspect in the first place. NY Post.
• NANO SPONGE: On the battlefield uncontrolled bleeding is a leading cause of death. Traditional methods of controlling bleeding have many drawbacks for use in battle. So MIT researchers developed a nanoscale biological coating that consists of layers of thrombin and tannin. This is sprayed onto sponges that can be stored for months then used when they’re needed. The sponges mould to the shape of any wound. Tests showed that applying a sponge for 60 seconds with light pressure would stop bleeding. Pick up a few for your home first aid kit. MIT News.
• CARTOON TEST: The Dynamic Ocular Evaluation System is an inexpensive eye test for young children that’s also easy to administer. The child watches a 3 minute cartoon or plays a computer game. Infrared light is used to test various aspects of the child’s vision. Results are recorded digitally and can be sent to a specialist if needed. The child needs only watch the screen and doesn’t have to answer any questions. The idea is for pediatricians to be able to administer the tests during routine visits. I wish eye tests for adults were as simple. The University of Tennessee.
• HIDE AND SEEK: The US military have started using a weapon called the XM25. This 6 Kg gun programmes the 25mm round it fires to explode near its target rather than when it hits something. The point is to be able to kill enemy combatants who are taking cover behind objects such as rocks. A laser rangefinder determines the distance to the covering object, then the shooter estimates the distances from the object to the person and feeds in that data. After firing, a computer in the XM25 calculates the distance the round has travelled and detonates it so as to cover the target with lethal shrapnel. It’s accurate at ranges of up to 500 metres. At the moment each bullet has to be made by hand and costs several hundred dollars. Imagine if it could be programmed to disable, perhaps with sound or light, rather than kill. The Economist.

Tech Universe: Friday 27 January 2012

• 3D EARTH: The German Earth observation satellites TanDEM-X and TerraSAR-X have completely mapped the entire land surface of Earth for the first time. The data is to create a high-precision, 3D digital elevation model of Earth. The radar system views the ground from two different points in space only around 150 metres apart. Analysis creates an exceptionally accurate, global and homogeneous 3D elevation model. Since different land areas reflect or absorb the radar signal differently the satellites need to make several passes to acquire all the data they need. Now they should combine that with Google Maps. DLR German Aerospace Center.
• STACKED CHIPS: A new CMOS image sensor from Sony is more compact than previous CMOS sensors and captures better quality images, even in low light. The new sensors will be useful for small devices such as cellphones, especially since they are also faster and draw less power. These benefits all derive from a new stacked arrangement of the components. It’s all in the way you hold the sensors. Sony.
• DOG MEET SNAKE ROBOT: A robot snake with a camera can help rescuers see what’s going on inside piles of rubble or other disaster scenes. But how does it get there? One delivery mechanism is a rescue dog. The camera’s strapped under the dog in a special harness. When the dog finds a human it barks. That releases the robot snake so it can explore the area, sending images back to base. And then how does the snake robot get out again? IEEE Spectrum.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p9L9lGgztE

• CIRCULAR SCAN: Taking a photo of an object is one thing. A 3D representation is another. The OrcaM Orbital Camera System from NEK in Germany combines the two into a system to digitise objects. An object up to 80 cm in diameter and weighing up to 100 Kg is placed inside a spherical scanner that uses special patterns of lights. Multiple cameras capture images then software reconstructs a 3D geometry. The digitised images could be used on the web, in computer games or even in movies. Isn’t the whole 3D thing already covered in movies? NEK.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHEi55oJJOA

• ROAD BLOCK: The Scosche cellCONTROL is a small device that uses Bluetooth to block calls as soon as a vehicle begins moving. Users activate the system online and download an app to their phone. Then they install a small trigger unit into the vehicle. As soon as the vehicle is in motion the unit blocks drivers from being able to text message, email or make phone calls unless a handsfree headset is detected by the mobile device. Tampering or misuse are reported to an administrator. Sounds good, if it still leaves passengers able to make calls. Autoblog.

Do you need a writer or trainer? I’m available for and looking for casual, short-term and long-term contracts writing articles, help files, training manuals, websites. See my Portfolio then Contact me.

Notes: I write a Tech Universe column for the NZ Herald. This is a fun assignment: Tech Universe brings 5 headlines each day about what’s up in the world of technology. Above are the links from last week as supplied. The items that were published in The Herald may differ slightly.

While I find all the items interesting, some are just cooler than others. I’ve marked out those items.

Pawsed; Everyone Knows Where You Are; He's Alive, Jim; Cold Storage; High Hopes; Dolphin Detectors; Go Solo; Will Fly For Oil; Whalercoaster; Family Finder.

Tech Universe: Monday 16 January 2012

• JUST BREATHE: European scientists are developing biosensors that can detect the presence of tumour markers of lung cancer in exhaled breath. Our breath contains all kinds of organic compounds, and cancer doesn’t have a single marker. Instead several compounds together can betray it. Tecnalia developed novel materials sensitive enough to detect the compounds medical teams are interested in. Being able to detect tumours early improves the chances of being cured. Sensitive materials, eh. Like a dog’s nose? Tecnalia.
• PAWSED: PAWS may just save your life one day. It stands for Portable, All-Terrain, Wireless System — a lightweight night and day camera that straps on to a search and rescue dog and sends a wireless signal back to a human controller nearby. A trained dog can search through rubble or a collapsed building, while a rescue commander can watch what it sees. An infrared view can cut through dark spaces, Once the dog locates someone who’s trapped the rescue team can go in. The UK makers had to source a camera that weighed even less than a standard helmet cam so a dog could wear it. Does the dog get a helmet too? BBC.
• WALKABOUT: Ekso Bionics hope their new exoskeleton can help people with paraplegia to walk on their own. It’s intended for medical facilities where people can be supervised while they train to use it. A physiotherapist helps control the device with a remote, while the human inside it needs to learn to balance their upper body. In case you think this sounds familiar, Ekso were previously called Berkeley Bionics. If you can walk unassisted now, don’t take it for granted. IEEE.
• SHIFTING SANDS: Teaching robots to walk on a hard surface is tricky enough. On sand it’s enormously more difficult because sand shifts, and the feet sink in. Engineers from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, have been studying how a small model robot foot walks in sand. They plan to use this data for full-size robots. Eventually they hope to help robots walk on any kind of sand or loose soil. And maybe it could be applied to exoskeletons too. New Scientist.
• EVERYONE KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE: The US Government runs the current Global Positioning System, and that introduces problems of a political nature. Now China has its own version of GPS in operation. Beidou make available location, timing and navigation data in China and surrounding areas. 10 satellites are currently in orbit for Beidou, while another half dozen should launch soon. Then the network will be doubled over the next few years. Beidou should be correct to within 10 metres for civilians, but the Chinese military can access more accurate data. What’s good for everyone is that the system is compatible and interoperable with the world’s other navigation systems. Meanwhile the European system called Galileo should be up and running in a few years. Location, location, location. BBC.

Tech Universe: Tuesday 17 January 2012

• POD PILGRIMS: The pods are coming to Amritsar, India. Transport pods, that is. As many as 500,000 Sikh pilgrims visit the Golden Temple each year, and authorities are concerned about the building degrading because of vehicle emissions. The electric pods will help carry visitors to the shrine. The personal rapid transit system is like the one at Heathrow Airport in London. 200 automated electric pods will shuttle an average of 100,000 passengers per day over 3.3 Km of track. Each pod will carry 6 passengers, and must withstand both 50 degree Celsius heat and monsoon rain. There are surely plenty more places that could use this kind of system. New York Times.
• BOTTLE SEATS: The 2012 Ford Focus Electric uses sustainable Repreve fabrics. The hybrid blend fabric is created from used plastic water bottles and polyester fibre manufacturing waste. Each car keeps 22 bottles out of the landfill. That’s a drop in an ocean of plastic water bottles. Repreve.
• ENERGY GO ROUND: The Energy Return Wheel suspends a wheel within a wheel. As the wheel touches the road a special rubber membrane between the two absorbs energy and noise and returns the energy later in the cycle. This has the potential to save fuel and to offer a smoother ride. Moreover the tire is airless so punctures aren’t a problem. The wheel can be used on any vehicle. If the ride’s smoother, long distance travel may be less tiring too, I guess. Energy Return Wheel.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGvRnij2zoE

• TAG YOU’RE OUT: Wheelchair users need those specially marked parking spots but often the spots are used by those who shouldn’t be there. New Zealand’s Car Parking Technologies may have a solution. Their system provides eligible drivers with an electronic tag. Sensors in the parking spots detect the tag and instantly notify parking enforcement personnel when a car with no tag stops there. The system costs about the same as the current permit system, and could be easily adapted for other kinds of reserved parking too. Even better: just connect it to an instant fine system. Gizmag.
• SUPERSPEED TRAINS: China has just tested a train that will speed through the countryside at up to 500 Kph. The train’s made of plastic reinforced with carbon fibre and has a maximum tractive power of 22,800 kilowatts. Officials say it won’t necessarily travel that fast though as they have concerns about safety. The landscape would just be a blur at that speed. PhysOrg.

Tech Universe: Wednesday 18 January 2012

• HE’S ALIVE, JIM: Would you like to win US$10 million? All you have to do is create a working medical device like the tricorder used on Star Trek. The Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize wants competitors to come up with a portable, wireless device that fits in the palm of your hand and accurately monitors and diagnoses 15 health conditions. The device must also be easy to use, to have a shot at winning. Go. Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize.
• COLD STORAGE: Cramming bits onto a hard drive is one way to store computer data. IBM hope there may be another way. Conventional storage has the spin of atoms aligned and that causes problems. This new technique used counter-aligned spin. Researchers were able to store a magnetic-memory bit in just 12 iron atoms. While this would allow much denser data storage there is a problem. Researchers had to assemble each bit under a scanning tunneling microscope and the data was only held for a few hours. Oh, and it was at almost zero degrees Kelvin. It’s all in the way you spin the data. Technology Review.
• HIGH HOPES: The Baluarte Bridge was recently completed in Mexico and is now the tallest suspension bridge in the world. It is 1,124 metres long, supported by 152 steel suspenders, with a 520 m central span and 4 lanes suspended at a height of over 400 metres. The Eiffel Tower would easily fit underneath. The bridge cuts 6 hours travel time off travel between Durango and Mazatlán and should help open up travel in Mexico. That’s one way to get high in Mexico. Presidency of the Republic.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu_CkrLpkkY

• INVISIBLE STYLES: There are cameras all over the place, and facial recognition software has become alarmingly accurate. But what say you don’t want to be easily recognised by security software? Hoods and masks may not be allowed in many places, but some clever make up and hair styles could do the job. Computer Vision’s Dazzle technique takes its name from Word War 1 camouflage that appeared to break up the shapes of warships. Using patterned makeup and carefully cut hair could fool facial recognition software. Which profilers could see as a reason in itself to suspect a wearer. CV Dazzle.
• SHARP-EYED BIRD: The US Army has some new drones that can take off vertically, hover and reach an altitude of up to 6 Km. The A160 Hummingbird carries a 1.8 gigapixel colour camera that can provide real-time video streams at 10 frames a second. Operators can use the camera to track up to 6 objects on the ground, even if they’re moving in different directions. Those are some scary capabilities. BBC.

Tech Universe: Thursday 19 January 2012

• WINDOW TV: Samsung’s Smart Window is a large TFT LCD touchscreen. It can be completely transparent and function as a window in the wall of your house. But wait, there’s more. It also lets you use apps such as for weather or recipes, or to check Twitter, and works as a TV. It has day and night modes, and apparently doesn’t show what you’re watching to the outside world. SO the neighbours won’t know about your secret shopping channel obsession. Gizmodo.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTVPVobDrms

• SEA ROCKET: Russia’s Phobos-Grunt spacecraft was meant to be on its way to Mars. Instead it failed after launch late last year and entered a decaying orbit. The other day it re-entered the atmosphere, breaking apart and scattering debris into the Pacific. The Pacific seafloor must be littered with dead spacecraft by now. Scientific American.
• NUDGING SPACE: It’s not only the Phobos-Grunt launch that went very wrong. One that was kept quiet until the craft was rescued was the US Air Force’s $2 billion AEHF-1 communications satellite. It failed to reach its required orbit when a fuel line clogged. Controllers had to find another way to boost it thousands of miles into place. Eventually they used hundreds of tiny thruster manoeuvres. At least it should be a while until that one comes down in the Pacific. Wired.
• ROCKET BRICKS: Here’s one rocket that shouldn’t end up in the Pacific: it’s made of 120,000 Lego bricks and took 250 hours to build. It’s a 5.76 metre tall scale model of the Saturn V rocket, complete with gantry, liquid fuel tanks and the NASA Astrovan. Maybe you shouldn’t try this at home: the model was built by an Australian LEGO Certified Professional. Really? Certified to work with Lego? The Brick Man.
• DOLPHIN DETECTORS: The US Navy has 80 bottlenose dolphins in San Diego Bay that have been trained to detect mines and drop acoustic transponders nearby. Apparently dolphins have been used several times in the last decade to detect mines, in part because of their powerful sonar. Perhaps they could also be trained to locate bits of failed spacecraft. The Atlantic Wire.

Tech Universe: Friday 20 January 2012

• 3D CHINA: China Central Television is launching a 3D TV channel as a trial. Viewers with 3D sets and high definition digital TV set-top boxes can watch their service. 3D channels are already available in Japan, South Korea and India. I’m surprised there’s enough 3D content to actually fill a channel. BBC.
• GO SOLO: The Solowheel is a gyro stabilised, electric unicycle about the size of a briefcase. It’s powered by a lithium-ion battery, and has fold out footpegs. Step on and travel 25 to 30 Km at 16 Kph over rough pavement. When you arrive fold it up and carry it with you. That’d be very handy for those who commute by train. Solowheel.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp_GxDPyYik

• WILL FLY FOR OIL: We hear a lot about military uses for drones, but the Aeryon Scout micro unmanned aerial vehicle, based in Nome, Alaska, has been proving its worth to citizens. The drone flies on 20-minute missions from the beach in Nome and sends back images of ice in the Bering Sea. Why? To help a tanker carrying much-needed oil to find its way as close to Nome as possible then lay out a 1.6 Km hose back to shore. Sounds like every city and town should have its own drone. The Anchorage Daily News.
• WHALERCOASTER: Whales are tricky to track because they swim deep under the sea for much of the time. US researchers have been radio-tagging whales with sensors to record the orientation, depth and speed of whales as they swim. Eventually the tags fall off, surface and send back their data. The Track Plot software from a computer scientist at the University of New Hampshire in Durham displays the data in video animations. The data helps researchers understand the behaviour of whales. The video shows a path that would make a pretty good roller coaster ride. Science Now. Video:
• FAMILY FINDER: In a crisis aid workers have a lot to do very quickly. Researchers from The University of Manchester in the UK, created software to quickly and accurately locate missing people and to point people towards safe zones, all using mobile phones. The Where’s Safe app replies to an SMS with info about safe areas. The REUNITE software and web app accepts phone recordings by aid workers of people separated from their families. These are uploaded to a website, transcribed and used to help find displaced people. Info can then be sent back to the aid worker’s phone. Crowdsourcing, crisis and cellphones: a great combination. The University of Manchester.

Do you need a writer or trainer? I’m available for and looking for casual, short-term and long-term contracts writing articles, help files, training manuals, websites. See my Portfolio then Contact me.

Notes: I write a Tech Universe column for the NZ Herald. This is a fun assignment: Tech Universe brings 5 headlines each day about what’s up in the world of technology. Above are the links from last week as supplied. The items that were published in The Herald may differ slightly.

While I find all the items interesting, some are just cooler than others. I’ve marked out those items.

Authors, publishers, someone … please let me buy the Kindle versions of your books even though I'm in the-not-the-USA. Please.

One of my Internet pals in New Mexico gave me a little gift yesterday, which left me grinning like a fool. Virginia DeBolt went to hear one of her favourite authors speak — someone who’s one of my favourites too: Nevada Barr.

After the talk Virginia had Nevada Barr hold up a sign:

I made this hokey looking sign for Miraz, and Nevada happily posed with a greeting to her far-away fan. The last thing she told me after signing my book, was, “And hi to Miraz.”

This is Virginia’s photo (resized to fit here):

Nevada Barr says Hi Miraz.

The ebook geography problem

I first discovered Nevada Barr’s books a little more than a year ago, thanks to the Kindle store. I mentioned them in Try an ebook today — they’re fun.

What that article didn’t mention though was that only her first book — the one that got me hooked on her writing — was available to me on Kindle.

I came across Track of the Cat (An Anna Pigeon Novel), was interested, downloaded it moments later after paying by credit card and was reading it within minutes, all without leaving the couch. Oh, and ‘shipping’ was free.

Some of the Nevada Barr Kindle books available to US-based readers.

As soon as I finished it I went back to Amazon to buy the next one in the series.

Did you know that if you visit from a US IP address you can see around 21 of her books in the Kindle format, mostly at US$7.99 per book, but if you visit from a New Zealand IP address you see only one (plus one anthology that includes some of her work)?

That day I was in the swing. I had my figurative wallet out and was about to willingly hand over some virtual cash, and … nothing but frustration.

Frustration!

This is not the first time I’ve been disadvantaged by geography. Another of my most favourite authors is Marcia Muller and it’s the same story — I can’t buy her books in Kindle format. Not a single one of her superb Sharon McCone series is available to me on Kindle, because I’m in New Zealand.

I’ll spare you the long rant, but this really annoys and frustrates me.

When I bought the paperback of Muller’s Locked In from Amazon back in September 2010 — I’ve tried and failed to find any of her books locally, except occasionally in second hand stores — I paid US$7.99 for the book and US$9.98 for shipping. New Zealand is a long way away from almost everywhere.

All of the Nevada Barr Kindle books available to NZ-based readers.

I only paid those prices because I had a coupon that covered half the amount. Shipping at the rate I can afford takes weeks.

I suspect most Kiwis who buy from Amazon save up until they have a bunch of items and then buy them all at once to save on shipping.

I’ve bought numerous books from Amazon since then — none were on paper and all were Kindle books.

No spontaneous purchases

So, back to the Kindle Store. I was ready and willing to pay out a sum of money for the instant gratification of reading the series one after the other on my iPad. But it was no go because they wouldn’t sell the books to me.

In fact, if I was logged in they wouldn’t even show the books to me.

The Library loop

So I bought something else instead and read that. Then sometime later I borrowed my partner’s Library Card and visited Wellington Central Library. I haven’t owned, wanted or needed a library card for well over a decade now, perhaps more like 15 years.

After a 10 minute drive to town, finding a free space, paying for parking, I found the correct shelves in the Library and was lucky enough to find the next few books in the series.

I borrowed them, drove home, read them. Then repeated the process, with the added frustration of not finding a couple of books in the middle of the series.

An eternal optimist

I’m now a few books behind with both favourite authors. I’m really reluctant to buy anything on paper any more, and definitely won’t buy a hardback book. Those hardbacks always seem to be published first — it’s very annoying.

I keep thinking with each book that this time they’ll let me buy the Kindle version. Each time so far I’ve been disappointed. I’m in New Zealand so I’m not allowed to buy that version.

Authors and publishers please sell to me

Here’s my plea: authors and publishers, it’s the 21st century. We have devices that display your ebooks superbly. We have instant delivery at almost zero cost. We have a global economy. We have the technology to pay you in your country instantly in your currency from our country.

We have folks here who want to pay you for your products delivered as ebooks.

For that matter, we have people who want to buy all kinds of digital products, including movies and music, if only they were legally available to us. We’re talking books, music and movies here folks, not heroin or biological warfare agents.

Authors: please sell us your work, as ebooks. That $4 parking fee? I’d rather pay it to you for your ebooks than to the Council to rent a small rectangle of roadway for an hour.

And if it’s your publisher who’s stuck in the 19th century, give them a push! Show them the wonders of this newfangled thing called the Internet. I’m sure they’d like to expand their market.

Nevada Barr: thanks for the Hi, and the photo. That was a nice little buzz for the day. From you in New Mexico to me in Wellington, New Zealand in the blink of an eye. The Internet is magic!