Capture, Collect, Organize, and Share Research
If you aren’t using Onfolio to easily aggregate your online research, thank me in advance and continue reading. Onfolio is a PC application for reading news feeds in RSS format, collecting and organizing online content, and publishing online. It captures bookmarks and stores local copies of Web pages, PDF files, charts, and e-mails into personalized collections. You can capture articles and their references, publish research reports with formatted bibliographies, and share relevant news with students. In fact, some universities are using this tool to improve research collaboration across their campuses. In a world where the need for speed and accuracy in the dissemination of critical information increases daily, this tool may be the difference between "research as usual" and truly innovative information gathering.
Educators, Moodle Up
Moodle up? Yes, Moodle up. Moodle is a free, open-source software package---meaning that users have the freedom to run the program for any purpose, study and adapt the program, and redistribute copies of either the original or modified program (without having to pay royalties to previous developers)---designed using sound pedagogical principles, to help educators create effective online learning communities. Moodle has a large and diverse user community; it is available in 70 languages to over 1.6 million users. It boasts 160,000+ courses, and it is used in 138 countries by universities, schools, companies, and independent teachers. One of the best features of Moodle is that you don’t need to be a programmer to use it---if you can use a word processor, you can use Moodle. This course management software helps teachers communicate with their students in an active, collaborative, on-line environment. Students and teachers share lessons, assignments, multimedia, forums, and course documents, all in one collaborative space. Moodle has also gained momentum because of its low-cost, open-source pricing structure. And since it is open source, you, too, can contribute towards the development of Moodle. If you are an educator, Moodle is worth a look. Check it out at www.moodlerooms.com.
New Paint Blocks Cell Signals
It seemed that nothing---not cell phone etiquette books, nor recognized public protocol, nor Mrs. Manners herself---could curtail rude cell phone users. But nanotechnology has found itself another awesome application---blocking radio frequency traffic (i.e. cell phone coverage) in areas where cell phone chatterboxes are an annoyance.
NaturalNano, a New York-based company that discovers and refines naturally occurring nanomaterials, has developed paint that can switch between blocking cell phone signals and allowing them through. Using nanotechnology, particles of copper are inserted into nanotubes, which are ultra-tiny tubes that occur naturally in halloysite clay. Combined with a radio-filtering device that collects phone signals from outside a shielded space, certain transmissions can proceed while others are blocked. This technology might be used in a concert hall, allowing cell phones to work before the concert and during breaks, but not during the performance. Unlike illegal jamming, this system monitors and controls the flow of radio, cellular, and Wi-Fi signals into a building, and has a built-in billing function. In the past, creating radio-filtered environments involved extensive conductive wiring and construction materials, which are both labor and capital intensive, so this new spray-on approach is more cost effective.
Supporters believe that there is a strong market need for intelligent cellular and Wi-Fi control in locations like schools, offices, and in military applications. However, the wireless phone industry is up in arms over the development, and they oppose any kind of blocking technology.
The 8-Terabyte desktop
This year, VoodooPC will launch a desktop PC with 16 hard drives. That’s not a typo---16 hard drives! The desktops will use Microsoft's new operating system, called Vista, and will have room for 8 terabytes (TB) of data. To place the capacity in perspective, note that most academic research libraries contain 2 TB of data. These computers will offer tons of space, but you will need tons of cash to buy one. An 8-TB desktop is expected to retail for $8,000; currently Voodoo sells a 1-TB system for roughly $3,000. But who really needs an 8-TB PC? Maybe everyone, eventually. Microsoft and PC makers want to turn PCs into home entertainment centers, capable of storing high-definition video, which is a storage hog. -- Mario Armstrong, TV and NPR Radio Technology Personality
