Innovation Watch Newsletter 1.18
September 21, 2002

SCIENCE

Scientists to Clone Extinct Mammoths - [CNN] In an eerie recreation of Steven Spielberg's blockbuster movie "Jurassic Park", scientists are planning to clone an extinct animal to be the central attraction of a wildlife park.

Mitochondria Can Be Inherited from Both Parents - [New Scientist] Mitochondria may not be inherited solely through the maternal line, according to new research that promises to overturn accepted biological wisdom. If confirmed by other researchers, the findings could have huge implications for evolutionary biology and biochemistry.

'Animals' Grown from Artificial Embryo - [New Scientist] Virtual creatures, with muscles, senses and primitive nervous systems, have been "grown" from artificial embryos in a computer simulation. The multi-celled organisms could be the first step towards using artificial evolution to create intelligent life from scratch.

Sweet Step to Hydrogen Revolution - [Nature] Chemists in the United States have developed a way of making hydrogen from plant matter. It is a step towards hydrogen becoming cheap and plentiful enough for it to be used as non-polluting fuel.

'X' Marks the Spot Where Black Holes Meet - [CNN] When two galaxies collide, massive black holes in their respective centers fuse in a dramatic flourish that creates a telltale "X" mark, according to astronomers.

Single Gene Separates Humans from Apes - [Discovery Channel] Humans took a genetic leap away from the apes more than 2 million years ago, an international team of researchers announced in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Tantalising Signs of Water Seen on Planets Orbiting Distant Stars - [Space Daily] Italian astronomers believe they have glimpsed water, a building block of life, in the atmosphere of planets that are light years from Earth, New Scientist says.

Toyota's G-Book to Provide Drivers with Interactive Info - [Japan Times] Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday that it will introduce a new membership-based information network service called G-Book this fall, enabling drivers to receive a wide range of interactive information services via wireless communication terminals mounted in their vehicles.

Legend Unveils China's Fastest Computer - [Mercury News] Chinese computer maker Legend Group has unveiled what it says is China's fastest supercomputer in a bid to join the elite of computer manufacturers. Legend said Thursday its Deepcomp 1800 would rank 24th in speed among the world's supercomputers, surpassed only by equipment made by U.S. or Japanese companies.

The Future of Artificial Intelligence: The Borg? - [ZD Net] Lionhead Studios, the creators of the seminal game Black & White, is working on a new game that extends the idea of the 'group mind' to give its characters the appearance of more realistic artificial intelligence.

The Future of Technology in Business - [CIO] Applying the Napster file-sharing model to corporate applications. Developing new storage-searching technologies that can find needed data wherever it resides. Harvesting idle processing power resting in offices around the world to solve computing-intensive problems. Using wireless networks to create always-on business end-users, citizens and neighborhoods.

China 'Blocking Google' - [BBC] China appears to have blocked access to the popular search engine, Google.

Organic Robot Mimics Sea Life - [BBC] An organic robot designed to imitate primitive life forms has been created by scientists in the US. The Public Anemone is a robot set in a rock pool filled with greenish water which reacts to light and touch, much like an real sea anemone.

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BUSINESS

Shareholder Value in the Firing Line - [CFO] Shareholder value is getting a bad rap. The high-profile collapses and failed get-rich-quick schemes have provoked a backlash against both the concept and the practice. This hostility escalated with the latest scandals in the United States - Enron, Global Crossing, Waste Management and WorldCom - where managers escaped with billions of dollars in stock option profits, and investors were left with worthless shares.

Deutsche Post Wins Approval to Deliver UK Mail - [Independent] Deutsche Post has become the first of the big foreign postal operators to attempt to show the loss-making Royal Mail that it can deliver the post more efficiently. The German company yesterday was awarded an interim licence from the regulator Postcomm, pitting against the likes of Hays and Express Dairies' milk floats in the battle to provide an alternative to Royal Mail.

Will the IT Doldrums Drag On? - [Internet News] As the summer slowly peters out this Labor Day weekend, the IT industry hopes that the fall will bring more than just a change to the leaves: an end to nearly two years of stagnant IT spending.

Good to Great - [Fast Company] Start with 1,435 good companies. Examine their performance over 40 years. Find the 11 companies that became great. Now, here's how you can do it too.

Greenspan Defends Fed Moves - [Washington Post] Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said today events of the last decade and a half have convinced him there is no way that small changes in interest rates can deflate a developing stock market bubble.

Innovation at 350 Knots - [Business 2.0] A new six-person commuter jet could rewrite the rules of commercial air travel.

Online Subscription Music Sites a Tough Sell - [USA Today] Online subscription music sites have finally arrived. But there's been little fanfare, and almost no one is buying. Free music-swapping services continue to attract millions of new users despite the recording industry's legal efforts to shutter them, and few consumers are even aware of the handful of pay sites that have emerged over the last year.

India Seeks Patent Regime for Unique Genetic Resources - [Financial Express] Cautioning that new environmental partnerships should not turn out to be "yet another exploitative mechanism," India on Tuesday wanted developed nations to pay royalty and monetary compensation for commercially exploiting genetic resources unique to a geographical region.

Quebecers Grapple with E-Commerce Law - [IT Business] The Quebec Act to Establish a Legal Framework for Information Technology is the first in Canada to explicitly equate the value of an electronic document and signature with its written counterpart, experts say. A digitally signed contract, for example, could carry the same legal weight under the act as a printed contract delivered in person or by surface mail.

Annan Asks U.S. to Ease Up on Iraq - [Halifax Herald] UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the United States to resist attacking Iraq, joining calls from leaders in Germany, China, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on Wednesday for restraint in considering military action to topple Saddam Hussein.

Bad Movie Hurts Jedi Down Under - [Wired] In Australia, 70,509 people -- 0.37 percent of the population -- marked "Jedi" as their religion when the most recent national census was taken Aug. 7, 2001. In New Zealand, 53,715 people -- 1.5 percent of respondents -- marked "Jedi" on that national census taken March 6, 2001.

Electronic Frontier Foundation, Verizon Guard Client Privacy - [EFF] The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and eleven other consumer and privacy groups today sided with Verizon in its struggle to protect customer privacy. The groups urged a federal court to prevent the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) from forcing Internet Service Provider Verizon to identify a customer the RIAA has accused of offering infringing music on a peer-to-peer system.

In Greece, Use a Game Boy, Go to Jail - [c|net] The Greek government has banned all electronic games across the country, including those that run on home computers, on Game Boy-style portable consoles, and on mobile phones. Thousands of tourists in Greece are unknowingly facing heavy fines or long terms in prison for owning mobile phones or portable video games.

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ENVIRONMENT

Indonesia Risks Losing Rain Forests - [BBC] Deforestation across the world is still of grave concern to environmentalists. They warn that rain forests in countries such as Indonesia and Brazil could disappear within 20 years.

Cheap Latrines Could Save Millions - [New Scientist] Thousands of children could be saved from dying each day from water-borne diseases if aid agencies and governments in the developing world switched money from expensive city sewer projects to installing cheap latrines in villages and shanty towns.

Governments Agree to End Overfishing - [New Scientist] The World Summit has agreed to end the overfishing of the planet's oceans by 2015. The agreement, which has potentially far-reaching implications for fishing fleets and marine biodiversity round the world, was among the first concrete deals negotiated by national delegations in Johannesburg.

Big Business and Greepeace Urge Action On Climate Change - [Guardian] Two organisations with a history of mutual distrust and recrimination - big business and Greenpeace - have sunk their differences to appeal to the world to take action on climate change.

Britain is 'Failing to Stand Up to Bush' - [Independent] A delegation of United States Democrat congressmen has attacked Britain and its European Union partners for failing to stand up to President George Bush's attempts to block new targets to alleviate global poverty.

Fund Set Up to Safeguard Future Food Supply - [Planet Ark] Agricultural groups launched a drive to protect the seeds that will secure future food supplies even as world leaders sought ways to halve world hunger.

Driven to Alcohol - [Economist] On of the deals struck at the Johannesburg summit on sustainable development was a pact between Brazil and Germany to develop a scheme in which German companies will subsidise Brazilians to buy cars that run on ethanol instead of petrol.

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THE FUTURE

International Survey of Futures Studies Courses - (Adobe Acrobat file) - [Australian Foresight Institute] The Australian Foresight Institute recently undertook an international survey of all tertiary futures studies courses.