Making a layer cake with atomic precision

Monday, October 15, 2012

In a report published in Nature Physics, a group led Dr Leonid Ponomarenko and Nobel prize-winner Professor Andre Geim has assembled individual atomic layers on top of each other in a desired sequence.

The team used individual one-atom-thick crystals to construct a multilayer cake that works as a nanoscale electric transformer.

Graphene, isolated for the first time at The University of Manchester in 2004, has the potential to revolutionise diverse applications from smartphones and ultrafast broadband to drug delivery and computer chips.

It has the potential to replace existing materials, such as silicon, but the Manchester researchers believe it could truly find its place with new devices and materials yet to be invented.

In the nanoscale transformer, electrons moving in one metallic layer pull electrons in the second metallic layer by using their local electric fields. To operate on this principle, the metallic layers need to be insulated electrically from each other but separated by no more than a few interatomic distances, a giant leap from the existing nanotechnologies.

These new structures could pave the way for a new range of complex and detailed electronic and photonic devices which no other existing material could make, which include various novel architectures for transistors and detectors.

The scientists used graphene as a one-atom-thick conductive plane while just four atomic layers of boron nitride served as an electrical insulator.

The researchers started with extracting individual atomic planes from bulk graphite and boron nitride by using the same technique that led to the Nobel Prize for graphene, a single atomic layer of carbon. Then, they used advanced nanotechnology to mechanically assemble the crystallites one by one, in a Lego style, into a crystal with the desired sequence of planes.

The nano-transformer was assembled by Dr Roman Gorbachev, of The University of Manchester, who described the required skills. He said: "Every Russian and many in the West know The Tale of the Clockwork Steel Flea.

"It could only be seen through the most powerful microscope but still danced and even had tiny horseshoes. Our atomic-scale Lego perhaps is the next step of craftsmanship".

Professor Geim added: "The work proves that complex devices with various functionalities can be constructed plane by plane with atomic precision.

"There is a whole library of atomically-thin materials. By combining them, it is possible to create principally new materials that don't exist in nature. This avenue promises to become even more exciting than graphene itself."

###

University of Manchester: http://www.manchester.ac.uk

Thanks to University of Manchester for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/124461/Making_a_layer_cake_with_atomic_precision

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Dubious Sony 'Nexus X' photos appear online

Update: Sources tell Android Central that these images are not of a genuine Nexus device.

The photo above is one of a pair of pictures doing the rounds this morning, claiming to show a future Sony-built Nexus phone. The images appeared on Picasa today, tagged as "Nexus X" and "Xperia Nexus." EXIF information shows the photos were taken on a Galaxy Nexus on Oct. 13 and 14. The front face shows no branding whatsoever, while Google and Sony logos adorn the rear. Along the side can be seen three gold pogo pins and a microUSB port.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice a few anomalies with the image above, and the photo of the front face, which we've included after the break. First up is the odd bulge around the back of the device, and the strangely faded Sony logo. There's also some odd artefacting throughout the photo, particularly around the USB port and the Google logo up top -- hallmarks of possible Photoshopping. Then there's the fact that the front face shows a home screen where the Google Play Store icon is not labeled, and there's no persistent search bar up top. If you ask us, there's definitely something fishy going on here.

And then there's the fact that we're pretty sure the LG Nexus 4 is what's next from Google, and that Googlers are currently testing that model rather than any Sony creation.

In any case, let's suspend disbelief for a few minutes and entertain the idea that this is genuine. If so, we'd guess it's either an abandoned prototype or some future Sony phone in a dummy case. Certainly, the exterior doesn't match any Sony phone we're familiar with, though it does share a few design traits with the Xperia S and Xperia Ion. We know from briefings with Sony and other manufacturers that they often produce numerous prototype designs for future hardware, so it's possible that's what we're dealing with here. We also wouldn't read too much into the fact that it's running vanilla Android, as manufacturers must use this as a starting point when building their own UIs.

In any case, we'd suggest you don't get too excited about what we're seeing here. It's not impossible that we might see a Sony Nexus at some point in the future, but if we do, we're pretty sure it won't look anything like this.

Check past the break for the second, equally suspicious photo in this set.

Source: Picasa

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Utaez1VMaio/story01.htm

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Mercury Craters Look Like Cookie Monster in NASA Photo

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Scott Lowe Explains Basics of SDN for CIOs on Wikibon ...

Software defined networks, (SDN) also known as network virtualization, is a bleeding edge technology that jumped into prominence in the industry with VMware?s purchase of SDN pioneer Nicira just before VMworld 2012 in September. And while the technology may not be quite ready for real time yet, CIOs are going to be hearing more about SDN, and they want to be ready for that call from the CEO who has just read about the promise of SDN in an airline magazine. Most of the coverage of SDN, however, has been fairly high level and not really what CIOs need.

Wikibon analyst, consultant, and former CIO Scott Lowe has stepped into that gap with a Professional Alert titled ?SDN for the CIO: Introduction to Software Defined Networking? designed to bring the discussion down to a more concrete level.

SDN, he writes, ?brings a new level of abstraction to the physical network? and ?sounds strangely like service virtualization, which is also an abstraction technology.? And the two work well together ? SDN is in part a response to the huge increase in network demand caused by server virtualization. However, he says, SDN is more than the network version of VMs.

A major part of the value of SDN is in its potential to streamline the process of reconfiguring a network to handle new demand. It does this by abstracting the network plane, which in today?s networks resides in the individual switches, to a higher layer, leaving just the data plane in the switch. That allows network administrators to configure large portions or whole networks at once rather than having to touch each switch to make the changes.

This is important, Scott says, because ?data centers have undergone a sea change with regard to how network traffic flows?primarily as the result of virtualization.? Because virtualized workloads constantly shift across the network between servers and even data centers, ?instead of traffic just going in-and-out, it?s going side-to-side, too.?

This forces more frequent reconfiguration of portions of the data network to handle changes in demand. SDN eliminates much of the time and effort involved, allowing network managers to respond faster and more accurately to these changes. More important, it allows network managers to refocus on the needs of each application, essentially creating a separate logical network for each application on top of the unified physical network layer.

SDN is still very much a bleeding edge technology, and while it is capturing increasing amounts of mindshare inside IT, it is not yet ready for prime time and still could fade away. And if it does become the Next Big Thing in the data center, that eventual mature product may or may not be based on OpenFlow, which today, Scott says, is ?the S in SDN.?

Overall Scott writes he would not adopt SDN until the standards have been further refined and the network vendors are fully committed not just to the concept but to a specific standard set. However, CIOs should monitor SDN develop and in particular what their network vendors are doing.

As with all Wikibon research, Scott?s full Alert is available without charge on Wikibon.org. IT professionals are invited to register for free membership in the Wikibon community. This allows them to correct errors in Wikibon published material, leave comments and questions, and contribute their own Alerts, tips, and white papers. It also gets them invitations to Wikibon?s periodic Peer Incite meetings, at which their peers discuss their experience with leading edge technologies they find valuable. It also gives them free subscription to the Peer Incite Newsletter, in which Wikibon?s analysts examine the implications of the technologies, issues, and trends discussed at the meetings.

Source: http://servicesangle.com/blog/2012/10/12/scott-lowe-explains-basics-of-sdn-for-cios-on-wikibon/

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Mom who glued toddler's hands: Is she a monster?

The words shown on a overhead display written by prosecutor Eren Price, left, are shown in court as an emotional Elizabeth Escalona, 23, responds to a line of questioning during the sentencing phase of her trial Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, in Dallas. Escalona, a young mother of five who admitted beating her toddler and gluing her hands to a wall, faces anywhere from probation to life in prison. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The words shown on a overhead display written by prosecutor Eren Price, left, are shown in court as an emotional Elizabeth Escalona, 23, responds to a line of questioning during the sentencing phase of her trial Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, in Dallas. Escalona, a young mother of five who admitted beating her toddler and gluing her hands to a wall, faces anywhere from probation to life in prison. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Elizabeth Escalona, 23, breaks down as she responds to a line of questions in the sentencing phase of her trial Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, in Dallas. Escalona, a young mother of five who admitted beating her toddler and gluing her hands to a wall, faces anywhere from probation to life in prison. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The word "Monster" shown on an overhead display that prosecutor Eren Price, not pictured, wrote is shown on a large display in court as a Dallas Sheriffs deputy escorts Elizabeth Escalona, 23, back to her seat in court during the sentencing phase of her trial Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, in Dallas. Escalona, a mother of five facing prison time for beating her 2-year-old daughter and gluing the toddler's hands to a wall, admitted to using drugs and alcohol while out on bond after her arrest. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

DALLAS (AP) ? Elizabeth Escalona has admitted that when she beat her then 2-year-old daughter and glued her hands to a wall, she behaved like a monster.

Where both sides disagree is whether she's a monster now.

Prosecutors and Escalona's attorney, Angie N'Duka, are scheduled to present their closing arguments on her sentencing Friday morning. Escalona, who pleaded guilty to felony injury of a child, faces up to life in prison. Prosecutors want a 45-year sentence.

State District Judge Larry Mitchell will decide Escalona's sentence.

Prosecutor Eren Price has repeatedly described the 23-year-old Escalona as a "monster." Price ripped into Escalona on Thursday, repeatedly calling her a liar and ordering her to look at photos of the injuries she inflicted on her daughter, Jocelyn Cedillo.

In one photo, dozens of red and brown marks from the September 2011 beating covered Jocelyn's back. Price told Escalona to count how many bruises there were. Escalona sobbed for several seconds.

"Ms. Escalona, if you can do it, you can look at it," Price said in a loud, sharp voice.

Police say Escalona kicked her daughter in the stomach, beat her with a milk jug, then stuck her hands to an apartment wall with an adhesive commonly known as Super Glue. Escalona's other children told authorities their mother attacked Jocelyn due to potty training problems.

Jocelyn suffered bleeding in her brain, a fractured rib, bruises and bite marks, and was in a coma for a couple of days. Some skin had been torn off her hands, where doctors also found paint chips from the apartment wall, witnesses testified.

Escalona has admitted she behaved like a monster when she beat Jocelyn but insists she isn't one now.

Price asked Escalona what she thought should happen in the case. Escalona replied in a soft, halting voice: "I should be put away." Then, she added, "But I also think I should be given a second chance."

When Price asked her why, she responded: "Because I'm not a monster."

The toddler's grandmother, Ofelia Escalona, said her daughter "made a mistake. She's not a monster. She needs help." Ofelia Escalona tearfully asked the judge to sentence her daughter to probation, saying she could be "fixed" and needed to work to support her children.

And N'Duka, Escalona's attorney, pointed out repeatedly that Escalona had taken the blame for attacking her daughter.

"She said to you, 'I take full responsibility for what happened,'" N'Duka said in questioning a Dallas Police officer who investigated the case, Senior Cpl. Abel Lopez.

Escalona acknowledged several missteps in her childhood: hanging around with gang members and trying marijuana around the age of 11, assaulting her mother at 12 and getting pregnant with her first child at 14.

She also admitted drinking and doing drugs after she was released from jail on bail in February.

Despite what she described as problems paying rent and other bills, Escalona admitted she was using marijuana about twice a day in the time before she attacked Jocelyn.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-10-12-Toddler-Glued%20to%20Wall/id-ddeeb2a530904ef3a5c15fee5866eb73

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Selectmen take cautious funding approach on Ham Rec Complex ...

By Gail Geraghty

Staff Writer

Bridgton Selectmen delayed action on pursuing a major state grant that would help complete work at the Kendal C. and Anna Ham Recreation Complex Tuesday.

The reason?

The $377,000 grant comes with a required 50% match of $188,500, and even though volunteer labor and materials can be applied to the match, selectmen don?t want to commit town funds until they first meet with members of the sports complex?s fundraising arm, the Bridgton Recreation Advancement Group.

Board members Bernie King and Doug Taft were expected to meet Wednesday with BRAG officials on the matter. They want to know how much more money BRAG is planning to raise, beyond the $700,000 they?ve already raised on site preparation, design, field creation and fencing, and what they plan to spend it on.

The conservation department?s Land and Water Fund only pays for projects related directly to enjoyment of the outdoors. Anne Krieg, Bridgton?s Director of Planning, Economic and Community Development, said she and Recreation Director Tom Tash met last month with the Department of Conservation?s Mick Rogers, who told her the town?s best bet was to seek funding for the tennis courts, along with the playground and the walkway. A separate trail grant could be sought for the trail work, she said. The town also must take ownership of the complex before the work could begin.

BRAG President Bill Macdonald has said the nonprofit organization knows it will need to stay active well after the transfer of ownership to raise the estimated $500,000 still needed. Krieg said BRAG cannot apply for the DOC grant; only governmental entities are eligible.

Selectman Woody Woodward said that although volunteer labor and donated materials could be used to offset a good part of the cost of the gravel walkway and playground, only professional contractors can create two regulation-sized paved tennis courts, estimated to cost $225,000. As such, it seems clear that taxpayers would need to fund a good portion of the $188,500 match, he said.

Selectman Chairman Paul Hoyt agreed, saying it especially concerned him that the tennis court construction was part of what BRAG promised when the town agreed to use revenue from the Moose Pond Trust Fund for the project.

Just how ?Business-Friendly? is Bridgton?

Questions resurfaced over just how effective the town has been in marketing itself, as Krieg asked the board?s permission to apply to become an official ?Business Friendly Community? as defined by Maine Gov. Paul Lepage?s office. She said the designation could be used to earn points on grant applications and merely required an application with questions on zoning and other issues showing how easy it is to start a business in Bridgton. Hoyt said he?d like to see a copy of the application.

The discussion came up as the board reviewed a list Krieg prepared at their request of current and future projects and initiatives. Among needs listed under economic development were the ?Business Friendly? application; working with the high school on a work-ready program in collaboration with area businesses; and identifying growth areas in town (through completion of the Comprehensive Plan update) and what types of businesses should be recruited.

?There isn?t very much in here related to local businesses? that exist now, Woodward said. ?I?m concerned there?s not a lot here to promote local businesses. Right now the vast majority of lodging businesses are failing in Bridgton,? he said, while not-too-distant towns like Bethel, Naples and Raymond are actively promoting themselves as destination towns.

Krieg said her office has some funds budgeted for marketing, which could be applied. Ken Murphy, who will be taking over as President of the Greater Bridgton Lake Region Chamber of Commerce in January, took issue with Woodward?s comment that Bridgton might require more than the marketing efforts of a regional chamber serving 13 towns.

?Don?t belittle Bridgton at the expense of other towns,? Murphy said. He said the chamber was actively involved in the recent appearance by former baseball pro-turned cigar maker Luis Tiant at the William Perry Cigar Lounge. Murphy said the wife of the cigar lounge owner had agreed to join the chamber?s board of directors.

Woodward apologized if his comment sounded disrespectful of the chamber, because that was not what he meant. He said the website www.visitbridgton.com he had a part in creating has not been as effective as he had hoped, and suggested that Krieg?s office could become involved.

Marketing matters were again debated when the board discussed promotion of the town-owned Salmon Point Campground on Long Lake. Six new sites have been created, as recommended in the Community Development Committee?s Salmon Point Report.

The board agreed that questions of how much effort and money should be directed toward marketing will be better addressed once they rate their priorities for the upcoming year among a long list prepared by Town Manager Mitch Berkowitz of potential projects that have been discussed, on and off, for some time. Once each board member has rated the projects, Berkowitz will collate the results and deliver a summary at the board?s next regular meeting on Oct. 23.

In other action:

? Bernie King wanted to correct information in last week?s News stating that he was not in favor of the Bridgton Police Department?s practice of both posting mug shots of arrested individuals on its Facebook page and allowing users to make comments underneath. King said, ?I didn?t have a problem with the mug shots, but I do have a problem with the comments.? Selectmen will be discussing and taking action later this month on a draft policy for all forms of electronic communication used by persons appointed, elected and employed by the town.

? The board approved rules governing the operation of the thrift store of donated items at the transfer station. After four weekends of operation by a school group, the store appears to be a success, and other nonprofit groups will be allowed to raise money by staffing the store with volunteers. However, in order to be considered, the group either has to have official 501(c)(3) status as a nonprofit, or be sponsored by one.

? Agreed to new board rules for town committees outlining the minimum requirements for producing a town record of the meeting under the state?s Freedom of Access Law. Even though the letter of the law may be met solely by taping the meeting, the board?s new policy will require a written public record to be distributed to each selectman within four days following the meeting, even if only in draft form. The minutes must include a listing of members and others who attended, each motion made and seconded, and by whom, and the results of each motion. If no vote is taken, a brief account must be provided about the discussion.

?

Source: http://www.bridgton.com/selectmen-take-cautious-funding-approach-on-ham-rec-complex/

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Are sites cashing in on your data? Plug-in tells you

3 hrs.

Devin Coldewey , NBC News

We all know that sites track us across the Internet to some extent, but it's hard to tell which ones do it the most ? and how much they're making from it. A new Web-based tool lets you do just that.

Privacyfix is a new site and browser plug-in for Firefox and Chrome that not only shows you which sites are tracking you and how often, but lets you change your settings right there with a click.

For instance, it told me that Facebook was tracking me on 89 percent (!) of sites ? which isn't that much of a surprise, since the "Like" button doesn't need to be clicked to register your presence on a website. Same for the widgets that tell you which of your friends have liked an article or app.

I hit the 'fix' button, and it indeed?instantly blocked Facebook from tracking me. A little too well, in fact: it broke some sites that used the popular Facebook commenting system.

The process is easy and reversible (all it took was the "undo" button to get Facebook comments back), and if you like what you see, you can install a plug-in that monitors your privacy in real time. Visit a site known for invasive tracking cookies or a?bad privacy policy? PrivacyFix?alerts you and suggests countermeasures.

It also gives a monetary value to how much your data is worth, though that's more of an estimate based on averages and your personal level of use; Google probably doesn't make $563.95 from my searches every year, as shown in the example here,?but I've certainly sent a little their way now and then while shopping online.

The site is a project of PrivacyChoice, a small company that tracks advertising sites and technologies, selling their expertise to companies and making free tools available for users.

There's no substitute for being aware of your own settings, but Privacyfix might be a good way to remind yourself to stay vigilant ? and it might just alert you to a few things you didn't even know needed fixing.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC?News Digital. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/are-sites-cashing-your-data-plug-lets-you-know-1C6420003

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