2001.01.17
Physics lesson for today -
Physics Today:
Book Review:
Journeys Beyond the Standard Model by Pierre Ramond.
"The standard model is composed of two pieces, quantum
chromodynamics (QCD) and the electroweak theory."
...
"All but one of the particles of the minimal standard model
have been established experimentally, the most recent
(summer 2000) being the tau neutrino. The list includes 12
gauge bosons and 45 helicity states of quarks and leptons.
The remaining particle is the Higgs boson, a hypothetical
scalar responsible for breaking symmetry between
electromagnetic and weak interactions and, more
remarkably, for giving mass to everything. Suggestive
evidence for the Higgs was reported on 5 September 2000
at a CERN symposium."
Need help? Here's Fermilab's glossary of physics
terms.
2001.01.15
WSJ (subscription required):
Web
Sees No Shortage Of Napster Alternatives.
"Ever since Napster forged an alliance with media
giant Bertelsmann in October, the bitter debate about
copyright and online file-sharing has died down.
After all, the renegade has moved into the
establishment's fold. But thanks to a growing legion
of alternatives, the global swap meet will continue.
Beaming music files around is just too easy."
Maybe this is picky, but I want to point out an error in the headline
of this article. Napster and other similar P2P applications that use
TCP/IP network protocols don't utilize http servers, and you don't access
their services through a browser. Napster works over the Internet,
but it isn't part of the World
Wide Web.
2001.01.11
Another teaser about Ginger:
Inside.com: What
Is `IT'? Book Proposal Heightens Intrigue About Secret Invention Touted
as Bigger Than the Internet or PC.
"[Pre-eminent Silicon Valley venture capitalist John] Doerr calls
Kamen -- who was just awarded the National Medal of Technology,
the country's highest such award -- a combination of Henry Ford and
Thomas Edison. Doerr also says, a touch ominously,
that he had been sure that he wouldn't see the
development of anything in his lifetime as
important as the World Wide Web -- until he saw IT."
[Pointer via Scripting News.]
2001.01.08
Science News: X rays unveil
secret lives of black holes.
"Not all black holes hide behind dust. Some fuel
quasars, the beacons of visible light that rank
among the most brilliant objects in the cosmos.
Black holes power quasars by converting
gravitational energy-the energy gained as they
suck in gas and dust-into radiation. The more a
black hole eats, the more radiation it generates.
"Although almost every large galaxy in the nearby
reaches of the universe seems to have a black hole,
less than 1 percent have quasars."
2001.01.05
New York Times: EToys
to Lay Off 70%.
"In a confirmation of the grave prognosis for what had been
one of the fastest rising stars on the Internet, eToys said
yesterday that it would lay off 700 of its 1,000 employees and
close two of its smaller warehouses. A day earlier, the
company said it would close its European operations."
...
"Even with the cutbacks, an eToys spokesman said the
company has cash to last only until March 31."
Bummer!
