Assorted tech stories and images

Prototype transparent active matrix display created - Purdue researchers have succeeded in using nanowire transistors and OLEDs to create an active matrix display, a prerequisite to video-rate displays on glass or flexible surfaces.  The circuits are created at room temperature so the process can be used to deposit circuits on plastics. More work is required before the process can be commercialized; they currently can only control rows of OLEDs, not individual pixels on each row. When not activated, the circuit looks like slightly tinted glass, making it potentially useful for automotive heads-up displays. The process can also be adapted to build finely focused microwave and radio emitters.

Airplane laser defence system a go - Northrop-Grumman has announced that their anti-missile defence system for aircraft has completed it's 14-month test phase and is ready for commercialization. The system consists of a 500-pound canoe-shaped pod that  attached to the underside of a plane. Sensors in the pod scan the area looking for missiles, and when one is detected it tracks it until it has confirmed that it is a threat. It disables the missile using an eye-safe laser that jams the missile's guidance system.

Teaching fish to net themselves - Woods Hole researchers are training fish to come to a net when they hear a tone. They hope to use this to release sea bass into the wild, then call them to the net when they have grown big enough.

Nano-engineered gel promotes spinal nerve growth - Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a gel that both promotes nerve cell growth and inhibits the scar formation that impedes nerve cell growth. In particular, the gel promotes nerve cell growth both to and away from the brain so that both movement and sensation are partially restored. The material has, as yet, only been tested on mice.

Blocking the AIDS virus - University of Alberta researchers claim to have found a gene that effectively blocks HIV and hope to eventually use this to develop a treatment to prevent the onset of AIDS. Found on Slashdot.

( 10 tech images under the cut )

Assorted tech stories and art images

Researchers finally recognize Weightism as a social issue - Yale researchers have concluded that weightism, discrimination based on perceived weight, is on the rise in the US. They noted that much of the problem is the stigma that being overweight is solely a failing in personal character rather than something that might be outside the person's control. For example, Louisianna State University researchers recently found evidence that some forms of obesity may, in fact, be caused by adenovirus-36 (Ad-36) causing precursor cells to differentiate into fat cells. Their work showed that a single gene may be the trigger mechanism.

Israeli town residents sue for laser cannon - Citizens of Sderot is taking the Israeli government to court in a bid to have Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) weapons installed to protect the city from Hamas rocket attacks. They claim that the government is demonstrating gross negligence by not adequately protecting the city.

The Internet made polyamoury mainstream - Regina Lynn, in her regular Sex Drive column, contends that the internet has made it easy for people who want to engage in multiple simultaneous intimate relationships to not only put a label on the lifestyle, but build communities in which they share experiences with others of a similar bent.

CBC uses bitTorrent to release DRM-free programs - In keeping with their mandate to freely provide quality Canadian programming to as many Canadians as possible, they have decided to release "Canada's Next Great Prime Minister" on BitTorrent simultaneous with their regular broadcast. ISPs are less thrilled about the idea; for example, Rogers has instituted throttling of all encrypted transfers in an effort to eliminate limit the bandwidth sucked up by applications like BitTorrent. Found on Slashdot.

Book publishers abandon DRM - The New York Times reports that many publishers are phasing out DRM on their e-books after observing the fiasco that is happening in the music industry. In particular, they have determined that DRM is ineffective at combating piracy so decided to opt for a more user-friendly approach. Found on Slashdot.

( 10 art images under the cut )