Richard Leis

Month: January 2000

  • Black Hole

    Chandra, the X-Ray Space Observatory, has been sending back some amazing pictures. Space.com has a great one here [defunct link] of a possible black hole discovered in the Andromeda galaxy.

  • Europa Rain

    More evidence that the Jovian moon Europa might be a haven for life…life needs heat and charged particles raining down on Europa just might be providing it. Here is another great article [defunct link] from Space.com. Look for a feature in the near future about the possibility of life elsewhere in our Solar System.

  • XHTML Arrives

    Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center from The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth - This view of Earth's horizon as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean was taken by an Expedition 7 crew member onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Anvil tops of thunderclouds are also visible." [Credit from Wikipedia]

    The W3C has released the recommendation for the Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML 1.0). It was imperative to rewrite HTML so it can work with future devices and browsers based around XML (Extensible Markup Language). You don’t know what XML is? Do I have some good stuff for you! Check back soon for a feature…

  • Mars Polar Lander Phone Home

    Frontier Channel Mars Header 2020 with website text next to image of Mars

    Only days ago NASA decided to give up on their attempts to contact the Mars Polar Lander, apparently lost during it approach last month. Now comes word that the Mars Polar Lander may have tried to contact Earth on a couple separate occasions. The feeble signal was only just detected during a new analysis. On…

  • Welcome Back, Hubble!

    Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center from The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth - This view of Earth's horizon as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean was taken by an Expedition 7 crew member onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Anvil tops of thunderclouds are also visible." [Credit from Wikipedia]

    After some much needed repairs, the Hubble Space Telescope is back at work and as always the results are breathtaking. To the right is an image of the “Eskimo” Planetary Nebula. The NASA announcement is located here.

  • Crusoe Winners and Losers

    Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center from The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth - This view of Earth's horizon as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean was taken by an Expedition 7 crew member onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Anvil tops of thunderclouds are also visible." [Credit from Wikipedia]

    So Transmeta is definitely the big winner with this technology. They have demonstrated something very promising. But I got to thinking about who else out there will benefit from this technology. And who stands to lose. THE WINNERS: IBM, bar none. With their chip production and technology transfer arrangements with Transmeta, Crusoe’s success would increases…

  • Crusoe Arrives!

    Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center from The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth - This view of Earth's horizon as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean was taken by an Expedition 7 crew member onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Anvil tops of thunderclouds are also visible." [Credit from Wikipedia]

    Transmeta’s Mobile Internet Processors under the family name Crusoe were demonstrated today (I caught the video on ZDNet [defunct link].) Wow. A mobile chip for internet appliances running at 400 mHz. A mobile chip for laptops running at 700 mHz. But get this…both chips consume less than two watts of power. Get all the details…

  • Transmeta Announcement Tomorrow

    Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center from The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth - This view of Earth's horizon as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean was taken by an Expedition 7 crew member onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Anvil tops of thunderclouds are also visible." [Credit from Wikipedia]

    So what is it, alien technology, the fastest microchip ever, nothing at all? We find out tomorrow when Transmeta [defunct company] announces what it is they have been working on all these years. This article at ZDNet [defunct link] has the latest rumours about the technology. It probably won’t be earth-shattering, but the Crusoe chip is likely…

  • Technology and Tears

    Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center from The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth - This view of Earth's horizon as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean was taken by an Expedition 7 crew member onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Anvil tops of thunderclouds are also visible." [Credit from Wikipedia]

    Sometimes you can go for days when it seems abundant new wonders will continue to delight and awe you. All you see is the potential and opportunity around you. The future beckons and you have never been happier. But then you suffer an emotional blow that rattles your soul and you wonder how technology and…

  • AOL Time Warner

    Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center from The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth - This view of Earth's horizon as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean was taken by an Expedition 7 crew member onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Anvil tops of thunderclouds are also visible." [Credit from Wikipedia]

    Let the mega mergers continue…AOL and Time Warner announced the largest merger of all time on Monday, January 10, 2000. The coverage has been extensive. Take a look at all the various news sites for more information. What do I think? Wow. Merge a content provider with a content delivery company and you have incredible…

  • Media Fusion Feature Coming Soon!

    Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center from The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth - This view of Earth's horizon as the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean was taken by an Expedition 7 crew member onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Anvil tops of thunderclouds are also visible." [Credit from Wikipedia]

    Media Fusion is a company that claims they can pass data over powerlines at speeds in excess of 2.5 GB/sec. In a few years they hope to pass data at speeds in excess of an exobyte per second.

  • Hydrogen Future

    Gas Pillars in the Eagle Nebula (M16): Pillars of Creation in a Star-Forming Region

    Hydrogen is the most plentiful element in the universe, and through the capabilities of fuel cell technology it has the potential to be a potent source of fuel for our cars and energy for our consumer electronics.