INSEAD2011.5.9---六步壓力測試你的商業策略
Can your business plan survive this stress test? The road to success is littered with the wreckage of strategies gone awry. Here is a six-step stress test for your strategy.
你的商業計劃可以生存這樣的壓力測試？
成功之路充滿了飛機殘骸的戰略出了錯。這裡是一個六步壓力測試你的策略。
2011.5.4---亞洲開發銀行報告 :亞洲2050：實現亞洲世紀Asia 2050－Realizing the Asian Century
---亞洲開發銀行行長黑田東彥 :亞洲各國需消除經濟發展過程中不斷擴大的不平等現象，減輕資源爭奪引發的環境惡化問題，并避免出現“中等收入陷阱”。
---亞行執行總干事拉賈特·納格 :中國是亞洲最大的經濟體，將是實現“亞洲世紀”的最大貢獻者。
---中國、印度、印尼、日本、韓國、馬來西亞和泰國將引領亞洲經濟增長
---2050年亞洲經濟總量占全球國內生產總值(GDP)51%
---2050年亞洲經濟產出規模148萬億美元
---2050年亞洲的城市人口31億人。
=================
Newsy2011.4.5---地球重力圖
Earth's Gravity Map Unveiled
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The European Space Agency has released a 3D model showing just how lumpy Earth's gravity is. The data come from two years of observations by the GOCE satellite.
The model shows what the Earth would look like if the surface were fluid and gravity were the only force shaping it. It's a shape geophysicists call a geoid, and this particular geoid is the most precise gravity map ever made of Earth. (Video source: European Space Agency)
The gravity differences are magnified to make them easy to see. Still, the model doesn't look like the perfectly round globes we're all used to. Scientific American explains why the geoid is so lumpy.
"There are many reasons why the geoid isn't a sphere. First and foremost, the Earth itself isn't a sphere. ... But the planet isn't an ellipsoid either, because of topography. Mountains and valleys are asymmetrical distributions of mass. That mass distribution affects the gravitational field and makes the geoid asymmetrical too."
A major goal of the research is to build a shared reference for what we mean by "height." Each country measures sea level using local bodies of water, but since gravity distorts the shape of the oceans, it's hard to translate from one system to the other. Discover Magazine's Phil Plait says GOCE fixes the problem.
"It's the ultimate 'sea level'. This may seem esoteric, but this knowledge is actually important. For one thing, it gives a standard reference for topographic maps. For another, it will help scientists better understand ocean currents, circulation, sea wave heights, and other tricky measurements."
Scientists can compare this map of where the oceans should be to where they actually are. Studying the differences will help them understand how the ocean works. But the BBC says oceanographers aren't the only ones after GOCE's data.
"Those interested in earthquakes are also poring over the Goce results. The giant jolt that struck Japan this month and Chile last year occurred because huge masses of rock suddenly moved. Goce should reveal a three-dimensional view of what was going on inside the Earth."
The BBC link has a geoid you can spin yourself, so you can check whether you live in a high or low gravity area.
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Newsy2011.3.31---跳动式奈米发电机
Power Your Phone While You Walk
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Tired of plugging in your mobile devices? Try charging them while you walk. Scientists from Georgia Tech have created what they call the first commercially viable nanogenerator. It's a chip that uses your body as a power source.
Metro explains how it works.
"Hailed as a milestone, the tiny chip works by using zinc oxide nanowires so small that 500 could fit in a human hair. When they are strained or flexed, electricity is produced -- meaning any body movement from the pinch of a finger to a beating heart can generate power."
The researchers say this is the first of these generators that can deliver a high enough charge to power electronics. Lead researcher Z.L. Wang demonstrated to the American Chemical Society how the device produces as much electricity as a pair of AA batteries.
"The major breakthrough we have made in last year is to boost up the power output. ... So that means we have ten microwatts of energy output. How do we do this? It's just any mechanical flicking like this. There's two volts come off that."
The technology is so adaptable, it can be used practically anywhere. Wang said they've already experimented with lining a car tire with the devices. But Geek.com explains the use that's getting tech addicts really excited: no more plugging in.
"In principal, the nanowires are small enough to sew or embed into pretty much everything. ... So if they were embedded in your pants, every step you take would generate a charge of electricity that could be funneled into an iPod or a battery pack... Pretty neat, huh? We'll all be walking portable gadget chargers before we even know it."
If that's not sci-fi enough for you, there's even talk of using the human heartbeat to generate power. Tech bloggers are dreaming of heart-powered phones, but a writer for Register Hardware says it's probably premature to line up for the iPulse.
"Of course, actually implementing these devices as coronary iPod chargers isn't a top priority, but Wang's idea of a heart powered nano chip to run an implanted insulin pump is a more serious suggestion likely to get medical attention."
Wang says he hopes to bring the chips to the market in three to five years, ready to be put into shoes, tires, train tracks... Where else could they go?
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Newsy2011.3.29---人工葉電力
Could an Artificial Leaf Power Your Home?
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A team of MIT scientists announced the newest breakthrough in solar energy this week. They presented their findings to the American Chemical Society. ACS says the new green technology mimics the original green.
"Scientists today claimed one of the milestones in the drive for sustainable energy -- development of the first practical artificial leaf. ... they described an advanced solar cell the size of a poker card that mimics the process, called photosynthesis, that green plants use to convert sunlight and water into energy."
The artificial leaf works by using sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Those elements can then be recombined to produce electricity, with water as the only byproduct. While the idea isn't new, Treehugger explains this is the first model that could be mass produced.
"...the new leaf debuted last week uses cheaper materials -- namely nickle and cobalt -- that could be scaled up in manufacturing."
Lead researcher Daniel Nocera isn't shy about what it would mean to start using water as fuel. He made some bold claims about his research in a talk at Poptech more than a year ago.
"Alright, so here's your message of hope. Alright, I'm serious. That pool, if I took it to hydrogen and oxygen per second globally, you know how much energy I'd get, that I can store? Forty-three terawatts. ... The bottom line is, I'm talking about solving the energy problem with an Olympic-size pool of water."
The technology hasn't been peer-reviewed yet, but that didn't stop the CEO of India's Tata Group from signing Nocera up to build a commercial product in the next year and a half. Livemint reports the company plan to use Nocera's technology to cheaply power the third world.
"Tata's hope is that Nocera's 'personalized energy' can produce a stand-alone, mini-power plant, perhaps a refrigerator-sized box, that could reinvent rural electricity supply and bring power to about three billion people worldwide who don't have it."
So do the claims around the artificial leaf sound too good to be true, or is solar finally king of electricity? Share your thoughts in our comments section.
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Newsy2011.3.27---藥物可預防2型糖尿病
Drug May Prevent Diabetes in High-Risk People
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Almost 80 million Americans have prediabetes. But a recent study completed in Texas
found a drug already on shelves could delay the development full blown type 2 diabetes. For those at risk, the drug commonly known as Actos may even prevent the disease all together.
"The San Antonio scientist who led the study calls it a 'blockbuster.' A pill taken once a day prevented type two diabetes in more than 70% of people whose background and body type put them at highest risk for the disease."
"It's enormous. It's the most impressive study ever done shown to prevent diabetes in the world."
"If you delay for five or ten years the onset of diabetes, more importantly if you can stop it, then of course this has enormous benefit." (KENS)
The study was released in The New England Journal of Medicine - and was partially funded by the maker of the drug. Despite optimistic study results, not everyone is so supportive. Forbes' Matthew Herper highlights concerns.
"...patients on Actos were significantly more likely to have side effects, including fluid buildup and weight gain. There were a few more heart problems, and three deaths in the Actos group compared to one in the placebo group. That doesn't mean Actos was costing lives, but it was not saving them."
Time points out Actos doesn't seem to present the same risks as another drug in the anti-diabetes family -- Avandia -- which was heavily restricted by the FDA last year due to heart attack and stroke risks.
"...doctors continue to reserve drug-based treatments of pre-diabetes only for only those patients who have tried and failed to control their escalating blood sugar with non-pharmaceutical methods, such as diet and exercise."
That's a long way of saying - for those at risk of Type 2 diabetes - it's still better to exercise and change diet.
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Newsy2011.3.22---治療腦疾病新技術
New Technique for Treating Brain Disease
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A new drug delivery technique is showing promise for getting drugs directly into the brain. It's possible this technique could solve one of the longstanding problems in treating brain diseases like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. An Oxford University press release explains.
"The team has successfully switched off a gene implicated in Alzheimer's disease in the brains of mice by exploiting exosomes -- tiny particles naturally released by cells. The exosomes, injected into the blood, are able to ferry a drug across the normally impermeable blood-brain barrier to the brain where it is needed."
The blood-brain barrier protects the brain from bacteria or harmful molecules circulating in the blood, but it also blocks most drugs. As Health Canal explains, getting past the barrier is a huge challenge.
"Novel drugs based on antibodies, peptides or more recently RNA molecules have been developed on many occasions... While these have shown good results in the lab, too often it has proved difficult to get the drugs to the right part of the body to see any effect in humans. Currently, delivering any such type of therapy to the brain would have to involve neurosurgery."
The new technique effectively disguises the drug to slip it past the barrier.
The researchers harvested exosomes from the mouse, then attached a special targeting protein: the same protein the rabies virus uses to find nerve cells. Then they loaded the exosomes with the drug and injected them back into the mouse. (Image source: Nature Biolotechnology)
They found that the drug, designed to inhibit a gene responsible for plaque in the brains of Alzheimer's patients , managed to decrease that gene's activity by 60 percent. And while it's exciting to finally treat the brain, one researcher told the BBC the technique could target anything.
"The research group believes that the method could [be] modified to treat other conditions and other parts of the body. Dr Wood said: 'We are working on sending exosomes to muscle, but you can envisage targeting any tissue. It can also be made specific by changing the drug used.'"
The technique might also lead to safer delivery of drugs overall. The researchers found the cloaked drugs were invisible to the liver and kidneys. That means they could target the brain while leaving other organs alone.
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NewsyTech2011.3.3---眼控電腦？
An Eye-Controlled PC?
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Could you control your PC - with your eyes? PC-maker Lenovo and eye-control tech company Tobii are teaming to release an eye-controlled PC to all consumers. The laptop follows the user’s eye movement and turns it into a virtual mouse. (Tobii)
Engadget gets a demonstration on how the PC works at the CeBIT convention in Germany.
“With eye control, we’ve got this concept of perceptual computing, where the computer is paying attention to me.”
“All of the active windows will come be displayed for me, and I just look at whichever window I’m interested in. So I wanna open that one there, and there it is, and boom there it is.”
A writer for ZDNet got to test the laptop - and says it feels natural over the trackpad.
“The level of accuracy was high, with no discernible lag between focusing on an area and the device reacting. The side-based menu could easily be scrolled through, selected and expanded by focusing on different areas.”
Paraplegics and people with special needs are the main groups who use eye-controlled technology now. But CNET says - the eye-controled PC is an early effort to expand the comapnies’ markets.
“Tobii...has for a decade been supplying its technology to researchers and people with special needs, but hopes to make its eye-tracking components small and cheap enough to broaden their reach within a couple of years."
And a writer for Technabob has some interesting ideas for the laptop’s future.
“Imagine playing a video game where the camera follows the movement of your eyes...Or computers that can be controlled even when you’re a bit far away – the boss is coming! hide facebook! Just being able to switch windows or tabs using only your eyes makes it much faster to work on a computer.”
The companies say the computer will be available in two years.
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NewsyTech2011.2.22---智能型藥罐提醒您吃药
New Smart Pill Caps Remind You to Take Your Meds
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BY SAMANTHA MCCLENDON
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Your phone's ringing. It could be your mom, dad, or your pill bottle? Well that could be the case if you choose to buy the world's first Internet-connected medication packaging. CBS says AT&T's Vitality GlowCap is designed to help forgetful patients take their meds.
"Inventor David Rose says it uses a flashing light and ring tone to gently remind patients to take their medication. If that doesn't work, it goes one step further."
"And if you haven't opened it within a few hours, it will text message you, or send you an email, or dial your home phone."
"The GlowCap also keeps family members and doctors in the loop, emailing them a record of exactly when a patient took their pills."
But is it too much? The Wall Street Journal quotes a an elderly woman who thinks so.
"She says she wouldn't mind the lights and noises, but emails to her doctor or family would 'make me feel inept, or like I was being regarded as a child.' And her low-tech seven-day pill boxes...work fine'..."
But WTVJ reports - Not everyone thinks this is a bad idea.
"I mean think about the peace of mind that that will offer you to know that you can keep tabs on family members and get that progress report and know when they are or not taking their medication."
"Perfect example of taking an every day item and by wirelessly enabling it, making it much more useful and valuable to the end user."
The GlowCap even knows when you're running low on your meds and with a press of a button on the inside of the cap, it will notify the pharmacy for a refill.
A blogger for Technology Eoutputs calls it a - quote - "life-saving nag."
But a writer for Med Gadget is slightly less impressed...
"We can't say much on what we think of the product, since we haven't tried it and the website is a little vague, so you'll have to decide whether a glowing coupon-sending pill bottle cap is for you."
Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert makes light of the product -- implying it could be a little too high tech for some seniors.
STEPHEN COLBERT: "This is perfect. Because while old people can be forgetful, they are great when it comes to setting up the Internet, recognizing cell phone ring tones, and accessing voicemail messages."
But all jokes aside, a writer for the blog Duck Net Web thinks this could interfere with your insurance.
"...data is very powerful and if given and accessible to those who want it, it could in fact be used against you when you need it the most as they will create a series of reports to show where 'you' the patient defaulted. Nothing personal, it's all about risk management and showing a profit for the shareholders."
So would you love a call from your pill bottle?
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NewsyTech2011.2.19---'蜂鸟'间谍无人机
'Hummingbird' Spy Drone Takes Flight
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BY STEPHANIE STOUFFER
Anchor: Austin Kim
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It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a... nano hummingbird? The Pentagon hired AeroVironment to develop the tiny flying drone a few years ago. Now, it's actually flying. Here's a bird's eye view.
The nano hummingbird weighs in at just 19 grams and can fly forwards, backwards, and up to 11 miles per hour. Its built-in camera gives an exact point of view of where the bird is flying. AeroVironment tells NPR it has... (Video from AeroVironment)
"...accomplished a technical milestone never before achieved — controlled precision hovering and fast-forward flight of a two-wing, flapping wing aircraft that carries its own energy source, and uses only the flapping wings for propulsion and control."
So where does the Pentagon see this bird going? Across enemy lines, of course. Defense expert Peter Singer tells the LA Times -- quote -- it really gets interesting.
"You can use these things anywhere, put them anyplace, and the target will never even know they're being watched."
But not everyone is impressed with the hummer drone. A blogger for the Village Voice calls the bird a -- quote -- Watson minion and says it's old news.
"We hate to break it to the Pentagon, but the flying spy camera isn't even that original of an idea. Geniuses on YouTube have been showing off flying spy cams for years."
And Fox News points out another hurdle -- hummingbirds aren't that common of a bird.
"...the usual reaction to seeing a hummingbird here in midtown Manhattan is something like 'OMG you guys look at the hummingbird!!!!!!,' which is not necessarily an ideal situation for a spy-drone."
But have no fear -- AeroVironment has already considered that issue. The company told PhysOrg it plans to create other more popular birds.
"The current model is a prototype and more development is required before any decisions are made on its deployment ... the final version is unlikely to look like a hummingbird, which is rare even in parts of the US ... a sparrow would be a better choice."
The Pentagon has paid AeroVironment about $4 million since 2006 for the project. So, the next time a bird perches on your window, take a closer look. It could be Uncle Sam, dressed up in feathers.
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