The Evening Standard (London, England) articles from October 2007

The Evening Standard (London, England) archives from October 2007

This month is Odyssey.(Science Scoops)
October 1, 2007... And the winner is... Jordin Sparks! Did you guess that this month's digitized cover photo is of the American Idol overnight singing superstar? We thought her photo was appropriate for this issue because, in a way, celebrity steals one's...

Watch what you eat.(Science Scoops)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Some primary and secondary schools across the nation and abroad are keeping track of when and what kids eat by employing the science of biometrics--using unique physical characteristics, such as fingerprints, hand...

World's first dark-sky park.(Science Scoops)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Natural Bridges National Monument in southeast Utah was rated as one of the darkest national parks in the country in a recent study conducted by the National Park Service. Now don't go running for your flashlights,...

The buzz is on!(Science Scoops)
October 1, 2007... The way kids are tuning in to cell phones these days is a real turnoff for adults. And the latest craze is "Teen Buzz," an uploadable, cell-phone tone with a pitch too high to be heard by most discerning adults. Now for the irony: Compound...

Tight sound.(Science Scoops)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A laser focuses light into a beam so intense that it does not spread out with distance. imagine doing the same thing sound. That's essentially what American Technology Cot (ATC) in San Diego, California, has done....

Digital fingerprints.(Science Scoops)
October 1, 2007... Worried about preserving your identity online? Well, according to a report in Science News, the way you type may soon be used to tighten security and reduce online fraud. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Whenever you browse a Web site or type a...

Can it happen to you? Something is wrong. Your best friend won't speak to you, and this boy you hardly know keeps giving you weird looks.(Identity Theft)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Did I do something?" you finally ask your friend in the school library. "I can't believe you posted that on my wall," she says, "It's so mean!" "What?" You're completely confused. As she explains, you...

The biometric body.
October 1, 2007... YOU'LL NEED A TICKET and your fingertip to travel through the turnstiles at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. A scanner captures an image of the index finger for guests aged 10 and up. Then a computer calculates a number from minutiae...

Fingered!
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SNIDELY LEACH AND SLUG VARMINT ARE SO SHADY THAT THEIR SUNGLASSES HAVE SUNGLASSES. Wanted in ten states for a string of crimes, including pick pocketing, bank robbery, and computer hacking, Leach and Varmint are...

Fake fingers.(Activity to Discover)
October 1, 2007... Elmer's Glue is only one common material that can be used to make a fake finger! Can you figure out which five substances listed here could be used to fool some scanners? Clay [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Candle [ILLUSTRATION...

Knock, knock: who's there? You? Who are you?
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Look at a picture of yourself as a baby; then look in the mirror. Do you look the same? Do you even remember being that baby? Your skin might look similar but it has actually replaced itself every 27 days since...

Your secret spy name.(Activity to Discover)
October 1, 2007... If someone asks, "Who are you?" you usually tell them your name. You don't hold up your fingerprints or point at the shape of your ears. But very few names are unique. (How many John Smiths do you think there are in the United States? Answer:...

TBI: identity thief.
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The "signature injury" of the war in Iraq is invisible: traumatic brain injury (TBI)--brain injury resulting from violent shaking or a blow to the head. Thousands of soldiers injured in Iraq have been treated for...

Eye-dentity: Iris recognition is giving a new to personal identity. See this cutting-edge science. Then try it yourself!(Activity to Discover)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] How can you tell an ordinary airline passenger from an international spy? Or an everyday banking customer from a dangerous cyber-hacker? That's easy. Just look into their eyes using a new identity technology called...

A good look in the mirror: the science of identifying "me".
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The time: Monday morning, 7:05 a.m. The place: Your bathroom mirror. You've noticed something alarming. Overnight the pattern of your bed's blanket has been pressed onto your cheek. Frantic, you rub the embarrassing...

Robot see, robot do.
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1970, Gordon Gallup used mirrors to test the identity awareness of chimpanzees. Now in 2007, the chimp test is used on robots. These robot tests do more than measure a machine's identity awareness. They may also...

Uniquely identical.
October 1, 2007... Do you know someone who is a twin? What do you think it's like to be a twin? Have you ever wished you had a twin to blame for those times you got in trouble? Or a twin to share your secrets with? Even though twins can be very similar, even...

Do you smell?
October 1, 2007... Shower all you want, but you'll never wash off your smell, a.k.a. odortype. That's because your odortype comes from immunity-building molecules inside your body. These molecules enter your sweat and mix with skin-dwelling bacteria to make your...

Career watch: working in biometrics.
October 1, 2007... Do you spend long amounts of time staring at the whorls on your fingertips or studying the shape of your hands? Have you ever been captivated by a pair of uniquely colored eyes? Are you a computer whiz who also enjoys math? If you answered...

It's all in the cards: smart cards carry your identity in a wafer-thin sheet. So get smart--then create an intelligent ID of your own!(Activity to Discover)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY, IT ISN'T JUST THE STUDENTS WHO ARE SMART. If you go to college there, you'll do everything--from paying your tuition to attending football games, doing laundry, and eating at the dining...

Find the RFID chips.(Brain Strain)(Radio Frequency Identification)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Brown family has installed Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips in all of their favorite gadgets, tools, and electronics. These chips help the Browns keep track of their things, but they also make it easy...

Feeding the lion.(Short story)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mark sat at the back of the school bus, hunched over his glowing RFID scanner. He pressed the touch-sensitive screen, which felt slick as a snake's skin, and aimed the scanner at the other students on the bus. Raw...

Star chart.
October 1, 2007... The monthly All-Sky Chart depicts the sky (minus the Moon) as it appears at 7:00 p.m. (your local daylight-saving time) on Oct. 15. Useful all month (except for planet positions), the chart is also accurate for 8:00 p.m. on Oct. 1 and 5:00 p.m....

The milky way at its very best.(STARGAZING Comic)(Cartoon)
October 1, 2007... GREETINGS, GREETINGS, FELLOW STARGAZERS! EVERY OCTOBER, THE MILKY WAY IS AT ITS BEST FOR VIEWING--RIGHT AFTER SUNSET. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IF IT'S REALLY CLEAR OUT, AND YOU'RE FAR FROM CITY LIGHTS, THE MILKY WAY WILL LOOK LIKE A...

Life, the universe & chickens.(Ask Dr. Cy Borg)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dear Dr. B, Are we alone in the universe? If so, do Superhumans exist? Andy, Web post Great question, Andy. First, let's say that there are some 100 billion galaxies in the universe, each with 200 to 300...

You've got mail!
October 1, 2007... In the February 2007 Science Scoop "Xena Gets Busted," we asked readers to let us know what you think about the dwarf planet Xena's new name, Eris. We also asked if you liked the name change for her satellite, Gabrielle, now known as Dysnomia....

It's All in Your Head: A Guide to Your Brilliant Brain.(Kids' Picks)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's All in Your Head A Guide to Your Brilliant Brain by Sylvia Funston and Jay Ingram Illustrated by Gary Clement (Maple Tree Press, 2005) Your brain works hard for you, so perhaps it's time for a tune up....

Fingering the giraffe.(Animal Angles)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If someone told you that a giraffe had finger-old prints, you'd take one look at its hoofed feet and shake your head in disbelief. But giraffes actually do have their own version of fingerprints, even though they...

Evening Standard, London, business briefs column.(Column)
October 26, 2007... Oct. 26--NORDIC SELL-OFF SEES L&R PROFITS ROCKET: Property group London & Regional saw profits jump from [pounds sterling]50 million to a staggering [pounds sterling]721 million last year. Accounts filed at Companies House for the year to...

Evening Standard, London, Anthony Hilton column.(Column)
October 26, 2007... Byline: Anthony Hilton Oct. 26--Northern Rock was back in the news this week with the publication of the Bank of England's Financial Stability review, though too much of the subsequent comment focused on whether or not the Bank was...

Nuclear clean-up is halted on cost fears.
October 26, 2007... Oct. 26--Fears are rising over the spiralling cost of the nuclear clean-up after the agency in charge of decommissioning the defunct fleet of Magnox power stations admitted to funding problems. Estimates for cleaning up the dead power...

Middle East tension fuels crude highs.
October 26, 2007... Byline: Bill Condie Oct. 26--The price of crude oil hit new highs today, surging past $91 a barrel as tensions rose following Turkey's military threat against Kurdish rebels in Iraq and new US sanctions on Iran. New York's main futures...

Evening Standard, London, City Spy column.(Column)
October 26, 2007... Oct. 26--Another day and another announcement from Sports Direct. The resignation of Chris Bulmer from the board means that Mike Ashley's retail group is without a senior independent director. It has appointed two new non-executives --...

Evening Standard, London, market report column.(Column)
October 26, 2007... Byline: Mickey Clark Oct. 26--Mining shares made much of the early running on the stock market today, as investors looked to end the week on a much better note than it had begun. Despite suggestions in some quarters that the end may be...