New Orleans may be underwater, but one internet company in a downtown high-rise has been able to keep the lights on. It’s even publishing live, on-the-street reports.
Read (Wired)
Flood Waters Can’t Sink Net Link
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Category Archives: Technology
Communications Networks Fail Disaster Area Residents
Victims of Hurricane Katrina struggled to communicate with each other and the rest of the world yesterday, using everything from text messages to ham radio as most telephone service in New Orleans and coastal Mississippi remained devastated.
Read (Washington Post)
There is help for families trying to find loved ones in the areas Hurricane Katrina devastated – Ham Radio
With phone lines and most other communication down in badly affected areas, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) is trying to help hundreds of people who are wondering if family members or friends have survived the storm.
SATERN is a HAM radio team that not only helps its onsite volunteers be in touch with the national office, but they also help families find each other when a disaster wipes out all other forms of communication.
Read (Disaster News Network)
Amid Breakdown, Ham Radio Helps on Gulf Coast
While cell phones and other communication networks were demolished by Hurricane Katrina, a group of radio operators volunteering with the Red Cross have been instrumental in assistance and relief efforts.
Read (NPR)
Robots to help fire crews seeking survivors
Robots that can work together as a team to search collapsed buildings for trapped casualties are being developed by researchers at Glasgow University. Currently, firefighters use a camera on a long pole to investigate dangerously unstable structures following a fire, explosion, or other disaster. The robots would enable them to do this far more thoroughly and could also allow rescuers to talk to anyone trapped inside and get water to them.
Read (The Scotsman) via the [Robotics Blog](http://breakingnewsblog.com/robotics/archives/robots_to_help_fire_crews_seeking_survivors/)
Drones Will Be Used to Help Fight Wildfires
Firefighters are planning for a new ally in fighting wildfires, a remote-controlled spy plane that does not mind smoke and can see in the dark.
Read (AP via the New York Times)
Why Discmen Won’t Die
Why are portable CD players outselling digital audio players three-to-one?
Read (Gizmodo)
GM to use OnStar to notify owners of recalls
General Motors Corp., moving beyond the U.S. mail, said it will begin this month notifying car and truck owners of recall notices through its OnStar in-vehicle communications service.
Read (Detroit News)
Pee-powered battery smaller than a credit card
A new urine-powered paper battery could offer a cheap way of generating electricity – for medical tests and even emergency cellphones.
Read (New Scientist)
J-Walk Blog Link Experiment
[John Walkenbach](http://j-walkblog.com/) believes he can find about 90% of the blogs that link to his. He’s conducting an experiment and trying to find every blog that links to his post [here](http://j-walkblog.com/index.php?/weblog/posts/attention_bloggers/). If he doesn’t find your link, he will try to find out why.
High costs deter hi-tech dreams
Cost and complexity are stopping consumers from turning their homes into digital playgrounds, says a study.
Read (BBC)
Spectrum Shift Threatens Radio Communication
Emergency responders cross county lines every day in the greater Washington region, and their radios go along, too. But some emergency communications officials fear that a reshuffling of the radio spectrum will threaten their ability to communicate across borders.
Read (Washington Post)
Car-Crash Investigators Partner With Computers
D.C. police Detective Mike Miller felt anxious as he and other officers huddled around a computer and waited for data to spill from a “black box” recovered from a car involved in a wreck that killed a 49-year-old financial adviser.
Read (Washington Post)
Driving Big Brother
New rules for automotive black boxes run plenty of privacy red lights, according to consumer groups. Industry boosters claim the safety benefits outweigh concerns.
Read (Wired)
Smart Appliances Wipe Out Blackouts
Power companies are testing a new series of smart appliances that temporarily shut off or reduce power consumption when they detect a disruption on the electricity grid. Fans of the technology say it could cut power bills and prevent blackouts.
Read (Wired)