Antikythera Mechanism Research Project Fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient astronomical computer built by the Greeks around 80 B.C. It was found on a shipwreck by sponge divers in 1900, and its exact function still eludes scholars to this day.
Secrets of Antikythera Mechanism,
world’s oldest calculating machine,
revealed
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
30/07/2008
The secrets of the worlds oldest calculating machine are revealed today, showing that it had dials to mark the timing of eclipses and the Olympic games.
After a closer examination of the Antikythera Mechanism, a surviving marvel of ancient Greek technology, scientists have found that the device not only predicted solar eclipses but also organized the calendar in the four-year cycles of the Olympiad, forerunner of the modern Olympic Games.
Was ancient Greek ‘calculator’ used to teach astronomy?
30 July 2008
Jo Marchant
INSCRIPTIONS on a mysterious 2000-year-old clockwork device suggest that the artefact was inspired by earlier devices made by the great Greek mathematician Archimedes.
The so-called «Antikythera mechanism» has puzzled historians since it was salvaged from an ancient shipwreck near the Greek island of Antikythera in 1901. It dates back to about 100 BC, and consists of more than 30 bronze gear wheels and pointers, enclosed in a wooden case.
Brain expert warns of huge rise in tumours and calls on industry to take immediate steps to reduce radiation
By Geoffrey Lean
Sunday, 30 March 2008
Mobile phones could kill far more people than smoking or asbestos, a study by an award-winning cancer expert has concluded. He says people should avoid using them wherever possible and that governments and the mobile phone industry must take «immediate steps» to reduce exposure to their radiation.
The study, by Dr Vini Khurana, is the most devastating indictment yet published of the health risks.
The chances that the Doha round of trade negotiations will produce a deal before President Bush leaves office have dwindled dramatically as talks between the four main parties (FT) — the United States, European Union, India, and Brazil — collapsed in Potsdam, Germany. The negotiating parties were unable to reach compromise on reducing U.S. or European agricultural subsidies, or on terms under which developing nations like India and Brazil might lift open their economies (NYT).
The collapse comes with President Bush’s fast-track trade promotion authority — considered a critical tool for advancing trade legislation — set to expire June 30. A June 18 Wall Street Journal news analysis says Congress is unlikely to renew or extend this authority, meaning complex trade agreements like those discussed at the Doha round will be «significantly more difficult for the White House to advance.»
CFR’s Jagdish Bhagwati says that even if negotiations are laid to rest without a deal finalized, the Doha round has accomplished a great deal.
MIDDLE EAST: ‘Victory’ in Lebanon
The Lebanese government claimed victory over the extremist group Fatah al-Islam and began an effort to clean up the ruins of a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon following weeks of shelling aimed at rooting out militants (BBC).
This Backgrounder profiles the Fatah al-Islam group.
Iraq: NPR reports from the city of Baquba, where insurgents have displaced citizens and imposed a strict Islamic law on the city.
Meanwhile, military officials announced eighteen insurgents have been captured and fourteen U.S. soldiers (AP) killed in the past two days in a push to secure areas north of Baghdad.
ASIA: Hill Meets N. Korea Officials
U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill announced North Korea is prepared to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor in accordance with a deal agreed in February (Korea Times).
This interactive Crisis Guide explores the nuclear dispute on the Korean peninsula.
Vietnam-U.S.: Vietnam ’s President Nguyen Minh Triet meets President Bush in Washington today, the first visit of a Vietnamese president to the White House since the Vietnam War. The talks come amid criticisms by U.S. lawmakers about Vietnam’s human rights record (AP).
A Wall Street Journal op-ed examines Vietnam ’s human rights record and argues that increasing “soft power” on the country is in America ’s interest.
China : The BBC has a piece looking at Chinese efforts to train human “sniffers,” developing their olfactory senses in an effort to root out illegal polluters (BBC).
SOUTH & CENTRAL ASIA: Afghan Air Strikes
NATO-led forces are investigating claims that a new wave of air strikes in southern Afghanistan killed twenty-five civilians (Reuters).
Meanwhile, Afghanistan ’s President Hamid Karzai dismissed Taliban threats that the group plans to increase its operations in Kabul , saying the group does not pose a long-term threat to the security of Afghanistan ’s capital (al-Alam).
Afghan Corruption: A World Politics Review report from Kabul says corruption has a more immediete influence on the lives of citizens there than the threat of violence.
U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell predicted in an interview Friday that rampant inflation and economic instability would unseat (Guardian) the country’s controversial leader, Robert Mugabe.
Somalia : The government imposed a night curfew in Mogadishu to try to crack down on violence in the city after six recent killings (al-Jazeera).
Uganda : Police in Uganda are launching a probe into allegations that two major orphanages are engaging in human trafficking (BBC).
AMERICAS: Senate Energy Bill
The U.S. Senate adopted a wide-ranging energy bill yesterday that could bring the first major fuel-standards (NYT) increase for U.S.-made automobiles in a generation.
CIA Records: The CIA announced it would release decades’ worth of records detailing some of the agency’s worst abuses (WashPost) between the 1950s and 1970s.
Mexico : The Los Angeles Times reports on Mexico ’s Supreme Court, which it says is increasingly activist and is throwing its weight around to subtly shift the Mexican political landscape.
The Christian Science Monitor examines how rapidly increasing corn prices are forcing farmers to switch crops in Mexico , putting the producers of some of the country’s longtime staples out of business.
CAMPAIGN 2008: Giuliani, Edwards and Venezuela
The New York Times’ Caucus blog writes about Rudy Giuliani’s law firm representing Citgo, a Venezuelan oil company.
Edwards: John Edwards has also come under fire recently by Venezuela activists. Edwards has been campaigning with actor Danny Glover, who has been supportive of Hugo Chavez’s regime. Edwards representatives responded saying Edwards rejects Chavez’s “increasingly authoritarian policies (Miami Herald)” but defending his relationship with Glover.
EUROPE: Deadlock at EU Summit
European leaders appeared deadlocked on the final day of an EU summit, with Britain and Poland further entrenched in opposition to plans for an EU reform treaty (EUBusiness).
Russia-U.S.: Members of Russia ’s Duma and the U.S. Congress met yesterday in the first public meeting (NPR) between members of the foreign affairs committees of the respective bodies.
Germany : The highest-ranking Roman Catholic cardinal in Germany warned against indifferent or uncritical religious tolerance (Deutsche-Welle), in a statement angled at Germany ’s rapidly increasing Muslim community.
From where it stands today, WiMax – real 802.16-based WiMax – has no where to go but up. Parks Associates says 8% of the 1.1 billion broadband subscribers in the world will be using Mobile WiMax by 2012. Senza Fili Consulting says that number will be 54 million users, and by that same time, 61% of those will be using it for mobile access.
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