It is exciting to see how biology and engineering converge to benefit people.
From Business Insider:
Google is in the early stages of creating tiny, magnetic nanoparticles that will be able to search the human body for cancer and other diseases, The Wall Street Journal's Alistair Barr and Ron Winslow report.
Google's goal is "an early heads-up" on disease to ultimately facilitate more effective treatment by making medicine proactive instead of reactive.
Google's particles will be less than 1/000 the width of a red blood cell and will attach themselves to specific cells, proteins, and other molecules inside the body, depending on what they're "decorated" with. For example, Google could coat its nanoparticles with a specific antibody that would recognize and attach to a protein on the surface of a tumor cell.
Google is also working on a small wearable device that would attract and count the particles. In that way, the system would be used for testing and monitoring health: You could be alerted through the wearable if a lot of the particles were attaching to tumor cells. Google admits, however, that it still needs to better understand what constitutes as a healthy level of disease-carrying molecules in the blood and what would be a cause for a concern (Google's "Baseline Study" is already trying to define what a healthy human looks like). The idea is that people would be constantly monitoring their bodies, so they wouldn't wait until they felt physically sick to go to the doctor.
Google would likely let people consume its nanoparticles through a pill, but is reportedly at least five to seven years away from a product that would be approved by doctors.
“Every test you ever go to the doctor for will be done through this system,” Andrew Conrad, head of the Life Sciences team at Google X and the man leading the project, said at The Wall Street Journal’s "WSJD Live" conference. “That’s our dream.”
Conrad told The Wall Street Journal that Google would not collect or store any medical data itself, but would license the technology out.
"We’re going to be inventors that work on the technology— disruptive, innovative technology—and then we’re going to look for partners who will bring it forward," Conrad told Backchannel's Steven Levy.
More than 100 Googlers — with backgrounds including chemistry, astrophysics, and electrical engineering — are working on this nanoparticle project. The company is also collaborating with MIT, Stanford, and Duke.
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-x-nanoparticles-to-find-disease-2014-10
Friday, October 31, 2014
Gold Falls, Stocks Record Highs as Japan Goes ‘Weimar’, “Here Be Dragons”
The Korean policymakers may need to pay close attention to what has been going on in Japan, as Korea follows Japan's monetary policy to a significant degree. It would be a long process and the path looks obvious.
From Gold Core:
Stocks globally surged, while gold fell sharply today despite renewed irrational exuberance on hopes that the Bank of Japan’s vastly increasing money printing will fill some of the gaps left by the apparent end of Federal Reserve bond buying.
The BOJ decided to increase the pace at which it expands base money to a whopping 80 trillion yen ($726 billion) per year. Previously, the BOJ targeted an annual increase of 60 to 70 trillion yen.
From Gold Core:
Stocks globally surged, while gold fell sharply today despite renewed irrational exuberance on hopes that the Bank of Japan’s vastly increasing money printing will fill some of the gaps left by the apparent end of Federal Reserve bond buying.
The BOJ decided to increase the pace at which it expands base money to a whopping 80 trillion yen ($726 billion) per year. Previously, the BOJ targeted an annual increase of 60 to 70 trillion yen.
The BOJ sailed into deeper uncharted monetary territory with the announcement that they would triple annual purchases of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and Japanese real-estate investment trusts (REITS) to 3 trillion yen and 90 billion yen respectively.
The Nikkei surged 5% in minutes to a seven year high after the Bank of Japan decision, while gold fell.
These unprecedented monetary events remind us of the old English mapmakers who used to write on uncharted territories on their maps - “Here be Dragons”.
The BOJ claimed the surprise action was due to concerns that a decline in oil prices would weigh on consumer prices and delay a shift in sentiment away from deflation.
BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda portrayed the decision as a preemptive strike to the ‘lost decade’ economy, rather than an admission that his plan to reflate the long moribund economy has so far failed.
The prime reason for the extraordinary monetary policies is likely that the Japanese economy remains very weak and risks tipping over into a depression. Bankruptcies more than doubled to 214 in the first nine months of 2014 compared with the same period a year ago.
Japan has introduced quantitative easing to stimulate the economy and to spur inflation. But it may backfire and lead to stagflation and in a worst case scenario a German ‘Weimar’ style hyperinflation.
Japan has introduced quantitative easing to stimulate the economy and to spur inflation. But it may backfire and lead to stagflation and in a worst case scenario a German ‘Weimar’ style hyperinflation.
The yen's real effective exchange rate has dropped to its lowest level since 1982. With Japan easing likely to deepen, the yen may fall to an unprecedented level. Though the fall of the yen may promote exports - energy, food and raw material costs will rise, especially imports.
Looking for a Good Education at a Low Price, Perhaps Free? Head to Europe
From Mish's blog:
On June 7, 2014 I wrote Looking to Drastically Reduce College Costs? Study Abroad!
Yesterday, a writer for the Washington Post expressed the same opinion.
Please consider 7 countries where Americans can study at universities, in English, for free (or almost free).
I believe it's near-crazy to pay $30,000 (or far more) in the US for what can be had in Europe for free.
Eventually costs will crash in the US for the simple reason, they must. Online education ensures that outcome.
For details, please see Future of Education is At Hand: Online, Accredited, Affordable, Useful
Here's my more recent followup post: Teaching Revolution: Online, Accredited, Free; Start Learning Now!
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.kr/2014/10/looking-for-good-education-at-low-price.html
On June 7, 2014 I wrote Looking to Drastically Reduce College Costs? Study Abroad!
Yesterday, a writer for the Washington Post expressed the same opinion.
Please consider 7 countries where Americans can study at universities, in English, for free (or almost free).
Since 1985, U.S. college costs have surged by about 500 percent, and tuition fees keep rising. In Germany, they've done the opposite.That excellent information (more in the above link) is from Washington Post foreign affairs writer Rick Noack.
The country's universities have been tuition-free since the beginning of October, when Lower Saxony became the last state to scrap the fees. Tuition rates were always low in Germany, but now the German government fully funds the education of its citizens -- and even of foreigners.
What might interest potential university students in the United States is that Germany offers some programs in English -- and it's not the only country. Let's take a look at the surprising -- and very cheap -- alternatives to pricey American college degrees.
Germany
Americans can earn a German undergraduate or graduate degree without speaking a word of German and without having to pay a single dollar of tuition fees: About 900 undergraduate or graduate degrees are offered exclusively in English, with courses ranging from engineering to social sciences.
Finland
This northern European country charges no tuition fees, and it offers a large number of university programs in English. However, the Finnish government amiably reminds interested foreigners that they "are expected to independently cover all everyday living expenses." In other words: Finland will finance your education, but not your afternoon coffee break.
France
There are at least 76 English-language undergraduate programs in France, but many are offered by private universities and are expensive. Many more graduate-level courses, however, are designed for English-speaking students, and one out of every three French doctoral degrees is awarded to a foreign student. "It is no longer needed to be fluent in French to study in France," according to the government agency Campus France.
Sweden
This Scandinavian country is among the world's wealthiest, and its beautiful landscape beckons. It also offers some of the world's most cost-efficient college degrees. More than 300 listed programs in 35 universities are taught in English. However, only Ph.D programs are tuition-free.
Norway
Norwegian universities do not charge tuition fees for international students. The Norwegian higher education system is similar to the one in the United States: Class sizes are small and professors are easily approachable. Many Norwegian universities offer programs taught in English.
Slovenia
About 150 English programs are available, and foreign nationals only pay an insignificant registration fee when they enroll.
Brazil
Some Brazilian courses are taught in English, and state universities charge only minor registration fees. Times Higher Education ranks two Brazilian universities among the world's top 400: the University of Sao Paulo and the State University of Campinas. However, Brazil might be better suited for exchange students seeking a cultural experience rather than a degree.
I believe it's near-crazy to pay $30,000 (or far more) in the US for what can be had in Europe for free.
Eventually costs will crash in the US for the simple reason, they must. Online education ensures that outcome.
For details, please see Future of Education is At Hand: Online, Accredited, Affordable, Useful
Here's my more recent followup post: Teaching Revolution: Online, Accredited, Free; Start Learning Now!
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.kr/2014/10/looking-for-good-education-at-low-price.html
The Lab in the Classroom
From Makezine:
3D printers are coming to schools. How do we make the most of them?
What Lipson was asking is: How can emergent technologies be deployed to create new opportunities for effective and engaging learning in schools? As professors and faculty at the University of Virginia, we responded, collaborating with local schools to establish a K-12 Design Laboratory. It was to be a test bed for developing curricula based on digital fabrication, including 3D printing.
The promising results led to a joint venture between the Charlottesville and Albemarle school systems and the University of Virginia, established with support from grants from the National Science Foundation, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and local government. Two middle school sites, the Buford Engineering Design Academy and the Sutherland Engineering Design Academy, were launched at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.
It was here, with the help of curators from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, that two Lab School students, Jenn and Nate, reconstructed the Morse-Vail telegraph and relay. They used Alfred Vail’s 1845 description of the device to design a modern version using digital fabrication technologies.
The work of makers such as Samuel Morse, Benjamin Franklin, Joseph Henry, and Alexander Graham Bell illuminates the process of invention and innovation. Their seminal discoveries are more accessible and easier for novices to understand than many modern techniques. The functions of the electromechanical systems of this era have tangible components that can be deconstructed and understood. During the initial years of the U.S. patent office, submission of a working model as a proof-of-concept was required for a patent. A selection of these patent models are now housed in the Smithsonian.
So the Smithsonian is collaborating with the Lab School to digitize key inventions for young makers like Jenn and Nate to reverse engineer. The Smithsonian’s 3D explorer (http://3d.si.edu) allows students to measure every angle and even analyze cross sections of objects. As the Lab School inventions — from the telegraph to Charles Page’s early electric motor and more — get digitized, the site will provide 3D files and supporting materials to help other schools replicate the process.
The goal is not an exact physical replica, but a reinterpretation of the device using modern manufacturing technology. The three-dimensional scans of the artifacts are inspiration for the students’ own designs, allowing them to create a product that is uniquely their own.
The reconstruction helped Jenn and Nate understand the relationship between science and engineering. They applied the principles they learned in science class to the design of the telegraphic relay to determine how much current in the primary coil was needed to activate the secondary circuit.
They enjoyed the process of scientific exploration and discovery. They learned, contrary to what they thought, that there are many things scientists do not know or understand. They saw that Vail and Morse experienced problems parallel to their own, both in science and engineering. In science: Neither the scientists (in 1840) nor the students (in 2014) fully understood the properties of electricity. In engineering: Both the inventors and the students had difficulty fabricating a reliable relay with a three-point connection.
A pilot cadre of students from the Laboratory School participated in an Engineering Design Academy this summer. The student engineers learned about telegraphic relays, solenoid engines, and linear motors. Teams were challenged to design and fabricate an electromechanical tone sequencer capable of playing a tune, and the students combined the relays, solenoids, and linear motors to create an electromechanical sequencer that reproduced the chimes of London’s Big Ben, and presented their invention at the Smithsonian. In the future, exemplary inventions will be showcased in a Museum of Electronic and Moveable Objects in each school.
This work with electromechanical inventions serves as a springboard for inventions that incorporate modern technologies. For example, an interactive mural is being designed for each school that will incorporate circuit stickers — peel and stick electronics for crafting circuits — to recreate the students’ electromechanical music machine.
The Lab School has already affected the educational directions of at least two students: Jenn has decided to become a biomedical engineer, and Nate has chosen to focus on mechanical engineering.
However, the point is not that all students should select careers in engineering; the goal is to ensure all students can explore desktop fabrication technologies. Like any other tools, they can be applied in myriad ways that enrich children’s lives and make learning more engaging.
As the Lab Schools enter their second year, advanced manufacturing technologies are being incorporated throughout the physical science curriculum. Students are creating their own inventions, and sharing their work through FabNet, a network of schools collaborating to co-construct new ways of teaching and learning in this shared space.
http://makezine.com/magazine/make-41-tinkering-toys/the-lab-in-the-classroom/
3D printers are coming to schools. How do we make the most of them?
What Lipson was asking is: How can emergent technologies be deployed to create new opportunities for effective and engaging learning in schools? As professors and faculty at the University of Virginia, we responded, collaborating with local schools to establish a K-12 Design Laboratory. It was to be a test bed for developing curricula based on digital fabrication, including 3D printing.
The promising results led to a joint venture between the Charlottesville and Albemarle school systems and the University of Virginia, established with support from grants from the National Science Foundation, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and local government. Two middle school sites, the Buford Engineering Design Academy and the Sutherland Engineering Design Academy, were launched at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.
It was here, with the help of curators from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, that two Lab School students, Jenn and Nate, reconstructed the Morse-Vail telegraph and relay. They used Alfred Vail’s 1845 description of the device to design a modern version using digital fabrication technologies.
The work of makers such as Samuel Morse, Benjamin Franklin, Joseph Henry, and Alexander Graham Bell illuminates the process of invention and innovation. Their seminal discoveries are more accessible and easier for novices to understand than many modern techniques. The functions of the electromechanical systems of this era have tangible components that can be deconstructed and understood. During the initial years of the U.S. patent office, submission of a working model as a proof-of-concept was required for a patent. A selection of these patent models are now housed in the Smithsonian.
Patent model of the 1854 Page motor, US Patent #10480.
An 1885 reproduction.
So the Smithsonian is collaborating with the Lab School to digitize key inventions for young makers like Jenn and Nate to reverse engineer. The Smithsonian’s 3D explorer (http://3d.si.edu) allows students to measure every angle and even analyze cross sections of objects. As the Lab School inventions — from the telegraph to Charles Page’s early electric motor and more — get digitized, the site will provide 3D files and supporting materials to help other schools replicate the process.
The goal is not an exact physical replica, but a reinterpretation of the device using modern manufacturing technology. The three-dimensional scans of the artifacts are inspiration for the students’ own designs, allowing them to create a product that is uniquely their own.
The reconstruction helped Jenn and Nate understand the relationship between science and engineering. They applied the principles they learned in science class to the design of the telegraphic relay to determine how much current in the primary coil was needed to activate the secondary circuit.
They enjoyed the process of scientific exploration and discovery. They learned, contrary to what they thought, that there are many things scientists do not know or understand. They saw that Vail and Morse experienced problems parallel to their own, both in science and engineering. In science: Neither the scientists (in 1840) nor the students (in 2014) fully understood the properties of electricity. In engineering: Both the inventors and the students had difficulty fabricating a reliable relay with a three-point connection.
An example of artwork created with circuit stickers.
A pilot cadre of students from the Laboratory School participated in an Engineering Design Academy this summer. The student engineers learned about telegraphic relays, solenoid engines, and linear motors. Teams were challenged to design and fabricate an electromechanical tone sequencer capable of playing a tune, and the students combined the relays, solenoids, and linear motors to create an electromechanical sequencer that reproduced the chimes of London’s Big Ben, and presented their invention at the Smithsonian. In the future, exemplary inventions will be showcased in a Museum of Electronic and Moveable Objects in each school.
This work with electromechanical inventions serves as a springboard for inventions that incorporate modern technologies. For example, an interactive mural is being designed for each school that will incorporate circuit stickers — peel and stick electronics for crafting circuits — to recreate the students’ electromechanical music machine.
The Lab School has already affected the educational directions of at least two students: Jenn has decided to become a biomedical engineer, and Nate has chosen to focus on mechanical engineering.
However, the point is not that all students should select careers in engineering; the goal is to ensure all students can explore desktop fabrication technologies. Like any other tools, they can be applied in myriad ways that enrich children’s lives and make learning more engaging.
As the Lab Schools enter their second year, advanced manufacturing technologies are being incorporated throughout the physical science curriculum. Students are creating their own inventions, and sharing their work through FabNet, a network of schools collaborating to co-construct new ways of teaching and learning in this shared space.
http://makezine.com/magazine/make-41-tinkering-toys/the-lab-in-the-classroom/
Thursday, October 30, 2014
HP Unveils Their 3D Printer: Multi Jet Fusion
I worked at the corporate office of HP in Palo Alto, California. As I worked with the printer divisions, I seriously developed my interest in innovation.
From Makezine:
HP had previously mentioned that they would be entering the 3D printing market with their own hardware. Today they announced what that hardware will be. Targeting the commercial 3D printing industry, they’re showing off their Multi Jet Fusion Printer.
HP, who is no stranger to printing, brings their own technology and ideas to the field. Their printer uses the typical binder+powder method, though their multi jet system supposedly used multiple types of binders to create the rough structure and the surface details. They should be able to print in full color and are exploring options for multiple materials.
They are claiming to be much faster than the competition, in some cases even 10x faster. In the article released by 3Dprint.com HP states that they have a print that would have taken 83 hours on a typical extrusion based machine, 38 hours on a laser sintering machine, and only takes 3 hours on the HP multi Jet.
HP state that they are getting 20 micron precision as well. In comparison they state that typical laser sintering machine will be in the range of 200-400 microns in precision.
The printer should be available in 2016
http://makezine.com/2014/10/29/hp-unveils-their-3d-printer-multi-jet-fusion/
From Makezine:
HP had previously mentioned that they would be entering the 3D printing market with their own hardware. Today they announced what that hardware will be. Targeting the commercial 3D printing industry, they’re showing off their Multi Jet Fusion Printer.
HP, who is no stranger to printing, brings their own technology and ideas to the field. Their printer uses the typical binder+powder method, though their multi jet system supposedly used multiple types of binders to create the rough structure and the surface details. They should be able to print in full color and are exploring options for multiple materials.
They are claiming to be much faster than the competition, in some cases even 10x faster. In the article released by 3Dprint.com HP states that they have a print that would have taken 83 hours on a typical extrusion based machine, 38 hours on a laser sintering machine, and only takes 3 hours on the HP multi Jet.
HP state that they are getting 20 micron precision as well. In comparison they state that typical laser sintering machine will be in the range of 200-400 microns in precision.
The printer should be available in 2016
http://makezine.com/2014/10/29/hp-unveils-their-3d-printer-multi-jet-fusion/
Samsung Electronics Q3 net down 49 pct
Samsung seems to know that the era of IT has peaked. That's why they got interested in biotech in the first place as a next growth engine.
From Yonhap:
Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top smartphone maker, said Thursday its net profit fell 48.7 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, as its faltering smartphone business dragged down overall sales.
Operating profit plunged 60 percent on-year to 4.1 trillion won, from a record high of 10.1 trillion won in the same quarter of 2013.
The operating profit marks the lowest in three years, since Samsung logged 3.75 trillion won in the second quarter of 2011.
It is also the first time in three years that the company saw operating profit decline for two consecutive quarters.
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2014/10/30/56/0501000000AEN20141030001200320F.html
From Yonhap:
Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top smartphone maker, said Thursday its net profit fell 48.7 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, as its faltering smartphone business dragged down overall sales.
Operating profit plunged 60 percent on-year to 4.1 trillion won, from a record high of 10.1 trillion won in the same quarter of 2013.
The operating profit marks the lowest in three years, since Samsung logged 3.75 trillion won in the second quarter of 2011.
It is also the first time in three years that the company saw operating profit decline for two consecutive quarters.
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2014/10/30/56/0501000000AEN20141030001200320F.html
The Fallacy of Stimulus: "재정적자 늘려서라도 경제 살린다"
Korea is not on the right path. without revamping the economy, stimulus would not work. The cases of the U.S. and Japan have demonstrated that. Korea is following their failed monetary policy.
중앙일보로부터:
박근혜 대통령의 29일 국회 시정연설은 경제 살리기에 집중됐다. 올해 연설에선 공무원연금 개혁 문제를 뺀다면 사실상 처음부터 끝까지 경제 이야기만 했다. '경제'라는 단어만 59번이나 언급됐다. 박 대통령은 한국 경제가 위기라고 진단하고 내년도 국정운영의 최우선 목표를 경제활성화에 두겠다고 강조했다.
지난 7월 최경환 부총리 겸 기획재정부 장관의 취임 이후 정부는 46조원 규모의 재정 확대 조치를 하고, 재건축 등 부동산 관련 규제 완화를 했다. 한국은행도 8월과 이달 두 차례 기준금리를 내렸다. 그러나 3분기 제조업 생산은 전기 대비 0.9% 감소했고, 투자와 수출도 부진하다. 저성장, 저물가, 엔저 등 신 3저(低)에다 미국의 금리인상 가능성 등 세계경제의 불확실성도 커지고 있다.
박 대통령은 "지금은 도약과 정체의 갈림길에서 우리 경제를 다시 세울 수 있는 마지막 골든 타임"이라고 강조했다. 이를 위해 꺼내든 것이 올해보다 20조원 늘어난 376조원 규모의 내년도 확장예산이다. 민간의 지출 여력이 없는 상황에서 정부마저 지갑을 닫아버리면 저성장의 악순환에서 헤어나기 어려우니 재정적자를 늘려서라도 경제를 살려야 한다는 것이 박 대통령의 설명이다. 최 부총리가 지금까지 추진한 경제 살리기 대책에 힘을 실어준 셈이다.
그러나 야당은 적자를 감수하고 돈을 풀어 경제를 살리자는 최경환식 경제 살리기에 거부감을 갖고 있다. 여당 내부에서도 재정적자로 인한 국가채무의 확대를 우려하는 목소리가 있다.
http://media.daum.net/issue/707/newsview?issueId=707&newsid=20141030011503124
중앙일보로부터:
박근혜 대통령의 29일 국회 시정연설은 경제 살리기에 집중됐다. 올해 연설에선 공무원연금 개혁 문제를 뺀다면 사실상 처음부터 끝까지 경제 이야기만 했다. '경제'라는 단어만 59번이나 언급됐다. 박 대통령은 한국 경제가 위기라고 진단하고 내년도 국정운영의 최우선 목표를 경제활성화에 두겠다고 강조했다.
지난 7월 최경환 부총리 겸 기획재정부 장관의 취임 이후 정부는 46조원 규모의 재정 확대 조치를 하고, 재건축 등 부동산 관련 규제 완화를 했다. 한국은행도 8월과 이달 두 차례 기준금리를 내렸다. 그러나 3분기 제조업 생산은 전기 대비 0.9% 감소했고, 투자와 수출도 부진하다. 저성장, 저물가, 엔저 등 신 3저(低)에다 미국의 금리인상 가능성 등 세계경제의 불확실성도 커지고 있다.
박 대통령은 "지금은 도약과 정체의 갈림길에서 우리 경제를 다시 세울 수 있는 마지막 골든 타임"이라고 강조했다. 이를 위해 꺼내든 것이 올해보다 20조원 늘어난 376조원 규모의 내년도 확장예산이다. 민간의 지출 여력이 없는 상황에서 정부마저 지갑을 닫아버리면 저성장의 악순환에서 헤어나기 어려우니 재정적자를 늘려서라도 경제를 살려야 한다는 것이 박 대통령의 설명이다. 최 부총리가 지금까지 추진한 경제 살리기 대책에 힘을 실어준 셈이다.
그러나 야당은 적자를 감수하고 돈을 풀어 경제를 살리자는 최경환식 경제 살리기에 거부감을 갖고 있다. 여당 내부에서도 재정적자로 인한 국가채무의 확대를 우려하는 목소리가 있다.
http://media.daum.net/issue/707/newsview?issueId=707&newsid=20141030011503124
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