2012年9月27日 星期四

'Hybrid' Hard Drive

Toshiba: 'Hybrid' Hard Drive to Boost Market Share


HONG KONG—Japan's Toshiba Corp. 6588.TO -0.57% expects its share of the computer hard-drive market to nearly double over the next few years as more personal computer makers start using so-called "hybrid" hard drives that can improve laptop performance without adding much to price tags.
Hybrid hard drives that contain flash-memory chips—the same chips that store data in smartphones and tablet computers—are drawing more attention as the traditional PC industry tries to compete against the likes of Apple Inc.'s AAPL +2.43% iPad. Devices using flash memory can start up and access data much faster than those using hard drives, but PC makers can't afford to simply replace all hard drives with flash-memory chips, which cost about 10 times more per unit of memory.
But the longer start-up time for traditional laptops is frustrating consumers. "For PCs to stay competitive, they need to be able to start up instantly," Toshiba Corporate Senior Vice President Hironobu Nishikori, who heads the company's hard-drive business, said in an interview. Hybrid hard drives can help PC makers achieve that with only a little additional cost, he said.
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Toshiba said this week that it will soon launch its first hybrid hard drives, which would help PCs start up applications almost twice as fast compared with conventional hard drives. Mass production of the new hard drives will start next month at a factory in the Philippines, the company said.
Hybrid hard drives are still a rarity in the PC market. Apple's MacBook Air and some Ultrabooks—a category invented by Intel Corp. INTC +1.94% for thin, lightweight laptops—use flash-memory chips for data storage, making their price tags relatively high. While high-end laptops can continue to rely solely on flash memory for their storage, demand is strong for more affordable laptops with speedy performance, Mr. Nishikori said.
The competition is stiff: Seagate Technology Inc. STX +3.07% already sells hybrid hard drives, while Western Digital Corp. INTC +1.94% said earlier this month that it has developed a hybrid that is thin enough for the thinnest laptops currently on the market.
In the second quarter of this year, Western Digital held a 45% share of the global hard-drive market, while Seagate followed closely with a 42% share, according to IHS iSuppli. Toshiba trailed behind with a 13% share.
Mr. Nishikori said that Toshiba is targeting a 25% share in 2014, expecting its hybrid hard drives to help increase its market presence.
"We have a thorough grasp of all the characteristics of flash-memory chips as well as hard drives," which helps when designing hybrid hard drives, he said.
Hybrid hard drives require a built-in system that sorts out data based on an algorithm that determines what should be stored on the hard drive and what should go into flash memory. This algorithm is where Toshiba's expertise in flash memory can become its advantage, Mr. Nishikori said.
Still, such technological advantages may be too subtle to help differentiate Toshiba's hard drives when PC makers are struggling to lower costs to squeeze out profit margins in an intensely competitive market, analysts say.
"At the end of the day, whether Toshiba can increase its [hard drive] market share will depend largely on whether its prices are competitive," said Mizuho Investors Securities analyst Yuichi Ishida.
Mr. Nishikori said the fact that Toshiba has its own flash-memory business also helps its hybrid hard drives compete on prices. Analysts said that Toshiba could, for example, sacrifice some of the margins on its flash-memory chips to sell its hybrid hard drives at lower prices, which would help the company increase its market share. Toshiba manufactures flash-memory chips at its factory in western Japan.
Expectations are high for hybrid hard drives, which could provide a much-needed boost to the PC industry. "Tablets—with their slim profile and fast 'instant-on' capabilities—have eaten mightily into the sales of notebook PCs, whose performance and ease of use have suffered in comparison," IHS iSuppli analyst Fang Zhang wrote in a report this month. IHS expects shipments of hybrid hard drives to surge from 1.2 million units this year to 25 million units in 2016.
Toshiba's hard-drive business generated revenue of about ¥400 billion ($5.14 billion) in the last fiscal year, accounting for about 7% of the Japanese technology conglomerate's revenue of ¥6.1 trillion. By the fiscal year that ends in March 2015, the company expects its revenue from that business to double to ¥800 billion, counting on a significant contribution from the sales of hybrid hard drives.
Toshiba said the hard-drive business is currently profitable, without giving a specific profit figure.

2012年9月25日 星期二

日立石英玻璃記憶碟

日立石英玻璃記憶碟 資訊永存非夢事

日立公司24日展示可永久儲存資料的石英玻璃碟。 (法新社)

〔編譯魏國金/法新社東京24日電〕鮑伯狄倫與滾石證明好音樂歷久不衰;日本高科技巨擘日立公司表示,其發明可讓好音樂傳唱更長久—至少數億年沒問題。該公司24日公布將數位資料儲存於石英玻璃的技術,由於石英玻璃可耐極端溫度與惡劣條件,因此保存資料品質幾乎永久不變。
每平方吋儲存量達40百萬位元組
日 立研究員鳥居和功指出︰「資訊每天爆量出現,然而就留存資料給後世而言,我們並不比將事情鐫刻石頭的年代進步多少。甚至流失資料的可能性恐有增無減。」這 是因為當前使用的CD或硬碟壽命僅數十年,最多不超過百年。此外,科技快速發展的結果也導致必須不斷更新資料讀寫硬碟,他說︰「我們都經歷過蒐集的資料與 資訊無法挽救的問題。」他顯然意指現已過時的電唱機與攝影膠捲。
日立研發以二進位法,透過在石英薄片內製造小點的方式來儲存資料,而保存的資料藉由普通的光學顯微鏡即可讀取。鳥居說,任何只要能了解二進位形式的電腦,不管它有多先進,都可讀取資料。
耐高溫大火 可挺過天災
日 立公布的這個儲存裝置原型僅2公分見方、2公釐厚,石英玻璃材料是高穩定、高彈性的物質。該晶片可抗許多化學物、不受無線電波影響,可直接暴露在烈火與高 達攝氏1000度的環境中至少2小時仍無損品質。它也防水,因此大火與海嘯等天災都能挺過,「我們相信資料可永久保存,除非這麼堅硬的玻璃破裂。」
研究人員表示,該原型目前有4層圖點,每平方吋的儲存量達40百萬位元組(megabytes),相當於1片音樂CD的密度。

2012年9月19日 星期三

公元4世紀的莎草紙.......,望月新一可望證明abc猜想 Diophantine equations


恐引發基督教世界激烈辯論
〔編 譯俞智敏/綜合報導〕專研基督教歷史的哈佛大學神學院教授金恩(Karen King),18日公布一份公元4世紀的莎草紙,上面用古埃及科普特文字引述耶穌明確提到他的「妻子」。這項發現恐在基督教世界再度引發耶穌是否結婚的激 烈辯論,甚至可能推翻基督教崇尚禁欲的理想。
金恩教授是在羅馬舉行的一場國際科普特研究會議中,公布這張長7.6公分、寬3.8公分,面積 小於一張名片的莎草紙碎片。金恩表示,這張碎片是用科普特文抄寫的福音書,可能是由希臘人在公元2世紀寫成,然後再被轉譯為科普特文。紙片上的4個科普特 文字可翻譯為「耶穌對他們說,我的妻子」,首度證明部分早期基督徒相信耶穌曾經結婚。研究人員認為,耶穌這裡指的就是抹大拉的馬利亞。
早期基督徒相信耶穌曾結婚
金恩把這張莎草紙片稱為「耶穌之妻福音」,她表示這並不能證明耶穌確曾結婚,卻論及當時基督徒所面臨的家庭和婚姻等議題。金恩還說,在上述對話中,耶穌門徒們討論馬利亞是否值得尊敬,而耶穌回答說,「她可以當我的門徒」。
儘管缺乏可靠的歷史證據支持,基督教傳統上一直認為耶穌未婚,但有關耶穌曾結婚的說法不時浮上檯面。
暢銷書作家丹布朗也在「達文西密碼」一書中,將耶穌和抹大拉的馬利亞描寫為夫妻。
金恩認為,這份新福音顯示耶穌是否結婚的問題,源於基督徒對性與婚姻的激烈討論,直到耶穌去世逾一世紀後的公元200年左右,神學家亞力山卓的克里門才開始提出耶穌未曾結婚的說法。
這張莎草紙屬於一位匿名收藏家所有,這位收藏家請金恩協助翻譯並分析文字內容,紙片的發現狀況不明,但金恩認為紙片是來自埃及,當地的乾燥氣候使得古文獻得以保存至今,紙片上的文字也是古代埃及所使用的文字。
學者︰文件來源不明應謹慎
但 另一位聖經學者、肯塔基州亞斯里神學院教授威特林頓表示,由於文件來源不明,分析時應更為謹慎。威特林頓認為,這份文件類似西元2、3及4世紀的諾斯替 (Gnostic )文件模式,使用親密語言來討論靈性關係。諾斯替教派常提到一種被稱為「姊妹—妻子」的文件,他們會帶著一位女性信徒隨行,負責煮食、打掃或其他家務,但 彼此間並不存在性關係。





日數學家 可望證明abc猜想

〔編譯林翠儀/綜合報導〕日本天才數學家、京都大學數學教授望月新一,發 表一篇長達500頁的論文,可望證明被提出將近30年的「abc猜想」(abc conjecture),如果證明正確,將可能在數論領域掀起一場革命,也將成為本世紀最偉大的數學成就。望月的證明目前仍在進行檢證中。
「abc 猜想」是由歐洲數學家馬瑟(David Masser )與奧斯達利(Joseph Oesterle)在1985年分別提出,以a和b兩個整數及其相加後新的整數c,abc三個數組與各個質數之間的關係,可說是一個針對質數之間深層聯繫 的猜想。近30年來,許多數學家都想證明這個猜想,荷蘭萊頓大學數學研究所甚至成立一個網站計算平台「ABC@Home」,協助數學家破解這個猜想。
500頁論文 花10年才完成
望 月這篇長達4章、共500頁的論文,花了10年時間才完成,8月起在英國科學期刊「自然」網路版上公開,立即在數學界引發話題。美國哥倫比亞大學數學家戈 德菲德(Dorian Goldfeld)說,如果abc猜想獲得證實,將一舉解決眾多著名的「不定方程」(Diophantine,又稱「丟番圖」)問題,其中也包括花了 350多年才破解的費馬最後定理(Fermat Last Theorem)。
和許多丟番圖問題一樣,abc猜想是一個質數(指在一個大於 1的自然數中,除1和此整數自身外,無法被其他自然數整除的數,也可定義為只有1和本身兩個因數的數)之間關係的問題。美國史丹福大學數學系教授康拉德 (Brian Conrad)認為,在a、b和a+b的質數因數之間存在更深層的關聯。許多數學家投注大量心力試圖證明這一猜想。2007年,在法國數學家施皮羅 (Lucien Szpiro)1978年研究工作的基礎上,首次宣佈對abc猜想的證明,但很快就發現其中存在缺陷。
現年43歲的望月本身也是個傳奇人物,他雖在東京出生,但5歲時隨著父親定居美國,具有數學天分的他,16歲便跳級進入美國普林斯頓大學,19歲從數學系畢業,23歲回到日本在京大擔任助教,32歲就升任京大教授。



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In mathematics, a Diophantine equation is an indeterminate polynomial equation that allows the variables to be integers only. Diophantine problems have fewer equations than unknown variables and involve finding integers that work correctly for all equations. In more technical language, they define an algebraic curve, algebraic surface, or more general object, and ask about the lattice points on it.
The word Diophantine refers to the Hellenistic mathematician of the 3rd century, Diophantus of Alexandria, who made a study of such equations and was one of the first mathematicians to introduce symbolism into algebra. The mathematical study of Diophantine problems Diophantus initiated is now called "Diophantine analysis". A linear Diophantine equation is an equation between two sums of monomials of degree zero or one.
While individual equations present a kind of puzzle and have been considered throughout history, the formulation of general theories of Diophantine equations (beyond the theory of quadratic forms) was an achievement of the twentieth century.

Contents

Examples of Diophantine equations

In the following Diophantine equations, x, y, and z are the unknowns, the other letters being given are constants.
ax+by=1\, This is a linear Diophantine equation (see the section "Linear Diophantine equations" below).
x^n+y^n=z^n \, For n = 2 there are infinitely many solutions (x,y,z): the Pythagorean triples. For larger values of n, Fermat's Last Theorem states there are no positive integer solutions (x, y, z).
x^2-ny^2=\pm 1\, (Pell's equation) which is named after the English mathematician John Pell. It was studied by Brahmagupta in the 7th century, as well as by Fermat in the 17th century.
\frac{4}{n} = \frac{1}{x} + \frac{1}{y} + \frac{1}{z} The Erdős–Straus conjecture states that, for every positive integer n ≥ 2, there exists a solution in x, y, and z, all as positive integers. Although not usually stated in polynomial form, this example is equivalent to the polynomial equation 4xyz = yzn + xzn + xyn = n(yz + xz + xy).

3D映像手術機械手/ 機器人巴斯特(Baxter)

 
 製造業革命╱可和人一起工作 「常識」機器人10月上市
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將成為第一個直接與人類一起工作的人型機器人「巴斯特」身高6英尺(約1.82公尺),體重有300磅(約136公斤),還有電腦螢幕般的「臉」及一雙卡通眼。(取自網路)
〔編譯魏國金/綜合18日外電報導〕如果你抓著機器人巴斯特(Baxter)的手,它電腦螢幕般的「臉」將轉向你,一雙卡通眼將友善的盯著你瞧。別小看怪模怪樣的巴斯特,它可望成為第一個能在製造業環境下,應用行為的「常識」,直接與人類一起工作的機器人。
目前在工廠內作業的機器人,絕大多數情況都是與人類隔開,因為這些如「魔鬼終結者」般的機器人動作快速準確,其力道足以攆平任何碰到的人類。然而,最新的「巴斯特」機器人卻是動作緩慢,身上還有一堆安全機制和感測器,來保護和它一起工作的人類。
造 價2萬2000美元(約台幣64.5萬元)的巴斯特,是波斯頓「再思機器人」(Rethink Robotics)公司耗費4年研發的心血結晶。巴斯特具有的「常識」能力讓它「認清」,若要移動並放下一個物件前,手上必須先握有它。此外,裝設在它手 部、胸部與臉部上方的軟體及攝影機讓它了解周邊環境,並安全的與身邊人類一起工作。
「再思機器人」創辦人布魯克斯在一個磚塊工廠示範巴斯特的安全性︰當巴斯特在裝配線上移動物件時,布魯克斯將頭部位於巴斯特手臂的運作路徑上。巴斯特的手臂感應到他的頭後立即停止動作。他說,這樣的設計目的是讓巴斯特能感知到意外障礙,並順勢調整自己的動作。
巴斯特的安全裝置還包括頭頂上的聲納感應器,不論何時,當有人靠近,它就自動放慢行動,它電腦螢幕的臉也會轉紅,讓工作人員知道,它意識到他們的存在。它更有大大的紅色「e-stop」鈕,以緊急關閉之用。
「再思機器人」預定10月開始銷售巴斯特,這項舉措顯示機器人不再只是大公司投注鉅資的實驗室產物;「再思機器人」企圖銷售這類能與人類勞工一起工作的廉價機器人,來擴大機器人的市場。
「再 思機器人」已在一些涉及製造與裝配重複性工作的小公司秘密測試巴斯特原型,「再思機器人」避免使用「程式化」一詞,而是用「示範訓練」巴斯特,比如拿起並 移動物件,一位工作人員將移動巴斯特的手臂並讓它抓起物件,以此指導它。巴斯特的測試成效穩定,它每小時運作成本約4美元。
布魯克斯指出,巴斯特擅於不必花腦筋的重複性動作,比如在輸送帶上置物或取物,或將物品放入或從盒子取出。至於機械化工作被巴斯特取代的勞工也不會遭到資遣,因為他們可被派去做技術性較高的工作。

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月前洪醫師跟我說美國已有類似的3D映像手術機械手......

3D映像見ながら手術 九大・NEDOが支援ロボ開発

写真:消化器用の手術支援ロボット。3次元映像を見ながら、器具を操作する=4日午後2時45分、福岡市、関田航撮影拡大消化器用の手術支援ロボット。3次元映像を見ながら、器具を操作する=4日午後2時45分、福岡市、関田航撮影
 新エネルギー・産業技術総合開発機構(NEDO)と九州大学は4日、3次元(3D)映像を見ながら器具を操作して内視鏡手術ができる手術支援ロボットを 開発したと発表した。カメラの視野が広く、鉗子(かんし)などを手で扱うように動かせるため、がんなどを取り残す可能性が減り、患者の生存率の向上が期待 できるという。脳神経、胸部、消化器の3外科用を対象に、5年以内の実用化をめざす。
 ロボットの制御装置は共通で、手術の内容に応じて手術用器具を替える。さまざまな領域で使う手術支援ロボットを同一のシステムで動かすのは、世界で初めてという。
 脳腫瘍(しゅよう)の手術では、正面に一つ、側面に二つあるカメラで立体的にとらえる。カメラも手術器具も小型で高機能で、操作しやすいため、腫瘍を効 率よく除去でき、健常な組織を傷つけることも少ないという。内視鏡を入れるための切開部の数や大きさも最小限ですむ。入院期間も短くでき、患者の負担を減 らせる。

2012年9月16日 星期日

人造琺瑯薄膜

牙科大革命/牙齒OK繃 終結蛀牙

超薄!人造琺瑯薄膜 僅0.004公釐厚
〔國 際新聞中心/綜合報導〕日本科學家最近研發出一種只有0.004公釐的超薄「牙齒OK繃」(tooth patch),以琺瑯質主要礦物質羥磷灰石(hydroxyapatite)製成,不僅堅固也很有彈性,可用於單顆牙齒,在牙齒上形成薄薄保護膜,可預防 蛀牙、宣告「敏感性牙齒」將永遠成為歷史名詞,也能用於牙齒美容,讓牙齒看起來更亮白。科學家估計,這種「牙齒OK繃」5年後即可用於牙科治療,美容用途 更是3年內成真。
日科學家研發 敏感性牙齒成歷史名詞
近畿大學生物理工學部教授本津茂樹表示:「這是全球第一種有彈性的磷灰石片,我們希望用來保護牙齒,或修補受損的琺瑯質。」他稍早表示:「以前牙醫認為,全磷灰石片不過是夢想,但我們一直以創造人工琺瑯質為目標。」
研究人員利用「雷射剝蝕法」,在真空狀態下蝕刻羥磷灰石結晶,讓其中的磷灰石粒子跳出,附著在預先準備好的「鹽板」上。接著團隊再加熱鹽板使之結晶,而後將氯化鈉溶解於水,就能製造出只有0.004公釐厚的磷灰石片。
再 來,科學家將薄片鋪在濾紙上,烘乾後薄片即可有一定硬度,能以鑷子拿取。由於薄片上有許多小洞,可讓空氣與液體逸出,與牙齒貼合時可避免氣泡產生。這種補 片透明無色,但牙齒美容時也可將補片變白,達到美白效果。不過,「牙齒OK繃」還有一個問題,就是補片需要一天時間,才能牢牢貼合牙齒表面。
研 究團隊正以廢棄的人類牙齒進行實驗,近期就會展開動物試驗。本津表示,他也拿自己牙齒測試。他說,牙醫可能要5年後才能將「牙齒OK繃」用於治療象牙質外 露等問題,若是牙齒美容,3年內即可派上用場。該技術由大阪齒科大學助理教授吉川一志共同研發,已獲日本與南韓專利,美國、歐洲與中國申請專利中。

2012年9月12日 星期三

Mow Yard. Drop Off Kids. Take a Drive on Mars.

紐約時報中英對照版無法顯示繁體字........



在火星上「開車」的人
Monica Almeida/The New York Times
漫遊車駕駛員馬特·赫弗利和萬迪·湯普金斯與任務指揮員賈斯廷·林一起查看最新的數據。

加利福尼亞州帕薩迪納——在最近的一個工作日,36歲的馬特·赫弗利(Matt Heverly)像其他很多年輕的父親一樣:5:30起床,大口地喝咖啡,給嬰兒準備了一瓶奶。他匆匆穿上牛仔褲和T恤,載着兩個兒子去日托所,中途去檢 查了他的豐田(Toyota)車剎車裝置,還跑了趟銀行。
然後他到了辦公室——操控一台價值25億美元的火星機械人。
赫弗利領導着一支由16名操作員組成的團隊,他們是美國航空航天局(NASA)屬下的噴氣推進實驗室(Jet Propulsion Laboratory)的成員,共同負責操控“好奇號”(Curiosity)漫遊車穿過火星的蓋爾隕坑(Gale Crater)。“好奇號”共有六個車輪,以鈈燃料為動力,車上裝有激光等能夠燒熔岩石的超前設備。這個重達2000磅的遙控裝置於8月6日登陸火星。8 月22日,赫弗利開始掌控方向盤——實際上是電腦鍵盤。
“駕駛”漫遊車可能是一個容易產生誤解的概念。首先,並沒有操縱桿和油門。 赫弗利和他的隊友通過輸入幾百個電腦指令來告訴漫遊車下一步該往哪兒走。
另外,他們不是實時駕駛:在火星的晚上,團隊會計劃接下來將“好奇號”送往什麼地方,火星的白晝開始時,他們會通過無線電傳輸發送指令。然後,這些駕駛員就回家,回到了地球上“不要忘記把垃圾帶出去”之類的世俗生活。
“你必須盡量不去想火星上發生了什麼事,當然這絕不可能,”39歲的駕駛員萬迪·湯普金斯(Vandi Tompkins)說道。在咖啡因的作用下,她顯得精神亢奮。
“根據你的指令,漫遊車可能會完成一次成功的行駛,”她說,“或者,你可能已經把國家資產從懸崖上扔下去了。”
或者,就像赫弗利說的,“昨晚我在火星上開車,今天我在修草坪,這太不真實了。”
“好奇號”的駕駛員只是NASA火星勘探項目中的一個小組。火星勘探項目負責調查火星的氣候和地質情況,對更老的、配置較為原始的機遇號 (Opportunity)漫遊車實施監控。火星項目的工作人員達到了幾千人,但是,上個月轟動全世界的,卻是這30多個“好奇號”團隊成員。當 時,NASA公布了他們慶祝“好奇號”登陸火星的視頻。
視頻顯示,身穿統一藍色馬球衫的團隊成員們,聆聽任務指揮官確認登陸成功——“我們在火星着陸了,哦,我的天哪!”——在場的人爆發出了雷鳴般的歡 呼聲,紛紛擊掌相慶。飛行指揮員博巴克·菲爾多西(Bobak Ferdowsi)惹人注目地留着紅、白、藍相間的莫霍克髮型,他皺着眉頭說道,“我們看起來像是藍精靈。”
這裡在很多方面與其他辦公室相似:灰色的工廠地毯、熒光燈照明和狹窄的隔間,其中大部分都未加裝飾,除非你把紅牛飲料空罐算作裝飾品。一個小食品儲 藏室里有些成包的果脯零食。這裡偶爾會有一些家常便飯,還有一個辦公室壘球隊;近期的一場比賽中,每個人都戴上了莫霍克假髮來戲弄菲爾多西。
人們乘坐電梯時,會說“可以幫我按一下七樓嗎?我要去木星”,諸如此類的話。他們沒有開玩笑。七樓是朱諾號(Juno)的基地,那是太陽系最大行星的探索項目。(火星項目在六層和四層。)
他們含蓄地表達驕傲之情。56歲的約翰·賴特(John Wright)說,“我們所做的,絕對是最酷的工作。” 這位“好奇號”駕駛員彙報工作時戴着棒球帽,身穿T恤和短褲。
“你是做什麼工作的?哦,你是一個投資銀行家?那很特別啊,”賴特繼續說道。“我在火星上開車。”
這份工作也會很辛苦。“好奇號”的探索計劃長達幾年,至少在工作的頭三個月中,駕駛員將會按照火星時間生活和工作。一個火星日叫做一個Sol,比地 球上的一天長39分鐘35秒。這種時差累積很快就會特別明顯:兩周的時間裡,地球上的上午就變成了火星的夜晚。對於火星駕駛員來說,按照這樣的時間工作就 像是每三天向西跨越兩個時區,長期處在倒不過時差的狀態。
赫弗利說,“我現在嚴重睡眠不足,咖啡因已經不起作用了。”
工作日有嚴格的時間安排。“好奇號”在火星時間下午4點(在最近的一個周四,這個時間相當於太平洋時間下午1點44分)發回報告,說明行駛情況。分析人員有15分鐘時間來確認是否一切都順利。這是他們自己設定的時限,為了迅速為第二天的工作制定計劃。
大約400名參與火星計劃的科學家對數據進行評估,通常包括車載攝像機拍攝的照片。駕駛員與科學家開會,討論漫遊車下一步行駛的方向,也許是向一個 看起來很有趣的凹坑前進4.6米。因為他們駕駛“好奇號”時基本看不見,他們開始時需要慢慢移動,一天最多行駛9.2米;最終,他們一天能夠行駛92米。
一旦制定了計劃,駕駛員就會帶着3D眼鏡觀察火星地表圖,尋找潛在的危險狀況(“那塊岩石究竟有多危險?”),並用電腦動畫來模擬一條行進路線。然後,他們輸入幾百條命令執行第二天的行駛任務,對“好奇號”的運動往往要以厘米來計算。
臉色發白的赫弗利回顧了機遇號上發生的“噩夢般的場景”。有一天,科學家決定讓漫遊車倒退。根據赫弗利輸入的命令,機遇號知道它需要退到身後幾英尺遠的地方。
赫弗利說,“可是,它沒有簡單地向後倒退,它決定圍繞整個星球行駛一圈到達那個地方。”幸運的是,一個自動安全功能啟動,在漫遊車走得太遠之前把它停住了。
“那真是驚險的一天,讓人不敢再有絲毫大意,”赫弗利說,“‘親愛的,你今天在辦公室幹什麼了?’這樣一句普通的話被賦予了全新的意義。”
翻譯:許欣  

Mow Yard. Drop Off Kids. Take a Drive on Mars.

在火星上“开车”的人

PASADENA, Calif. — Matt Heverly, 36, started a recent workday as any young father might: up at 5:30, gulping coffee, fixing a bottle for the baby. He threw on jeans and a T-shirt and drove his two sons to day care. He stopped to get the brakes on his Toyota checked and swung by the bank.
加利福尼亚州帕萨迪纳——在最近的一个工作日,36岁的马特·赫弗利 (Matt Heverly)像其他很多年轻的父亲一样:5:30起床,大口地喝咖啡,给婴儿准备了一瓶奶。他匆匆穿上牛仔裤和T恤,载着两个儿子去日托所,中途去检 查了他的丰田(Toyota)车刹车装置,还跑了趟银行。

Then he went to the office ... to drive a $2.5 billion robot on Mars.
然后他到了办公室——操控一台价值25亿美元的火星机器人。

Mr. Heverly leads a team of 16 drivers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory here. Together, they are responsible for steering a six-wheeled, plutonium-powered rover called Curiosity across the Red Planet’s Gale Crater. Equipped with futuristic tools like a laser that can vaporize rock, the 2,000-pound robot arrived on Mars on Aug. 6, and Mr. Heverly took the wheel — or computer keyboard, actually — on Aug. 22.
赫弗利领导着一支由16名操作员组成的团队,他们是美国航空航天局 (NASA)属下的喷气推进实验室(Jet Propulsion Laboratory)的成员,共同负责操控“好奇号”(Curiosity)漫游车穿过火星的盖尔陨坑(Gale Crater)。“好奇号”共有六个车轮,以钚燃料为动力,车上装有激光等能够烧熔岩石的超前设备。这个重达2000磅的遥控装置于8月6日登陆火星。8 月22日,赫弗利开始掌控方向盘——实际上是电脑键盘。
Monica Almeida/The New York Times
漫游车驾驶员马特·赫弗利和万迪·汤普金斯与任务指挥员贾斯廷·林一起查看最新的数据。
“Driving” a rover might be a misleading term. There is no joystick or accelerator, for a start. Mr. Heverly and his teammates tell the vehicle where to go next by entering hundreds of computer commands.
“驾驶”漫游车可能是一个容易产生误解的概念。首先,并没有操纵杆和油门。 赫弗利和他的队友通过输入几百个电脑指令来告诉漫游车下一步该往哪儿走。
Also, the driving is not done in real time: during the Martian night, the team plans where to send Curiosity next and sends instructions via radio transmission as the Mars day begins. Then the drivers go home, back to life on Earth, with all of its “don’t forget to take out the garbage” mundanity.
另外,他们不是实时驾驶:在火星的晚上,团队会计划接下来将“好奇号”送往什么地方,火星的白昼开始时,他们会通过无线电传输发送指令。然后,这些驾驶员就回家,回到了地球上“不要忘记把垃圾带出去”之类的世俗生活。
“You have to try not to think about what’s happening out there, which is, of course, completely impossible,” Vandi Tompkins, 39, one of the drivers, said with caffeinated exuberance.
“你必须尽量不去想火星上发生了什么事,当然这绝不可能,”39岁的驾驶员万迪·汤普金斯(Vandi Tompkins)说道。在咖啡因的作用下,她显得精神亢奋。
“The rover may be executing a successful drive based on your instructions,” she said, “or you may have just sent a national asset over a cliff.”
“根据你的指令,漫游车可能会完成一次成功的行驶,”她说,“或者,你可能已经把国家资产从悬崖上扔下去了。”
Or, as Mr. Heverly put it, “Last night I drove on Mars, today I mowed the lawn — it’s completely surreal.”
或者,就像赫弗利说的,“昨晚我在火星上开车,今天我在修草坪,这太不真实了。”
Curiosity’s drivers are only a small group within NASA’s Mars exploration program, which investigates the Martian climate and geology and oversees an older, more rudimentary rover, Opportunity. Several thousand people work on the Mars program, but it was 30 or so Curiosity team members who struck a worldwide chord last month when NASA shared video of their reaction to the rover’s landing.
“好奇号”的驾驶员只是NASA火星勘探项目中的一个小组。火星勘探项 目负责调查火星的气候和地质情况,对更老的、配置较为原始的机遇号(Opportunity)漫游车实施监控。火星项目的工作人员达到了几千人,但是,上 个月轰动全世界的,却是这30多个“好奇号”团队成员。当时,NASA公布了他们庆祝“好奇号”登陆火星的视频。
Wearing matching blue polo shirts for the occasion, the team members were seen listening for a mission controller’s confirmation of success — “We are wheels down on Mars. Oh, my God!” — and breaking out in raucous cheers and high-fives. Bobak Ferdowsi, a flight director who sports a mohawk with red, white and blue streaks, now says, wincing, “We all looked like Smurfs.”
视频显示,身穿统一蓝色马球衫的团队成员们,聆听任务指挥官确认登陆成 功——“我们在火星着陆了,哦,我的天哪!”——在场的人爆发出了雷鸣般的欢呼声,纷纷击掌相庆。飞行指挥员博巴克·菲尔多西(Bobak Ferdowsi)惹人注目地留着红、白、蓝相间的莫霍克发型,他皱着眉头说道,“我们看起来像是蓝精灵。”
In many ways, this is like any other office: gray industrial carpeting, fluorescent lighting, cramped cubicles that are mostly undecorated, unless you count empty cans of Red Bull. A small pantry has packages of dried fruit snacks. There is the occasional potluck dinner and an office softball team; at a recent game, everyone wore fake mohawks to tease Mr. Ferdowsi.
这里在很多方面与其他办公室相似:灰色的工厂地毯、荧光灯照明和狭窄的 隔间,其中大部分都未加装饰,除非你把红牛饮料空罐算作装饰品。一个小食品储藏室里有些成包的果脯零食。这里偶尔会有一些家常便饭,还有一个办公室垒球 队;近期的一场比赛中,每个人都戴上了莫霍克假发来戏弄菲尔多西。
On the elevator, people say things like “Can you press seven? I’m going to Jupiter.” They are not kidding. The seventh floor is home to Juno, a mission to the solar system’s largest planet. (Mars is on six and four.)
人们乘坐电梯时,会说“可以帮我按一下七楼吗?我要去木星”,诸如此类的话。他们没有开玩笑。七楼是朱诺号(Juno)的基地,那是太阳系最大行星的探索项目。(火星项目在六层和四层。)
There is also a quiet cockiness. “We definitely win the coolest job contest at cocktail parties,” said John Wright, 56, a Curiosity driver who had reported to work in a baseball cap, a T-shirt and shorts.
他们含蓄地表达骄傲之情。56岁的约翰·赖特(John Wright)说,“我们所做的,绝对是最酷的工作。” 这位“好奇号”驾驶员汇报工作时戴着棒球帽,身穿T恤和短裤。
“What do you do? Oh, you’re an investment banker? Isn’t that special,” Mr. Wright continued. “I drive on Mars.”
“你是做什么工作的?哦,你是一个投资银行家?那很特别啊,”赖特继续说道。“我在火星上开车。”
The job can be grueling. For at least the first three months of Curiosity’s multiyear exploration, the drivers will be living and working on Mars time. The Martian day, called a Sol, is longer than a day on Earth by 39 minutes and 35 seconds, which adds up quickly; morning on Earth becomes night on Mars within a couple of weeks. For the drivers, keeping this schedule is like moving two time zones to the west every three days, tossing them into a perpetual state of jet lag.
这份工作也会很辛苦。“好奇号”的探索计划长达几年,至少在工作的头三 个月中,驾驶员将会按照火星时间生活和工作。一个火星日叫做一个Sol,比地球上的一天长39分钟35秒。这种时差累积很快就会特别明显:两周的时间里, 地球上的上午就变成了火星的夜晚。对于火星驾驶员来说,按照这样的时间工作就像是每三天向西跨越两个时区,长期处在倒不过时差的状态。
“I’m kind of so sleep-deprived at this point that I’m beyond the point where caffeine helps,” Mr. Heverly said.
赫弗利说,“我现在严重睡眠不足,咖啡因已经不起作用了。”
Workdays have a rigorous time structure. Curiosity beams down a report at 4 p.m. Mars time (one recent Thursday, that meant 1:44 p.m. Pacific time) of how its drive went. A group of analysts has 15 minutes to figure out if everything succeeded, a self-imposed deadline to get the planning for the next day’s drive moving quickly.
工作日有严格的时间安排。“好奇号”在火星时间下午4点(在最近的一个周四,这个时间相当于太平洋时间下午1点44分)发回报告,说明行驶情况。分析人员有15分钟时间来确认是否一切都顺利。这是他们自己设定的时限,为了迅速为第二天的工作制定计划。
Scientists — there are about 400 working on the Mars mission — evaluate the data, which usually includes pictures from onboard cameras. Drivers arrive and meet with scientists to discuss where the rover should head next, perhaps 15 feet toward an indentation in the soil that looks interesting. Because they are essentially driving Curiosity blind, they initially have to move slowly, a maximum of 30 feet a day; eventually they will be able to cover about 300 feet a day.
大约400名参与火星计划的科学家对数据进行评估,通常包括车载摄像机 拍摄的照片。驾驶员与科学家开会,讨论漫游车下一步行驶的方向,也许是向一个看起来很有趣的凹坑前进4.6米。因为他们驾驶“好奇号”时基本看不见,他们 开始时需要慢慢移动,一天最多行驶9.2米;最终,他们一天能够行驶92米。
Once a plan has been formulated, drivers stare at the images they have of the Martian terrain with 3-D glasses to scout for potential pitfalls (“How afraid are we of that rock?”) and use computer animation to simulate a route. Then they enter hundreds of commands to execute the next day’s drive, which can require calibration of movement in gradations of centimeters.
一旦制定了计划,驾驶员就会带着3D眼镜观察火星地表图,寻找潜在的危险状况(“那块岩石究竟有多危险?”),并用电脑动画来模拟一条行进路线。然后,他们输入几百条命令执行第二天的行驶任务,对“好奇号”的运动往往要以厘米来计算。
Mr. Heverly, turning white, recalled “a nightmare scenario” with Opportunity. One day, scientists decided that they wanted the rover to back up. Based on the commands Mr. Heverly entered, Opportunity understood that it needed to return to a spot a few feet back.
脸色发白的赫弗利回顾了机遇号上发生的“噩梦般的场景”。有一天,科学家决定让漫游车倒退。根据赫弗利输入的命令,机遇号知道它需要退到身后几英尺远的地方。
“But instead of simply backing up, it decided to drive around the entire planet to get there,” Mr. Heverly said. Luckily, an automated safety function kicked in and stopped the rover before it could go very far.
赫弗利说,“可是,它没有简单地向后倒退,它决定围绕整个星球行驶一圈到达那个地方。”幸运的是,一个自动安全功能启动,在漫游车走得太远之前把它停住了。
“It was a really scary and really humbling day,” Mr. Heverly said. “It gives a whole new meaning to ‘What did you do at the office today, honey?’ ”
“那真是惊险的一天,让人不敢再有丝毫大意,”赫弗利说,“‘亲爱的,你今天在办公室干什么了?’这样一句普通的话被赋予了全新的意义。”
翻译:许欣  

2012年9月3日 星期一

A Bid to Harness the Power of Waves

A computer-equipped buoy, 103 feet long and ultimately weighing 260 tons, being assembled and tested in Vancouver, Wash.
Thomas Patterson for The New York Times

A Bid to Harness the Power of Waves

Energy development groups will be watching closely when the first commercially licensed grid-connected wave-energy device in the nation is launched in October. 




Wave power is the transport of energy by ocean surface waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work – for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or the pumping of water (into reservoirs). Machinery able to exploit wave power is generally known as a wave energy converter (WEC).
Wave power is distinct from the diurnal flux of tidal power and the steady gyre of ocean currents. Wave-power generation is not currently a widely employed commercial technology, although there have been attempts to use it since at least 1890.[1] In 2008, the first experimental wave farm was opened in Portugal, at the Aguçadoura Wave Park.[2]



波力

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波力(はりょく)とは、を利用したのことである。この言葉は、主に海面の波と、その波のエネルギーを利用する発電(波力発電)、その他波を利用した作用を利用する場合に用いられる。
波力は、波の性質と、作用する物質の形状によって計算される。

2012年9月2日 星期日

Deep sea expedition reveals Mediterranean secrets

Research

Deep sea expedition reveals Mediterranean secrets

American oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard says his latest deep sea expedition off the coast of Cyprus has revealed an amazing array of life forms, shipwrecks and unusual discoveries.
During most of August, Ballard's research team on board the EV Nautilus have concentrated on the unique geological makeup of the Eratosthenes Seamount, one of the largest features on the eastern Mediterranean seafloor.

Ballard shot to fame after 'discovering' the Titanic in 1985
“We have found a lot of fascinating things," Ballard told DW, on board the Nautilus. "You have to realize that when you go where no one has gone before on planet earth, you are not really sure what you're going to find.”
“We've been making some real biological discoveries, and we've also been mapping two Ottoman war galleys which sank about 3,000 feet beneath where we are right now."
The remains of the Ottoman war galley were found along with a flintlock pistol and what appeared to be black rum bottles littering the sea floor.
Surprisingly, the metal pistol seemed to be remarkably well-preserved, but most of the wood from the ship has deteriorated having been eaten away by marine organisms.

Uncharted waters
Ballard found global fame in 1985 after discovering the Titanic some three miles below the surface of the Atlantic. This discovery gave the world its first glance at the ghostly ship that sank in April 1912 after hitting an iceberg.
His sensational discovery launched a whole new Titanic movement – spawning books, films and documentaries. It also gave Ballard the opportunity to be able to indulge in his passion of going “where no man has gone before."

Ballard and his team have found a range of artefacts
His crew for the Cyprus expedition includes researchers, geologists and the renowned NASA astronaut, Cady Coleman, who is working as their navigator. She says that the earth's oceans, much like deep space, remain a largely unexplored frontier.
“There are a lot of similarities in a general sense, but sometimes things happen really quickly - we suddenly see something underwater, we want to record its position immediately ... And it's up to me to coordinate those things and that's kind of similar to being up in space.”
Rare discoveries
For those onshore, the expedition brought a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, as cameras beamed live, high definition pictures from the bottom of the Mediterranean sea to the internet.
Katy Croff Bell, chief scientist of the Nautilus Exploration Programme, says that many viewers to the web stream were able to delve into the oceans' secrets. Viewers witnessed a huge shark crossing the ship's path with other highlights - including live pictures of mating squid and fossilized whale bones.
 “The most unexpected discovery," says Bell "was the fossilized rib cage of a large mammal, possibly a whale. We immediately contacted marine mammal specialists who are following up on the discovery to determine what and how old it is. We have also observed mating squid possibly for the first time ever for this species, and increased the known depth range of a particular species of fish.”

Biological discoveries have been made as well - above we see what's believed to be fossilized whale bones
Technology applied
Bell says one of the most important results of their exploration was the use of a so-called tele-presence, which means experts were on-call day-and-night to assist the team onboard when discoveries were made.
“In every case, we were able to contact specialists who provided their expertise on how to proceed with studying the amazing discoveries that we have made in Cypriot waters,” she says.
For Robert Ballard, the most fascinating aspect of the expedition was the in-depth probe of the Eratosthenes Seamount, which measures 120 km long and 80 km wide. Its peak lies at the depth of 690 meters and it rises 2000 meters above the surrounding seafloor.
“It's large, and it's situated between Cyprus and Egypt, so we're in an area traversed by a lot of ancient mariners. And during our time here we've been able to document a whole range of artifacts that have fallen to the ocean floor.”