VenChar

Quorum sensing

Interesting Sciam article on bacterial communication. Yes, that's right. It turns out that if enough of them are around, they can communicate and coordinate their activities towards some shared goal.

As its moniker suggests, quorum sensing describes the ways in which bacteria determine how many of them there are in the vicinity. If enough are present (a quorum), they can get down to business or up to mischief. For instance, millions of bioluminescent bacteria might decide to emit light simultaneously so that their host, a squid, can glow--perhaps to distract predators and escape. Or salmonella bacteria might wait until their hordes have amassed before releasing a toxin to sicken their host; if the bacteria had acted as independent assassins rather than as an army, the immune system most likely would have wiped them out.

The ability to communicate and coordinate allows the bacteria to be more effective. It also suggests a medical strategy in dealing with infectious bacteria: interfere with the communication channel and you reduce the effectiveness of the bacteria.

It turns out that the bacteria release chemicals that allow neighbors to infer their presence. Now, interestingly, there seems to be a general chemical (Al-2, used across species, to identify other bacteria generally) as well as a species-specific chemical. So bacteria have the ability to distinguish "one of us" from "other". This means they can actually communicate across species!

In addition, the article suggests the intriguing implications of this finding in thinking about the evolution of multicellular organisms - such primitive communication and coordination might have been the precursor of larger scale organization.

Link via the always interesting Language Log.

MySQL in Wired

Wired article on MySQL gaining traction - 4000 paying customers (including Yahoo, Google, Caterpillar, UPS), $10MM in sales last year, 40% penetration among database developers. Good example of a low-end disruption. Interesting quote from a Microsoft product manager for the SQL server:

Tom Rizzo, Microsoft's director of product management for SQL Server, said he saw no immediate threat from open source, at least in the database arena.

"Typically, MySQL and other open-source database companies are used in small departments," Rizzo wrote in an e-mail. Developers tend to deploy open source to save the money or hassle of going through a cumbersome IT procurement process.

Rizzo cited the key advantage of the SQL Server over MySQL or other open-source databases as the "ability to provide innovative features that address complex needs of a user."

That's how low-end disruptions work - the product starts out being less full-featured than the existing higher-end products, so that it initially only takes away market share at the low end. As a result the market leader dismisses it as a threat. Over time it proceeds to get better, more full-featured and by the time it has ramped up the technology improvement curve it's already too late to stop the juggernaut.

As an aside, MySQL pursues an interesting dual-license strategy: you can either get the code for free (in which case you have to contribute back any changes you make) or you can pay for a license (in which case you can keep your modifications proprietary).

Storage advances and mobile devices

Kevin Werbach opines that advances in storage technologies along the axes of size and cost (rather than capacity) are going to drive the next stage of evolution of mobile devices.

There have been three waves of evolution in portable storage, each of which has produced new product categories. The first development was affordable flash memory, allowing handhelds to carry hundreds of addresses and user-installed applications. That was enough to launch the PalmPilot, which created the market for personal digital assistants. The second wave was removable storage, using the Secure Digital, CompactFlash, or MemoryStick standards. Without the ability to pop data into and out of a device, we wouldn't have digital cameras. And the same basic technology, sealed into devices, powered the first generation of handheld MP3 music players. The third wave of portable storage was tiny hard drives, beginning with the 1.8 inch-wide Hitachi drives in Apple's iPod.

Every stage in portable storage so far has involved more capacity... The next evolution will be different. With the current-generation iPods topping out at 40 gigabytes, comparable to a desktop computer, there is enough space to store just about anything. The next challenge is to make portable storage elements smaller and more affordable.

A mobile phone with storage isn't just an interface for rich media, applications, and files located elsewhere -- it's a full-fledged computer. There will be little reason to carry a separate camera, organizer, or music player. With a few gigabytes of stage, a mobile phone becomes a multipurpose information appliance. For businesspeople, it becomes the tool for carrying Powerpoint presentations and word-processing files, rather than lugging around a laptop. For the consumer, it becomes the repository for photos, movies and music.

As one reader points out in the comments, battery consumption of mini hard drives is a problem that will need to be solved. The other problem (which could be solved by WiFi-enabling the device) is moving such large amounts of data over the slow wireless data networks we have today.

Using viruses to cure cancer

Researchers at the NYU School of Medicine (link via ScienceDaily) have identified a virus carried by mosquitoes that targets tumorous cells and kills them, thereby causing the cancer to go into remission. Early testing of this virus (named Sindbis) on mice has yielded positive results.

According to the study, published in the January 2004 issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology, the Sindbis virus is effective at killing tumors in mice at every location tested--whether the growths occur under the skin, in the pancreas, in the main body cavity, or in the lungs. The amount of time and the number of injections needed to cause tumor remission varied, depending on the type of cancer, but in general mice were given injections of the virus daily. Within a month to two months later, many tumors disappeared completely.

Viruses aren't usually thought of as beneficial, but in recent years scientists have started to take advantage of the ability of viruses to infiltrate human cells, enlisting these infectious agents to treat disease. Most of these viruses have been genetically engineered so that they will not cause disease, but will infect rapidly dividing cancer cells. At least 10 different oncolytic, or cancer-killing, viruses are in early clinical trials.

Sindbis is different from these other cancer-killing viruses in that most of the others have to undergo some kind of genetic manipulation to target cancer cells, and they also have to be injected directly into tumors. The NYU School of Medicine team found that Sindbis requires no such manipulation to be effective, and it can apparently be injected anywhere into mice but still find its way through the bloodstream unscathed to the target area.

It is not known exactly why the virus prefers to bind to tumor cells. But Sindbis enters cells through a receptor for laminin, a substance that helps to glue cells together to form tissues, and tumor cells tend to over-express this receptor. Dr. Meruelo theorizes that since tumor cells are far more likely than healthy cells to have free laminin receptors on their surfaces, they are more likely to take up the virus.

Certificateswap.com

Capitalizing on the growing popularity of gift certificates comes this clever service (link via Marginal Revolution). Founded by a nineteen-year old college freshman,

CertificateSwap.com is the ultimate online gift certificate marketplace. CertificateSwap allows consumers to purchase gift certificates, list for sale any unwanted certificates they may have, or purchase GiftBux - which recipients may redeem for any certificate on the site. The innovative concept has helped CertificateSwap become one of the fastest growing online communities.

Localization of software and emerging markets

Interesting article over at CNet (via /.arguing that localization (providing local language support) could turn out to be one of the drivers for adoption of open source software in emerging markets.

For now, such projects are largely curiosities. But analysts say they could present a significant long-term threat to Microsoft's dominance on PC desktops. Regions and language groups that don't have enough of a PC market now to justify development of proprietary commercial software will naturally turn to open-source alternatives, they say. And by the time those markets become big enough to draw the attention of Microsoft and other commercial software makers, open-source could be as entrenched as Microsoft is in developed countries now.

The article cites localization efforts underway at OpenOffice and presents the argument that since open source development is effectively decoupled from market forces and since open source is, well, open source, you could see grassroots efforts resulting in localization ahead of the growth in demand that would draw the attention of a Microsoft.

Open-source advocates believe they have the upper hand, however. By separating software development from profit motives, they can respond more quickly and completely as computing communities arise.

"It's one of those areas where proprietary software companies are fundamentally at a disadvantage because of their method of allocating resources," said Hiser. "You've got markets that are fragmentary at best, where software as we know it is not economically viable. But that doesn't matter for an open-source project. You just have to have a need and some people willing to work..."

Meanwhile, Microsoft isn't standing still either - see here for MSFT's Office localization for the Indian market.

The article also references another recent Cnet piece on Microsoft's recent decision to segment the Windows and Office product lines by creating an entry-level version to enter the Thai market.

Gyaru-moji

Seen on Japan.com (via Smart Mobs):

In the GSM world, youths often use an abbreviated language to reduce the time and effort to type an SMS message. Japanese girls, however, now prefer to communicate amongst each other using special characters that require more time to input. These characters are called "gyaru-moji" (gyaru is the slang word for girl). The words made from gyaru-moji are a mixture of Japanese syllables, numbers, mathematical symbols and Greek characters. It's like a secret code used by teenagers; at first glance, the code resembles hieroglyphics.

Typing gyaru-moji takes at least twice as long as inputting standard Japanese. When we asked a Japanese girl in Shibuya about gyaru-moji, she told us that she likes to use them because it makes her emails look more artistic. "Plus," she added, "people who want to read over my shoulder cannot understand gyaru-moji, and in this way we keep our group language." For those people not familiar with gyaru-moji, several mobile and Web sites offer conversion tools from normal written Japanese to gyaru-moji.

Recently a new trend to send personalized messages was introduced by these girls. They do not send emails to friends anymore. Instead, they jot down their message on a piece of paper, take a photo of it and send it as a picture message to their friends.

Neat. One of my frustrations with text-messaging has been how painful it is to type stuff using a phone keypad. I tried out writing a message down on paper, capturing the image and sending it. You can see how well it works (despite the low resolution of my cameraphone) here. Now, it would be nice if textamerica also did OCR on the image and sent out a text email to the intended recipient.

Googling WiFi hotspots

You can now use Google's location search to find WiFi hotspots near you - frinstance look here for hotspots near where I live. The rankings look a little weird - the Starbucks from which I'm writing this appears seventh on this list, behind a number of hotspots that are further away. Via Glenn Fleishman who writes:

Google Lab’s new Search by Location service lets you aggregate results for hotspots: This is nifty idea which aggregates the address information that Google is parsing from its results (any time it sees anything that looks like an address) and tying it to keywords.

It’s particularly useful for Wi-Fi aggregation, because you’re finding locations that not only my business partner JiWire lists or libraries that Bill Drew has assembled, but you’re seeing even individual locations like coffeeshops that mention they have Wi-Fi, community wireless pages, and other randomly related content.

Of course, I'm looking forward to the day when we have WiFi everywhere, obviating the need for such a service :)

How to discredit a report (without having to read it)

Over the weekend I watched tapes of the brilliant BBC series ‘Yes, Minister’. Here’s a transcript of a piece (on ‘Yes Minister: The Complete Collection’ Disc 2, episode ‘The Greasy Pole’) where Sir Humphrey, the Permanent Secretary, explains to the Minister how to undermine and discredit an independent report whose conclusions don’t match up to the Ministry’s policies/practices. Hilarious and containing of invaluable advice:

Sir Humphrey: There is a well-established government procedure for suppressing… er, deciding not to publish reports.

Minister Hacker: Is there, really?

Sir Humphrey: Of course. You simply discredit them.

Minister Hacker: Good heavens! [Pause] How?

Sir Humphrey: Well, Stage One: you give your reasons in terms of the public interest. You hint at security considerations. You point out that the research could be used to put unwelcome pressure on the government because it could be misinterpreted.

Minister Hacker: Anything could be misinterpreted. The Sermon on the Mount could be misinterpreted!

Sir Humphrey: Indeed, it could well be argued that the Sermon on the Mount, had it been a government report, should certainly not have been published. A most irresponsible document. All that stuff about the meek inheriting the earth. Could do irreparable damage to the defense budget.

Minister Hacker: [Weak laughter] What else?

Sir Humphrey: You say it would be better to wait for a wider and more detailed study over a longer timescale.

Minister Hacker: Suppose there isn’t one?

Sir Humphrey: Better still, you commission one. Gives you even more time to play with. [Beams widely]

Minister Hacker: And all this is what you call Stage One?

Sir Humphrey: Yes. Now in Stage Two you go on to discredit the evidence that you’re not publishing.

Minister Hacker: Well, how, if you’re not publishing it?

Sir Humphrey: Oh really, Minister, it’s much easier if it’s not published, obviously. You do it by press leaks, of course, not directly. You say it leaves some important questions unanswered, that much of the evidence is inconclusive, that the figures are open to other interpretations, that certain findings are contradictory, and that some of the main conclusions have been questioned.

Minister Hacker: Suppose they haven’t?

Sir Humphrey: Then question them! Then they have.

Minister Hacker: But to make accusations of this sort – you’d have to go through it with a fine toothcomb.

Sir Humphrey: No, no, no. You can say all these things without reading it. There’s always some questions unanswered.

Minister Hacker: Such as?

Sir Humphrey: Well, the ones that weren’t asked. [Beams]

Minister Hacker: And that’s Stage Two?

Sir Humphrey: Yes. Now in Stage Three you undermine recommendations. “Not really a basis for long term decisions, not sufficient information to base a valid assessment, not really a need for a fundamental rethink of existing policy, broadly speaking it endorses current practice” – all that sort of thing.

Minister Hacker: And that always does the trick?

Sir Humphrey: Nearly always.

Minister Hacker: Suppose it doesn’t?

Sir Humphrey: Then you move on to Stage Four… Now, in Stage Four, you discredit the man who produced the report. Off the record, of course. You say that he is harboring a grudge against the government or that he’s a publicity-seeker or, better still, that he used to be a consultant to a multi-national company.

Minister Hacker: Supposing he wasn’t?

Sir Humphrey: Then he’s hoping to be. Everyone is hoping to be a consultant to a multi-national. Or he’s trying for a knighthood, or a Chair, or a Vice-Chancellorship. Really, Minister, there are endless possibilities.

Yes, indeed. I’m looking forward to translating this core set of ideas into praxis.

Software bug contributed to power blackout

A bug in GE's Energy Management System that led to a failure of the alarm management system has been identified as a contributing factor to last year's power blackout in the North East:

The bug in GE Energy's XA/21 system was discovered in an intensive code audit conducted by GE and a contractor in the weeks following the blackout, according to FirstEnergy Corp., the Ohio utility where investigators say the blackout began. "It had never evidenced itself until that day," said spokesman Ralph DiNicola. "This fault was so deeply embedded, it took them weeks of poring through millions of lines of code and data to find it."

The flaw was responsible for the alarm system failure at FirstEnergy's Akron, Ohio control center that was noted in a November report from the U.S.-Canadian task force investigating the blackout. The report blamed the then-unexplained computer failure for retarding FirstEnergy's ability to respond to events that lead to the outage, when quick action might have limited the blackout's spread.

"Power system operators rely heavily on audible and on-screen alarms, plus alarm logs, to reveal any significant changes in their system's conditions," the report noted. FirstEnergy's operators "were working under a significant handicap without these tools. However, they were in further jeopardy because they did not know that they were operating without alarms, so that they did not realize that system conditions were changing." ...

The XA/21 bug was triggered by a unique combination of events and alarm conditions on the equipment it was monitoring, DiNicola said. When a backup server kicked-in, it also failed, unable to handle the accumulation of unprocessed events that had queued up since the main system's failure. Because the system failed silently, FirstEnergy's operators were unaware for over an hour that they were looking at outdated information on the status of their portion of the power grid, according to the November report.

While the root cause was external to the software system, the bug delayed recognition of the failure and held up actions that could have been taken to limit the scope of the outage.