Google Tech Talks April 9, 2007 ABSTRACT While investigating the genetic workings of the microscopic worm, C. elegans, Mello and colleague Andrew Fire, PhD, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, discovered RNAi, a natural but previously unrecognized process by which a certain form of RNA can be manipulated to silence—or interfere with—the expression of a selected gene. The discovery, published in the journal Nature in 1998, has had two extraordinary impacts on biological science. One is as a research tool: RNAi is now the state-of-the-art method by which scientists can knock out the expression of specific genes in cells, to thus define the biological functions of those genes. But just as…

The world’s first manned commercial spacecraft flight took place just a few hours ago, and it was a smashing success. Within a few years, we’ll all fly to Jupiter on our lunch breaks, drink a café com leite while doodling away on our iPad 5GXs, then come back to the office to pretend to do work for the remaining 2.5 hours of the day.

Virgin created the aircraft, the SpaceShip Two (though rechristened the VSS Enterprise) quite possibly merely to stroke Richard Branson’s ego. But ego-stroking is simply a part of big business. Why, it was only a few days ago that some banking bigwig referred to Congressional staffers as “little punk staffers.” That has nothing to do with anything, I just though it was a funny moment in American history.

Back to the SpaceShip Two. It test-flew over the Mojave Desert, accompanied by its “mothership” WhiteKnightTwo, for nearly three hours.

This was but a small step in the process of being able to hop aboard and fly into the heavens. Actual flights aren’t expected until 2012, provided the world doesn’t explode by then.

How much would such a flight cost? The current estimate is that each seat will set you back $200,000.

It might actually be cheaper to earn a PhD in engineering, join NASA, then become an astronaut. Plus, you’d have a pretty cool career going for you.

Karsten Nohl, a PhD from the University of Virginia, looking dreamy above, has broken A5/1, an algorithm to encrypt G.S.M. cellphone conversation. The hack follows a few steps including the use of a distributed key-gathering sytem to capture and decoding of a number of G.S.M. 64-bit encryption keys, the kind of keys that most cellular operators still use.

The hack could be negated by upgrading to the 128-bit A5/3 algorithm, although when cellular providers are cite copyright and the illegality of cellphone intercepts as reasons to ignore Nohl’s work, as they do in this NY Times piece, you have to wonder if they’re not actually scared pantsless.

The Tech Herald has much more info on the hack, which began in August, 2009.

Karsten Nohl, a PhD from the University of Virginia, looking dreamy above, has broken A5/1, an algorithm to encrypt G.S.M. cellphone conversation. The hack follows a few steps including the use of a distributed key-gathering sytem to capture and decoding of a number of G.S.M. 64-bit encryption keys, the kind of keys that most cellular operators still use.

The hack could be negated by upgrading to the 128-bit A5/3 algorithm, although when cellular providers are cite copyright and the illegality of cellphone intercepts as reasons to ignore Nohl’s work, as they do in this NY Times piece, you have to wonder if they’re not actually scared pantsless.

The Tech Herald has much more info on the hack, which began in August, 2009.

Oh Balloon Boy, your human interest story mesmerized us and gave us hope. But your misadventures lasted but a few short hours and like all minor celebrities, your fame is fading away like Marty McFly’s family members in that photo from that one movie where his car looks like a bird and they never really reveal how that professor makes money. He doesn’t teach any classes, that’s for sure, and his frazzled appearance would frighten most students. Wait, he’s a doctor. MD or PhD? What’s the story on this weirdo?

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that the world still needs something to hold onto. And that something may very likely be this double-sided condiment bottle.

Perhaps the most heart-breaking aspect of this very simple solution to a complex problem is that it doesn’t actually exist in the marketplace yet. And to be honest, I can’t believe this idea hasn’t surfaced before. Maybe it has. All I know is that a) I’d buy it and b) they should do this for toothpaste too.

Designed by Kai-ye Lei.

[via Yanko]

Great article over at Edge Online for anyone interested in the early days of EA’s John Madden Football franchise. Did you know that one of the first versions of the game was initially 7-on-7 due to memory limitations? Madden himself put the kibosh on that one right away, saying, “What’s this seven-on-seven? This isn’t football. If my name’s going to be on something it’s got to be 11-on-11.”

Other little gems include actual NFL players calling up EA to complain that their in-game characters weren’t good enough. Except for Jerome Bettis, that is. He called EA and said, “I’m playing the game and I appreciate what you guys did but you made me too good.” And in later years, EA “hired an engineer with a PHD in flocking behaviour to design algorithms where plaers would converge on another and tackle him.”

Good stuff all around, especially if you’re an old-timer like me and remember playing Madden on the Sega Genesis way back in the 90’s.

The Making Of: John Madden Football [Edge Online]