Applied Physics

What are the forces that drive science and technology? How do we get from Wilbur and Orville Wright’s day where they could tinker their way to a major engineering breakthrough with little more than spruce frames, canvas and a hand built engine.... what.... "a hand built engine?" Where did this come from? We have all heard of Wilbur and Orville, but who has ever heard of Charlie? Without Charlie there would have been no powered flight at Kitty Hawk. Charlie designed and built the water-cooled engine, from scratch, that Wilbur and Orville used that memorable day in 1903 - he made it in six…

AURORA, Ontario, August 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Magna International Inc. (TSX: MG.A; NYSE: MGA) today reported financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2008. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THREE MONTHS ENDED SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, JUNE 30, ---------------------- -------------------- 2008 2007 2008 2007 ---- ---- ---- ---- Sales US$ 6,713 US$ 6,731 US$ 13,335 US$ 13,154 Operating income US$ 319 US$ 377 US$ 605 US$ 682 Net income US$ 227 US$ 262 US$ 434 US$ 480 Diluted earnings per share US$ 1.98 US$ 2.35 US$ 3.75 US$ 4.32…

CALGARY, Canada, August 6 /PRNewswire/ -- - 83 Per Cent Increase in Funds Flow From Operations to USD524 Million - 190 Per Cent Increase in Net Income to USD293 Million - 8 Per Cent Increase in Production to 132.9 Mbbl/d Addax Petroleum Corporation ("Addax Petroleum" or the "Corporation") (TSX:AXC and LSE:AXC), today announced its results for the quarter ended June 30, 2008. The financial results are prepared in accordance with Canadian GAAP and the reporting currency is US dollars. This announcement coincides with the filing with the Canadian and U.K. securities regulatory authorities of…

By combining stretchable optoelectronics and biologically inspired design, scientists have created a remarkable imaging device, with a layout based on the human eye. As reported in the Aug. 7 issue of the journal Nature, researchers at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University have developed a high-performance, hemispherical "eye" camera using an array of single-crystalline silicon detectors and electronics, configured in a stretchable, interconnected mesh. The work opens new possibilities for advanced camera design. It also foreshadows artificial retinas for bionic eyes…

LAS VEGAS, August 6 /PRNewswire/ -- - Brother of King Abdullah II Chairman of Royal Water Committee His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Ibn Al-Hussein of Jordan, who as a chairman of the Royal Water Committee is active in water resource management and alternative water resources, will be the keynote opening session speaker at the inaugural WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition, Oct. 8-10, 2008, in Las Vegas. Presented by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) WaterSense Program, WaterSmart Innovations will serve…

A 'cloud computing', applications and services provided seamlessly on the Internet, approach to malicious software detection developed at the University of Michigan could make old antivirus software techniques a relic of the past. Traditional antivirus software is installed on millions of individual computers around the world but according to researchers, antivirus software from popular vendors is increasingly ineffective. The researchers observed malware --malicious software--detection rates as low as 35 percent against the most recent threats and an average window of vulnerability…

HILVERSUM, The Netherlands, August 5 /PRNewswire/ -- - Wireless Range and Amplifier Design Innovations Deliver State of the Art Multi-Room Music Experience Sonos(R), Inc., the leading developer of wireless multi-room music systems for the home, today introduced two new ZonePlayers to deliver a state-of-the-art multi-room music experience. With innovations in both wireless technology and amplifier design, the Sonos ZonePlayer 120 (ZP120) and the Sonos ZonePlayer 90 (ZP90) make Sonos the ideal system for music lovers who want to enjoy all the music they love, all over the house. The new…

SAN FRANCISCO, August 5 /PRNewswire/ -- - Bjarne Stroustrup, Inventor of the Programming Language, Will Present Alongside ISO C++ Chair Herb Sutter on Next Generation Device Development TechInsights (http://www.techinsights.com/) today announced that Bjarne Stroustrup, the designer and original implementer of C++ and Herb Sutter, a leading software development expert and prominent C++ expert, will conduct courses in the C++ programming language at the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) Boston and SD Best Practices, taking place October 26-30, 2008 at the Hynes Convention Center. For the first…

LONDON and PUNE, India and DETROIT, August 5 /PRNewswire/ -- - Jaguar Land Rover appoints INCAT as Application Transition Vendor and Application Management Services provider in a move that underscores INCAT's leadership in IT and engineering management within the automotive sector INCAT, a global leader in Enterprise IT Services and Engineering Services Outsourcing (ESO) and a leading international provider of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, has been awarded a managed services contract with Jaguar Land Rover until 2013. Jaguar Land Rover has appointed INCAT as the preferred…

The first thing iRobot Corporation wants you to know, because they have been asked so many times, is that the Packbot is no Terminator - and never will be. Robots in the military are not the stuff of science fiction but their mission parameters are very specific - and they are all teleoperated, meaning that there is someone operating the robot from a remote location, perhaps with a joystick and a computer screen. While this may seem like a caveat in plans to add robots to the military, it is actually very important to keep humans involved in the robotic operations. iRobot Warrior…