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"Bio-sensors" battle water germs
Your water may one day be safer to drink, thanks to
miniature "bio-sensors" being developed by Lafayette-based
Sporian Microsystems. The sensors, about the size of a
quarter, float in the water to detect nasty pathogens such as
cholera, giardia and E. coli. They also can alert authorities
via tiny transmitters, saving time and money over the
traditional method of sending water samples to labs for
testing. The company was founded by graduates of the
University of Colorado at Boulder and is developing the
sensors under contract with the Army Corps of Engineers. "The
need for advanced bio-sensor technology like this is
underscored by the tragedy of the small town of Walkerton,
Canada, where several people died and hundreds became
ill because of an E. coli contamination of their water supply"
in 2000, said Murray Hamilton of the University of Denver's
Rocky Mountain Center for Homeland Defense.
http://www.sporian.com/
Microsoft connecting to bloggers
The world's largest software company is following in the
tire tracks of Vespa USA. Last week, Vespa announced
it wants to hire
bloggers to create a buzz about scooters in general, and its
products in particular. Microsoft wants to do the same thing
for software by hiring Web loggers to promote its Longhorn
operating system. Team 99, as Microsoft's bloggers will be
known, will get a look at pre-release copies of the new
operating system, after pledging not to reveal details that
could be useful to competitors or hackers. Software
developers and "super users" are likely to be asked to join
the group, according to Robert Scoble, Microsoft's most
visible blogger. Nominees should be "trusted by the community
... visible ... (and able to) give good feedback on your
behalf to Microsoft," he said.
http://www.channel9.msdn.com/.
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