Gingrich Tops Scientific American 's Geek Guide to the 2012 GOP Candidates

Features | Technology

'Newt Skywalker' nudges out Romney and Paul based on the former Congressman's engagement in issues related to energy, the Internet and military weapons

By Christopher Mims ?| January 3, 2012

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The contenders for the Republican nomination in the 2012 U.S. presidential election may appear to be a fairly uniform group of middle-aged white conservatives, but when it comes to issues of science, technology and overall geek cred, none of these candidates is cut from the same cloth. In fact, Newt Gingrich nudges out Mitt Romney and Ron Paul in Scientific American's overall ranking, based on the former Congressman's engagement in issues related to energy, the Internet and military weapons, combined with his mastery of top online tools such as Twitter and a healthy appetite for science nonfiction.

Paul is a geek contender based on his appeal to libertarian-leaning Silicon Valley, combined with his support of online freedoms, although he fails science when it comes to accepting evidence for anthropogenic climate change and evolution.

Romney accepts evolution, accepts at least the phenomenon of climate change, if not the science showing that it is human-caused, and has deeper ties to Silicon Valley. He also has thought extensively about energy, technology and engineering issues to the point that he explicitly favors a federal program for advanced energy research.

All candidates were ranked with up to five stars in three broad categories: "Geekiness" is an evaluation of whether or not the candidate qualifies as a geek. "Associations" encapsulates the degree to which he or she has been attached to causes and people in science and technology. And "policies" sums up the degree to which the candidate engages those subjects in his or her platforms.

Read on for a deep dive into the GOP candidates' personal histories, public statements and policy proposals, which gives a unique window into their understanding of the issues closest to geeks' hearts and of how the universe works.

# 1 - Newt Gingrich

The two things you need to know about Gingrich's geek cred is that one of his nicknames is Newt Skywalker and that he once made the cover of Wired?back in its early, weird days?in a feature written by none other than technology investor and commentator Esther Dyson. Bob Walker, a Gingrich booster and former chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Science (now the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology), said that Gingrich "would probably be the most knowledgeable president on technology issues ever elected."

Calling Gingrich a science-fiction nerd is like saying that vampires have seen a modest resurgence in young adult literature. He has repeatedly expressed that Isaac Asimov's seminal Foundation trilogy (about "psychohistorians" who use mathematical models to predict the future) made a deep impression on him in his youth.

Gingrich has written so much and spoken so often that it is possible to confuse the volume of his pronouncements with their frequency, but some of his ideas appear to come straight from the science fiction he has read. He has proposed using lasers against North Korea, putting mirrors in space to increase agricultural productivity, colonizing the moon, reviving a Star Wars?style orbiting missile defense system and solving climate change through geoengineering. Whereas other candidates wring their hands over the threat of Chinese currency controls, he has warned of the threat to the U.S. of that most science-fictionesque of all weapons, the electromagnetic pulse.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=5474e806148776cc4bb68afcb5fb9877

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Iranian border guards still in Pakistani custody (AP)

QUETTA, Pakistan ? Pakistani authorities have yet to decide what to do with three Iranian border guards who they say crossed into southwestern Pakistan while chasing after smugglers and killed one them, a government official said Monday.

The incident occurred Sunday in the Mazah Sar area of Baluchistan province, a desolate, unpopulated region where the border is not clearly marked.

Aalam Farez, a senior government official in Washuk district, where Mazah Sar is located, said the Iranians admitted to inadvertently crossing into Pakistan. But, he said, they claimed the two people they shot ? one of whom died ? were bystanders and that the people they were chasing escaped.

After the shooting, Pakistani border personnel chased the Iranians back across the border and detained them, Pakistani officials have said. They also seized the surviving gunshot victim and determined both of those who had been shot were petty smugglers.

Farez said he was waiting to hear from Baluchistan's provincial government about what to do with the Iranians.

Iran has not publicly commented on the incident.

Naseebullah Bazai, the top government official in the province, said he has ordered an investigation.

"The Iranians will remain in our custody as long as the probe is done," he told The Associated Press.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120102/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan_iran

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GOP race has yet to fully test Romney

GOP race has yet to fully test Romney

WASHINGTON -- Mitt Romney's surprisingly easy rise to the top of Iowa presidential polls, aided by his GOP rivals' in-fighting, masks vulnerabilities he eventually will have to confront.

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Source: http://chillicothegazette.com/article/20120103/NEWS03/201030304/1002/rss01

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138 postal employees in Bakersfield may lose their jobs

Story by Eyewitness News reporter Jose Gaspar

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The U.S. Postal Service held a public meeting Wednesday on why it proposes to close the processing and distribution center on Pegasus Drive.

"We're looking at a savings of almost $10 million for the year," said James Wigdel, spokesman for USPS.

It's no secret the Postal Service has been losing billions of dollars over the year, as mail volume has declined by more than 43 billion pieces. It claims operating costs must be reduced by $20 billion by 2015 in order to return to profitability.

Wigdel said results of a study support the case for closing the Bakersfield facility and moving operations to Santa Clarita.?

"Santa Clarita is a very, very large plant with a lot of capacity, and Bakersfield is much smaller," said Wigdel.

But many at the public meeting were clearly convinced that closing the Bakersfield site is unnecessary.

"What they didn't tell you is that there are other avenues to save the Postal Service money," said Alfred Paredez, president of American Postal Workers Union Local 417.

City Councilman Russell Johnson spoke against the closure. He said Bakersfield will continue to experience growth.

The Bakersfield Processing and Distribution Center has 289 employees. Should the closure happen, 138 would lose their jobs and the rest would be offered jobs either in Santa Clarita or elsewhere, said Wigdel.

But the plan to shutter all 252 proposed sites is dependent on whether postal officials can cut overnight delivery for local mail. And that decision won't be made until sometime in 2012.

Source: http://oildale.bakersfieldnow.com/news/business/72901-138-postal-employees-bakersfield-may-lose-their-jobs

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Gavio pops up toaster-shaped speaker dock for iPhone

Phone just slides in and then drops down

Earlier this week, Singapore-based Gavio began offering iPod nano owners The Pill, an audio docking system in the shape of an over-sized medicine capsule. The company has now followed on with an intriguing appliance for iPhone owners, the Toast. The docking station is another sound system, this time taking the form-factor of a retro, drop-down bread toaster.

The Toast carries dual 50mm speakers powered by a three-watt amplifier. The frequency response is 150Hz to 18KHz, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 80dB. The system is powered by a 1,000mAh lithium-ion battery that lets it go completely wireless.

Gavio indicates the Toast is available for pre-order, but the company has provided no pricing or availability information. It's likely details will emerge from the company at CES next month.

By Electronista Staff

Source: http://feeds.macnn.com/click.phdo?i=77dc5406ce86fd2075557b9ed34bf89b

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D-Link Powerline AV 500 4-Port gigabit Switch (DHP-540)

The D-Link Powerline AV 500 4-Port Gigabit Switch (DHP-540) makes it easy to bring multiple Internet-ready devices online without having to run CAT-5 cable throughout your house. This intelligent switch uses your home's electrical wiring to send and receive data over your home network, but at $199.99 (list) it is significantly more expensive than competing products that offer the same performance and give you more features.?

Features and Specs
Unlike the Netgear Universal Internet Adapter for Home Entertainment-3D (XAVB5004) kit, which includes a 4-port switch and a powerline adapter, the DHP-540 is a stand-alone 4-port powerline switch. It comes with one Ethernet cable, a power cord, and a CD with installation and user manuals, plus a utility that helps you mange the switch. If you don't already have a powerline network installed, you'll have to shell out even more money for a Powerline AV 500 adapter to connect to your router (the D-Link DHP-500AV adapter goes for $99.99 list).

With dimensions of 1.6 by 5.0 by 3.9 inches (HWD) the shiny black DHP-540 is bulkier than the Netgear XAV5004, but just slightly. It has a small D-Link logo on the front panel along with six LED status indicators. The Power LED glows solid green when the switch is powered up and blinks during setup and when cycling through the security process. The Powerline LED is solid green when the switch is connected to a network and blinks when transmitting data. A green light indicates a link rate greater than 80 Mbps, amber is between 50-80Mbps, and red means the link rate is below 50Mbps. Off to the right are four numbered LAN LEDs (one for each port) that glow green when the port is connected and blink when it is receiving or sending data.

A button on top of the switch generates a random 128-bit AES encryption key that can be used for all powerline devices installed on your network. Simply press the button for two seconds and when it stops blinking, it is secure. Pressing the security button on other powerline adapters (within two minutes of the first one) assigns the same encryption key to each device.

At the rear of the switch are four numbered Ethernet ports, with number 1 getting the highest QoS (Quality of Service) priority, then number 2, and so on. When connecting devices to the switch, use port number 1 for high bandwidth applications such as streaming video or playing graphics intensive online action games. You can't manually assign QoS priorities with the DHP540 as you can with the Netgear XAV5004, however. Also on the rear are a power switch and a two-pronged power cord jack, and there's a recessed factory reset button on the bottom of the switch.

The DHJP540's utility is very straight-forward and easy to use; the Home page menu displays all powerline available devices on the network, their link rate, and quality (HD video ready or data transmission ready, depending on the link rate). A Setup Wizard icon takes you through the basic installation steps and shows you how to enable the security feature. The Advanced icon takes you to a page with three tabs; the Device tab opens a page that displays the device name, MAC Address, and firmware version and has a button that lets you update the firmware. In the Network tab you can view each device on the network, its location (local or remote), link rate, MAC address, and password. Each powerline device has a unique password on its label that is needed to change the encryption key on remote devices. The Diagnostics tab shows detailed information, including firmware version and date and the name and OS version of any connected PCs. The Home page also contains a troubleshooting guide and a customer support link that takes you to D-Link's website.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/PpFf_-Iemvo/0,2817,2398210,00.asp

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US finalizes deal to sell F-15s to Saudi Arabia (AP)

HONOLULU ? The sale of $30 billion worth of F-15SA fighter jets to Saudi Arabia has been finalized, the Obama administration said Thursday, boosting the military strength of a key U.S. ally in the Middle East to help counter Iran.

Under the agreement, the U.S. will send Saudi Arabia 84 new fighter jets and upgrades for 70 more. Production of the aircraft, which will be manufactured by Boeing Co., will support 50,000 jobs and have a $3.5 billion annual economic impact in the U.S., the White House said.

The sale is part of a larger U.S. effort to realign its defense policies in the Persian Gulf to keep Iran in check. The announcement came as U.S. officials weighed a fresh threat from Tehran, which warned this week it could disrupt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital Persian Gulf oil transport route, if Washington levies new sanctions targeting Iran's crude exports.

Administration officials said the timing of Thursday's announcement was not tied to the new threat from Tehran. But they did make clear that the fighter jet sale would help Saudi Arabia counter potential troubles with Iran.

"This sale will send a strong message to countries in the region that the United States is committed to stability in the Gulf and broader Middle East," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Shapiro. "It will enhance Saudi Arabia's ability to deter and defend against external threats to its sovereignty."

The fighter jet sale is part of a larger 10-year, $60 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia that also includes helicopters, a broad array of missiles, bombs and delivery systems, as well as radar warning systems and night-vision goggles. Congress gave the deal the go-ahead about a year ago.

The plan initially raised concerns from pro-Israeli lawmakers, but U.S. officials reassured Congress that Israel's military edge would not be undercut by the sale. Additionally, there is now broad agreement among Israel, the Gulf Arab states and the West that Iran poses a significant and unpredictable threat.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are bitter regional rivals. Tensions between them were further stoked earlier this year after the U.S. accused Iran of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. in Washington.

Saudi Arabia is already the most militarily advanced of the Arab Gulf states, one of the richest countries in the world, and central to American policy in the Middle East. It is also vital to U.S. energy security, with Saudi Arabia ranking as the third-largest source of U.S. oil imports.

But relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia grew frosty earlier this year, as the allies found themselves at odds during the protests that swept through the Arab world. The Obama administration angered the Saudis by pulling support from former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, a longtime ally of both countries. And the U.S. bristled when Saudi Arabia sent troops into Bahrain to quell protests there.

The White House announced the agreement with Saudi Arabia from Hawaii, where President Barack Obama is vacationing.

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Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111230/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_us_saudi_arabia

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