Palm-sized Star Trek tech may be closer than you think
In the Star Trek universe, the tricorder is a handheld device used by Kirk, Spock, and various red-shirted crew members to make detailed scans of unfamiliar planets and even less familiar life-forms. It can be used in sick bay to diagnose intergalactic patients, and in engineering to find which part of the warp core is missing.
One small device that can do all that must be total science-fiction, right? Well thanks to recent advances in x-ray technology, the tricorder might be much closer that you think.
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When many of us hear of X-rays, the first thing we think of is a visit to the doctor's office. We're led into a big room, covered with a lead apron while the intended area is shot with those powerful, yet invisible rays. Or perhaps we think of a trip to the airport, where X-rays are used to check baggage and passengers before boarding a plane. But aside from that, X-rays tend to be - literally - out of sight, out of mind.
But that may be changing. The scientists at Tribogenics have found some creative ways to advance a technology that doesn't seem to have evolved much in the past 130 years. CEO Dale Fox and Chief Scientist Dr. Carlos Camara are taking advantage of an amazing scientific phenomenon similar to what occurs when light energy is created as an adhesive is peeled (try it yourself with some Scotch tape in a dark closet). They are harnessing that energy to create usable and portable X-rays.
Dr. Camara hard at work
For us non-scientists out there the technology is quite complicated, but the implications are not. Since the X-ray source is small, that means devices can be made smaller as well. Contrast this with the big and bulky machines we're used to seeing. These new machines are portable enough to carry around in a pocket and focused enough to limit dangerous, unnecessary exposure. Simply put, the possibilities are endless. X-ray devices could soon be used to scan virtually anything. It could suddenly be much easier to find a wall stud, diagnose a bone fracture in the battlefield or even detect the metallic composition in jewelry. From making everyday tasks easier to literally saving lives, this technology has tremendous potential.
As you can see, it is definitely tiny.
The Tribogenics team says they're on the verge of making these possibilities become a reality. And if they do, they won't just be changing the way we think about X-rays, they might be changing the world too.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/future-is-now/palm-sized-star-trek-tech-may-closer-think-210316301.html;_ylt=AqpTE__Zquulwj4tk7unQjYbANEA;_ylu=X3oDMTQ2a29lbmZyBG1pdANBcnRpY2xlIFNlY3Rpb24gU2NpZW5jZQRwa2cDMTY4NDQxMzUtMThiNi0zOGUyLTkxNzQtYjIwY2UzMzBhMDI3BHBvcwMxBHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnlfY29rZQR2ZXIDZmI1YTIwMTItN2FjMS0xMWUxLWJmYTYtZGY5YTJiYjFiZmEz;_ylg=X3oDMTMwMTVhZWE1BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDZWI0MWVkMTMtNWMzNC0zNmI1LTkwZWQtYjRjNWY5M2UzZGZkBHBzdGNhdANzY2llbmNlBHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3
Amazing turn of events. Just a few years ago the courts were over turning law left and right and still doing it today. They over turn the States law all the time. And when it starts to effect the Presidents legacy, he seem more concerned about that, then whether or not it is Constitutional.
McConnell tells Obama to 'back off' over court
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted President Obama on Thursday, telling him to "back off" from comments earlier this week where he appeared to question the constitutional powers of the Supreme Court and the possibility that it could overturn his health care law.
"The president crossed a dangerous line this week," the Kentucky Republican said to the Lexington Rotary Club, "and anyone who cares about liberty needs to call him out on it. The independence of the court must be defended."
On Monday, Mr. Obama suggested it would be "activist" and an "unprecedented, extraordinary step" for the nine "unelected" justices to overturn the law, prompting outcries from leading Republicans and many legal scholars that he was trying to intimidate the court.
The president later narrowed his comments, saying the court hasn't overturned economic regulation like the Affordable Care Act since the New Deal era. Saying the court's decision must be respected, Mr. Obama added that he believed the justices take their responsibilities "very seriously."
But that didn't stop Mr. McConnell from accusing Mr. Obama of trying to undermine the court.
"Regardless of how the justices decide this case, they're answerable, above all, to the Constitution they swore to uphold," he said. "The fact that this president does not appear to feel similarly constrained to respect their independence doesn't change that one bit.
"So respectfully, I would suggest the president back off."
The Department of Justice is also expected to submit a three-page explanation later in day clarifying whether it believes the court can overturn laws passed by Congress, responding to the order of a federal judge in Texas who said Mr. Obama's comments cast his beliefs on that in doubt.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2012/apr/5/mcconnell-tells-obama-back-over-court/
of course the republican is playing politics also.
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