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Amazon.com Editorial Team Unveils Best Books of 2010 List

Just in time for holiday shopping, Amazon book editors announce the 100 best books of the year, as well as the top 100 customer favorites

SEATTLE, Nov 04, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Amazon.com, Inc. today announced its picks for Best Books of 2010. This annual feature includes the Editors’ Picks for the Top 100 Books of the Year, the Top 100 Customer Favorites and Top 10 lists in nearly two dozen categories, from Literature & Fiction to Children’s Picture Books. To see all of our Best Books of 2010, or to download one of the picks to your Kindle, go to www.amazon.com/bestbooks2010.

“Whether it was Jonathan Franzen’s reunion with Oprah or the eagerly anticipated final books in blockbuster trilogies, 2010 had everyone talking about reading,” said Daphne Durham, Managing Editor of Books at Amazon.com. “Deciding on our Top 100 Books is always a tough assignment, but our choice for the Best Book of the Year, Rebecca Skloot’s ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,’ was unanimous.” (more…)

IBM Develops South Korea’s First Renewable Energy Management System

Technology

POSCO ICT showcases New Smart Grid System at Jeju Smart Grid Demonstration Complex

SEOUL, South Korea, – 04 Nov 2010: IBM today announced its collaboration with POSCO ICT to develop South Korea’s first renewable energy management system for a smart grid. As part of South Korea’s national Smart Grid initiative to achieve the vision of “Low carbon, Green growth,” the intelligent renewable energy management system will be installed as a showcase at the Smart Grid Demonstration Complex located on Jeju Island. (more…)

‘Study Reveals Why Brain Has Limited Capacity for Repair After Stroke’

Health, Science

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability, due to the brain’s limited capacity for recovery. Physical rehabilitation is the only current treatment following a stroke, and there are no medications available to help promote neurological recovery.

Now, a new UCLA study published Nov. 3 in the journal Nature offers insights into a major limitation in the brain’s ability to recover function after a stroke and identifies a promising medical therapy to help overcome this limitation.

Researchers interested in how the brain repairs itself already know that when the brain suffers a stroke, it becomes excitable, firing off an excessive amount of brain cells, which die off. The UCLA researchers found that a rise in a chemical system known as “tonic inhibition” immediately after a stroke causes a reduction in this level of excitability. (more…)

Most River Flows across the U.S. are Altered by Land and Water Management, Leading to Ecological Degradation

Environment

The amount of water flowing in streams and rivers has been significantly altered in nearly 90 percent of waters that were assessed in a new nationwide USGS study. Flow alterations are a primary contributor to degraded river ecosystems and loss of native species. (more…)

The Emergence of Holographic Video

Science

Experimental networked display refreshes holograms every two seconds

Researchers at the University of Arizona (UA), Tucson, have developed a holographic system that can transmit a series of 3D images in near-real-time, a precursor to holographic videoconferencing. (more…)

Nuclear Materials Detector Shows Exact Location of Radiation Sources

Science

The new Polaris gamma ray detector can pinpoint the location of special nuclear materials, such as those used for dirty bombs or nuclear weapons. Image credit: Zhong He

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— A table-top gamma-ray detector created at the University of Michigan can not only identify the presence of dangerous nuclear materials, but can pinpoint and show their exact location and type, unlike conventional detectors.

“Other gamma ray detectors can tell you perhaps that nuclear materials are near a building, but with our detector, you can know the materials are in room A, or room B, for example,” said Zhong He, an associate professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences.

“This is the first instrument for this purpose that can give you a real-time image of the radiation source. Not only can we tell you what material is there, but we can tell you where it is, and you can find it and walk towards it.” (more…)

Kinect for Xbox 360: Science Fiction Comes to Your Living Room

Technology

*Microsoft is rolling out its new gesture- and voice-controlled Kinect for Xbox 360 sensor on Thursday. Nine-year-old Morgan Walters is one of 1,200 kids, moms, and others who helped get the gaming device ready for launch. “It was really, really cool,” Morgan said after playing the Kinectimals game.*

REDMOND, Wash. – Nov. 3, 2010 – Kinect for Xbox 360 goes on sale in North America Thursday, bringing with it a new era of controller-free gaming and entertainment.

Once it meets you, Kinect recognizes you. With just a wave of the hand or a voice command, Kinect comes to life, bringing games, movies, TV, music, exercise, dancing and sports to your fingertips.

No, it’s not a space-age movie; it’s your living room. (more…)