The Network with Aaron Hughes

Network expert Aaron Hughes will join us for a discussion of the physical layer of the internet backbone and the protocols that are used to route network traffic. How robust is the internet, actually?

Ladies and Gentleman, The CTO of the United States

To get a preview of Aneesh Paul Chopra, Secretary of Technology, Commonwealth of Virginia, watch this keynote at the 5th Annual State of the Net Conference 2009.

Some [love him|http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/04/aneesh-chopra-great-federal-cto.html] while others are more skeptical. Interesting times ahead.

"Demigod" Hit by Massive Piracy

Demigod publisher Stardock ran into a very unexpected problem when the game launched: around 100,000 more online players than expected. The number of legit connections? 18,000. Piracy can hurt review scores, as well as consumer confidence, when the stolen copies of the game flood servers, and there’s no easy solution to the problem. Being anti-DRM, pro-gamer may have given Stardock CEO Brad Wardell much press, but it could have lead to a disastrous launch for his company’s newest game.

Telemicroscopy on a cell phone

Basically, a cell phone add-on that turns it into a little microscope.

The goal of this project is to bring modern diagnostic testing to remote regions cheaply and efficiently with telemicroscopy. The ability to capture images of, for example, malarial blood samples, infected skin, or ulcerous lesions, and then to send those images for remote diagnosis could drastically reduce both the cost and time of performing critical disease diagnosis – as well as provide early warning of outbreaks – in poverty stricken regions of the globe. In many developing countries with the greatest health needs, the infrastructure for cellular phones is expanding rapidly, opening the door for greater use of cell-phone-based healthcare devices. The project is actively developing a second-generation device for field testing in 2008.

Area 51 and the Newly Declassified OXCART Program

After decades of denying the facility’s existence, five former insiders speak out. And no, they aren’t confirming UFO sightings. Quite the opposite, in fact. A great read!

Most Adorable Robot Experiment Ever

The tweenbot, a cardboard-bodied, cheerful little bugger, is equipped with a flag stating its intended destination. Since it can only move forward, it depends on the kindness of strangers to guide it and remove obstacles.

NASA names treadmill after Colbert

NASA announced Tuesday that it won’t name a room in the international space station after the comedian. Instead, it has named a treadmill after him.


Aaron is President and CTO of 6connect, Inc., and senior technology leader with 15+ years of experience in senior systems and network engineering and architecture along with automation and technology strategies. He has a background in networking, and systems automation with management level experience with various US agencies and Internet Service Providers.