Diagnostic pill for glaciers
posted June 22nd 2004 8:55AM
Glaciologists are getting with the times and using wireless
sensors to study glacier's behavior. The devices, which look like elephant-sized pills, are placed at the bottom of
glaciers so that they move with the ice and wirelessly relay temperature, pressure, speed and data on the makeup of the
lower glacial layers. This data is relayed to the researchers via base stations on top of the glaciers and uploaded to
the internet. Just for kicks the data can also be relayed via SMS text messaging. We're wondering where they got their
gear, as we've been know to have trouble getting our WiFi signal to reach across our apartment. Best of all the sensors
for an ad-hoc network among themselves, which allows a much higher level of sensitivity. Of course, all of this data is
going to tell us that the end is near anyway, that the glaciers will melt and we'll all be stuck in a bad Kevin Costner
movie. Just you wait.
How did you write this entry without making a single reference to the term 'suppository'?
How authentic and accurate is the information provided by these devices?