Washed It!

A detailed, functional artificial human brain can be built within the next 10 years, a leading scientist has claimed.

Henry Markram, director of the Blue Brain Project, has already simulated elements of a rat brain.

He told the TED Global conference in Oxford that a synthetic human brain would be of particular use finding treatments for mental illnesses.

Around two billion people are thought to suffer some kind of brain impairment, he said.

“It is not impossible to build a human brain and we can do it in 10 years,” he said.

“And if we do succeed, we will send a hologram to TED to talk.”

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‘Shared fabric’

The Blue Brain project was launched in 2005 and aims to reverse engineer the mammalian brain from laboratory data.

In particular, his team has focused on the neocortical column – repetitive units of the mammalian brain known as the neocortex.

“It’s a new brain,” he explained. “The mammals needed it because they had to cope with parenthood, social interactions complex cognitive functions.

“It was so successful an evolution from mouse to man it expanded about a thousand fold in terms of the numbers of units to produce this almost frightening organ.”

And that evolution continues, he said. “It is evolving at an enormous speed.”

Over the last 15 years, Professor Markram and his team have picked apart the structure of the neocortical column.

“It’s a bit like going and cataloguing a bit of the rainforest – how may trees does it have, what shape are the trees, how many of each type of tree do we have, what is the position of the trees,” he said.

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“But it is a bit more than cataloguing because you have to describe and discover all the rules of communication, the rules of connectivity.”

The project now has a software model of “tens of thousands” of neurons – each one of which is different – which has allowed them to digitally construct an artificial neocortical column.

Although each neuron is unique, the team has found the patterns of circuitry in different brains have common patterns.

“Even though your brain may be smaller, bigger, may have different morphologies of neurons – we do actually share the same fabric,” he said.

“And we think this is species specific, which could explain why we can’t communicate across species.”

World view

To make the model come alive, the team feeds the models and a few algorithms into a supercomputer.

“You need one laptop to do all the calculations for one neuron,” he said. “So you need ten thousand laptops.”

Instead, he uses an IBM Blue Gene machine with 10,000 processors.

Simulations have started to give the researchers clues about how the brain works.

For example, they can show the brain a picture – say, of a flower – and follow the electrical activity in the machine.

“You excite the system and it actually creates its own representation,” he said.

Ultimately, the aim would be to extract that representation and project it so that researchers could see directly how a brain perceives the world.

But as well as advancing neuroscience and philosophy, the Blue Brain project has other practical applications.

For example, by pooling all the world’s neuroscience data on animals – to create a “Noah’s Ark”, researchers may be able to build animal models.

“We cannot keep on doing animal experiments forever,” said Professor Markram.

It may also give researchers new insights into diseases of the brain.

“There are two billion people on the planet affected by mental disorder,” he told the audience.

The project may give insights into new treatments, he said.

The TED Global conference runs from 21 to 24 July in Oxford, UK.

Mention the word carbon fiber and mountain bikes in the same sentence and you will rarely fail to get a reaction. It not only looks cool, but is light and flexible, while remaining stiff and supportive. It is the holy grail of building materials.

The new Cannondale Rush Carbon 4 is a new bike, built on existing ideas, and is right now, the cheapest carbon full susser around. Take a good look at it though and you would never think of the word cheap. There is an aura of sleekness and quality about the build, and close inspection shows that this is a bike made well indeed. The long fluid lines that wrap sinuously around the head tube and flow all the way to the bottom bracket fools the eye into thinking this frame was grown rather than made.

The first word that popped into my head when riding this bike was ‘friendly’. The frame digs in and bobs only slightly when applying the power, getting you off to a flying start. The lightness is felt almost immediately you get yourself comfortable and start turning corners. The Fox Float RL32 front end is reassuring steady as it absorbs anything I throw at it. The rear Fox Float RP2 shock too seems unflappable even with the Pro Pedal lever switched on.

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The ride is superb, the cockpit dimensions are spot on, the controls are smooth but firm and the overall effect is one of overwhelming confidence.
the balance is excellent, although the low bottom bracket may give you a few nasty pedal clatters until you get used to it.

The only negative I could find in my time with the bike is the flex in the back end. The carbon swingarm had a little too much flex for my liking, and an unhealthy sway too, which ended up loosening the shock bolt enough that trackside repairs were needed. Any sideways angles at all made the bike flex and bend a little too noticeably and certainly takes some getting used to. If any other bike did that you would be stopping to make sure your wheels were on tight!

For a the price, this is a great (mostly) carbon bike. It feels solid and treasuring once you get used to the vagaries of the carbon fiber. The running gear is well chosen and sits well with the frame. It’s easy for a bad running gear choice to show when using such a light frame, but the gear on the Rush 4 is top notch.

Anyone in the market for a full-suss mountain bike, who fancies a piece of carbon pie could do much worse than the Cannondale. The front end ride is sharp and precise, the equipment is excellent and the suspension is dialled in perfectly. The whole package is only slightly undermined by that rear end flex. Once that little niggle has been ironed out this is going to be a class leader.

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As states and Congress move to make e-tailers collect sales taxes, Overstock.com and eBay oppose them while Amazon.com calls for uniformity

By Olga Kharif

Amazon tax fever is spreading. In the months since a New York State law took effect that imposes sales taxes on products promoted through Web sites based in the state, other governments have moved to get in on the action, and online retailers aren’t happy.

Last year, New York became the first state to pass legislation requiring large Web-based retailers, including Amazon.com (AMZN) and Overstock.com (OSTK), to collect state sales taxes on products promoted through affiliated state-based Web sites. Cash-strapped states across the country are mulling similar legislation and a federal online-sales tax bill that may be introduced in Congress could be signed into law as early as this year.

The growing impetus for taxes on online goods has touched off a flurry of lobbying activity and lawsuits from online retailers hoping to defeat legislation that would take away some of the price advantage they enjoy over brick-and-mortar retailers. “”We’ll do everything in our power to assist our sellers so they are not harmed,” says Tod Cohen, deputy general counsel and vice-president for government relations at eBay (EBAY). “We want to make sure than small businesses aren’t strangled in their cribs.”

State Sales tax collections are down

States and local governments hope sales taxes would help them recoup part of the revenue lost amid a recession that has diminished property values and crimped demand for items sold in stores. In the fourth quarter, state sales tax collections dropped 4%, the steepest decline in 50 years, according to the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. Online sales taxes could help states generate at least $52 billion in added revenue over the next six years, according to an Apr. 13 study conducted by three University of Tennessee professors. Requiring virtual stores to collect taxes, even in parts of the country where they don’t have physical operations, would also place e-tailers on a more even footing with brick-and-mortar stores such as Wal-Mart (WMT), which collect sales taxes on in-store as well as online purchases.

Companies that sell products over the Internet say the taxes would hamper growth. “The introduction and passage of an Internet tax bill would have adverse effects on e-commerce,” George Askew, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus , wrote in a recent note. After New York’s law was passed, Overstock.com says it had to terminate agreements with some 3,400 Web sites that once promoted the closeout retailer in the Empire State.

Overstock ceased operating in New York altogether, says the company’s president, Jonathan E. Johnson III. After losing a court battle seeking to repeal the law, Overstock plans to file an appeal in the coming weeks, Johnson says. “These states are signing up for a lawsuit, or for businesses to pull out of their states,” he says.

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Cover the E-Tailers collection costs?

Overstock, along with eBay, is leading the charge against efforts on Capitol Hill that favor online sales taxes. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Representative Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) are expected to introduce a bill aimed at overturning Quill vs. North Dakota, a 1992 Supreme Court case that concluded states can only require retailers to collect state taxes in territories where they have offices or stores. If passed, the legislation could require all but the smallest retailers to collect sales taxes in the 23 states that are part of the so-called Streamlined Sales Tax Project, which unifies states that have agreed to simplify their sales tax laws. The number of states in the Project is expected to rise rapidly in the coming months.

Under the bill, which is still being drafted, the states would compensate e-tailers for the cost of collecting taxes, and would agree not to prosecute them for tax errors, removing much of the liability, says Neal Osten, federal affairs counsel at the National Conference of State Legislatures, which is helping to draft the bill. Stifel analysts are skeptical that the bill will pass, though they believe it will make more headway in the current Democratic-controlled Congress. “The effort appears to have a somewhat better chance than in prior Congresses,” Blair Levin, managing director at Stifel, wrote in a recent report.

Laws that vary by state would no doubt be a headache for companies that sell products online across the country. In the coming days, Minnesota’s House of Representatives is due to consider a bill introduced by Representative Jim Davnie that would levy a sales tax on digital downloads of e-books, music, movies, and even ringtones. The tax would affect a wide range of tech companies, including Microsoft (MSFT) and Apple (AAPL). “There’s clear opposition from the IT industry,” Davnie says. “Apple, Microsoft have been in my office.” Microsoft declined to comment for this story. Apple couldn’t immediately be contacted.

Amazon.com Wants Tax Uniformity

Some Internet players oppose pro-tax efforts by local governments too. Priceline.com (PCNL) has about 50 lawsuits pending that involve various cities and counties trying to impose local hotel occupancy taxes on the site’s customers, says Darrel Hieber, partner at law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, which has represented Priceline in such cases since 2004.

While Amazon.com opposes the New York State law, it supports efforts to impose taxes in a uniform manner. “We’d be O.K. with a mandatory collection requirement as long as the states’ tax systems were truly simplified and the collection evenhandedly applied,” Amazon.com spokeswoman Patricia Smith writes in an e-mail. Many small businesses are also making peace with the notion. “We think it’s fair for people to collect sales taxes on the same terms [as brick-and-mortar small businesses],” says Todd McCracken, president of the National Small Business Assn. “There’s a need for a comprehensive, national approach to this. There’s got to be some final resolution to this because these issues have been festering for years.”

GM, Chrysler ask for $21.6 billion more

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — General Motors and Chrysler LLC said Tuesday they could need an additional $21.6 billion in federal loans between them because of worsening demand for their cars and trucks.

The two firms, in documents submitted to the Treasury Department, also detailed plans to cut 50,000 jobs worldwide by the end of the year. GM said it plans to close five more plants in the next few years and confirmed it will drop some of its weaker brands.

When all is said and done,GM (GM, Fortune 500) said that by 2011 it could need a total of $30 billion, which includes the $13.4 billion in Treasury loans it has already received. In the near term, GM will most certainly need $9.1 billion in additional loans and could require another $7.5 billion in the next two years if auto sales don’t improve.

Chrysler said it now needs a total of $9 billion, up from the $4 billion Treasury loan it received in December. Chrysler said it will need that money by March 31.

GM also accelerated its job cut plans, saying that it would eliminate 47,000 jobs over the course of 2009. The company said it would cut about 20,000 jobs in the United States, or about 22% of its remaining U.S. staff.

Previously, GM called for U.S. job cuts of between 20,000 to 30,000 workers, but it had stretched out those reductions through 2012.

The company said it plans to close five additional U.S. plants by 2012 –in addition to the 12 planned closings announced in December. Executives would not identify the plants that would be closed.

“Our plan is significantly more aggressive because it has to be,” said GM Chairman Rick Wagoner.

Experts said that the request for additional dollars are not a surprise, given how bad auto sales have been since the December plea for help.

“The most important issue is not what the automakers are going to do to cut costs, but rather what the government is going to do to stimulate car sales,” stated Jeremy Anwyl, CEO of car sales tracker Edmunds.com. “No automaker is viable under the current market conditions, and so far the spending package appears to spread money too thin to actually make much of a difference in any one area.”

Some economists argued that the problems detailed in the plans show that GM and Chrysler are already failed companies.

“When consumers refuse to buy your product, that’s the economy telling you you’re bankrupt,” said Rich Yamarone, director of research at Argus Research. ”

But Yamarone said it may make sense to give them the money they need, even if it’s good money after bad, because the battered U.S. economy can’t weather the halt of operations at GM and Chrysler right now.

GM added it plans to phase out the Saturn brand by the middle of 2011 if it is unable to sell or spin-off the brand. GM is also looking to sell its Saab brand, and will look for help from the Swedish government to support Saab until a buyer is found.

Chrysler said it plans to cut about 3,000 jobs, or 6% of its workforce, and reduce capacity by another 100,000 vehicles this year as it tries to adjust to reduced demand. It also said it has won the concessions from the United Auto Workers union and its creditors that were demanded under terms of the loan from the Treasury Department.

The companies had a deadline of Tuesday to update the government on the status of their turnaround plans. The new plans highlighted a worsening forecast for sales, and more job cuts at the companies in the coming months.

A newly-appointed auto panel will review both plans and determine by March 31 if GM and Chrysler can be viable in the long run. Specifically, the Treasury Department is looking for details about the progress of negotiations with creditors and the UAW.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs issued a statement late Tuesday saying that the panel would be reviewing the plans and that “We appreciate the effort that these companies and their stakeholders have made.”

The automakers’ request for a $34 billion federal bailout in December fell short when Senate Republicans blocked passage of the request. The Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress have grown since then.

While both plans are more than 100 pages each, they have only limited details about the latest deals reached with the United Auto Workers union to shed costs, as well as about GM’s efforts to shed much of its unsecured debt, as required under the terms of its existing loans.

GM is struggling under a $35 billion mountain of unsecured debt. It hopes to shed about two-thirds of that debt with a swap of debt for equity with its bond holders.

But the company was not able to reach a deal with the bond holders by Tuesday’s deadline, although it did include a letter from their committee’s financial and legal advisers saying that they are “prepared to recommend that the committee approve and support the bond exchange” proposed by GM.

If the federal panel looking at the plans rules either company is not viable, it could recall the outstanding loans, a move that would likely force them into bankruptcy. In a statement, Chrysler chairman Robert Nardelli said he believes additional federal help is the best course for both Chrysler and the battered U.S. economy.

“We believe the requested working capital loan is the least-costly alternative and will help provide an important stimulus to the U.S. economy and deliver positive results for American taxpayers,” said Nardelli in the statement.

To that end, the companies also submitted an analysis of what would happen if it filed for bankruptcy. In a reorganization scenario, GM said it might need up to $100 billion in additional federal loans to finance their operations during a two-year reorganization. Chrysler said it would need up to $20 billion to $25 billion.

If it was forced to liquidate, Chrysler estimated there would be a loss of 2 million to 3 million jobs, resulting in a $150 billion reduction in federal tax revenue over three years.

Nardelli added that a Chrysler bankruptcy would have a “cataclysmic” impact on the auto parts supplier industry, which would affect operations and production at all automakers.

The other member of Detroit’s so-called Big Three, Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500), requested a credit line of $9 billion from Congress in December.

But Ford said it would not to have to tap the line of credit unless conditions in the auto market and economy deteriorated more than expected.

Since then, demand for cars and trucks has gone from bad to worse, with January sales falling to their lowest level in 26 years. The automakers and industry experts have also slashed sales forecasts for 2009 and beyond.

Chrysler has been among the hardest hit in the industry though. Sales plunged 54% from year-earlier levels in December and January, and the company left most of its 12 North American assembly plants idled throughout January due to weak demand and excess inventory.

In addition to the job and production cuts, the company pledged to further lower costs by eliminating a manufacturing shift and discontinuing three models.

“We fully understand the need to adapt to significantly reduced annual U.S. sales,” said Nardelli in Chrysler’s statement.

The company now expects industrywide U.S. sales this year of only 10.1 million vehicles, which would be a 40-year low. It believes sales from 2010 through 2012 will average only 10.8 million a year.

GM’s U.S. sales forecast for 2009 is close to Chrysler’s estimate – around 10.5 million cars and light trucks. But it is far more optimistic about a rebound in sales from 2010-2012.

Separately, UAW president Ron Gettelfinger said in a statement Tuesday that the union had “reached tentative understandings with Chrysler, Ford and General Motors on modifications to the 2007 national agreements.”

Gettelfinger said “the changes will help these companies face the extraordinarily difficult economic climate in which they operate.” But he declined to disclose specific terms of the tentative agreement and said that discussions were continuing.