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Dundee and Angus

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Gaberlunzie, like all Scots is extremely partial to a good game. It relieves the pressure of being a continually unappreciated gofer. He is thus filled with admiration for ‘Bear Go Olympics.’ Developed at Abertay University as part of the Beijing Olympics by a livewire team of Chinese and Scottish students, it hs competed alongside thousands of other entries from around the world during the Olympics Fine Arts 2008 exhibition. Even more admirable, it is one of only a handful of the entries to be singled out for a Digital Animation Excellence Award.

Rail passengers in Scotland face growing disruption following a sudden rise in the theft of copper cables from railway lines, since soaring global prices for metals, fuelled by growing demand from China, has triggered a surge in metal thefts from Scotland's railway lines. Perhaps the railways should take a leaf out of the Gauteng Soweto development in South Africa, which receives a business boost with a R1bn investment by shared broadband infrastructure company, Dark Fibre Africa (DFA), to lay fibre in the township.

Dundee based ITI Life Sciences has launched a significant programme to develop the next generation of drug discovery targets, which could see a major breakthrough in the fight against cancer, inflammatory and infectious diseases. The Ubiquitin Proteasome System (UPS), which regulates multiple cellular control mechanisms and is implicated in key diseases, was identified by ITI Life Sciences as a rich source of future drug targets, until now, relatively unexplored.

Two Scottish poets have scored for both the best single poem and the best collection in the 2008 Forward prizes. Don Paterson's "Love Poem for Natalie 'Tusja' Beridze" entwines the language of computing with that of unrequited love across the internet, in a long-distance literary passion for an avant-garde Georgian musician “Tusja” Beridze - in which both Google and Myspace play the links, has earned him the 2008 Forward Prize for Poetry. The Best Collection award meanwhile went 52 year old Aberdonian, Mick Imlah collection, The Lost Leader, has won Best Collection award.

Genetix Group, the cancer diagnostic and biopharmaceutical technologies group, has been awarded a contract to develop and implement a nationwide network of Automated Cytogenetic Analysis Systems by NHS National Services Scotland. The project will connect NHSScotland's five cytogenetic laboratories - located in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness - through a network of over 70 CytoVision workstations, delivering a completely integrated, standardised, automated cytogenetic analysis solution.

Murders join microscopes and quills at a conference on how thriller writers and forensic scientists can fight real crime. David Charters reports for the Liverpool Daily Post on two sessions devoted to crime, as part of the British Association for the Advancement of Science’s Festival of Science being held in Liverpool between September 6 and 11. Scotland fields a fine portfolio of expertise in both approaches.

STAR-Dundee Ltd, the 2002 spinout from the Space Systems Research Group of the University of Dundee, will be selling the Japanese manufacturer Shimafuji's two-inch cubed computer that runs Red Hat Linux on 1GB of flash. The Space Cube is equipped with a MIPS-based NEC VR5701 processor, 64MB RAM, and numerous I/O connections, including a Firewire-like SpaceWire port designed for spaceflight. Designed primarily to control and coordinate sensors and other devices on space stations and spacecraft, the Space Cube ( the SEMC5701B) measures only 2 x 2 x 2.1 inches (52 x 52 x 55mm), runs on a 5V power supply with its VR5701 processor is clocked between 200MHz and 300MHz.

Abertay university already runs an undergraduate course in Ethical Hacking and Counter Measures. Now postgraduate students are to be taught the art of "ethical" computer hacking. The MSc Ethical Hacking and Computer Security course will explore the methods criminals use to attack networks. The university already runs an undergraduate course in Ethical Hacking and Countermeasures.

Police turn ‘inn keeper' software’ to keep tabs on troublesome drinkers across the county. Tayside Police is to become the first force in Scotland to adopt an innovative computer system called ‘Inn Keeper’ to help tackle the problem of alcohol-fuelled violence. Chief Inspector Lorna Robbie of Tayside Police explained: “The Innkeeper licensing system has allowed staff within Tayside Police to record information in a more systematic way, easing the retrieval of information in relation to all aspects of licensing.”

The university was honoured for its "Dare to be Digital" competition at the Develop Industry Excellence Awards winning the Education New Talent category for hosting the Scottish leg of the contest, which sees students create a computer game in 10 weeks. While Scottish based organisations picked up nine out of 17 of the prizes at the ceremony, Rockstar North, Edinburgh. Confirming Dundee’s strengths in the sector, Abertay visiting professor, Richard Leinfellner also collected the Best Services Award for his company Babel Media.

A team of Dundee University design students (the Underwonders) are taking part in the Microsoft Design Expo 2008 being held in Seattle at the end of July, along with teams fro the US, China, India, Mexico and the Netherlands. (L to R) Joanna Montgomery and Neil Dawson of Interactive Media Design, and Natalie Montgomery and Lee Murray of Innovative Product Design worked with an initial brief to create two interactive objects to bridge the gap between two generations have created a prototype machine that uses images and sounds to tell stories, with a rolling film made from still images.

Virtual Learning Angus from Angus College in collaboration with Robert Gordon University involves using the very latest online technology to help deliver virtual tuition in management, computing, administration, care and engineering. It is being funded by one of the biggest awards yet from the European Social Fund which will provide Â£214,000 to support Â£725,000 worth of new educational programmes split in two projects.

Dundeeâ€™s sewers will soon be used to deliver next generation ultra high speed connectivity and broadband to every home, business and organisation in the city. H2O Networks Ltd, the pioneer of Fibrecity, siad it will be putting fibre optic cable which is capable of speeds in excess of 100 Mbps into the cityâ€™s sewer pipes.

Clearly aimed at the rich games market livewires comes Harvest Country Homes latest development of 35 showpiece houses in rural Monikie, near Dundee, which, to quote its slightly over the top release "ooze quality and craftsmanship, but while the exteriors boast solid traditional quality materials and the interiors display carpentry and design at their peak, these homes also have high technology coursing through their walls. The houses are equipped with the latest smart home technology from Square D, a brand of Schneider Electric." No, no robots yet or and free iPods offers appear over in the housing scene.

First minister, Alex Salmond opened the new Â£2.5m learning facility at Abertay University and was given a tour of White Space by university principal Professor Bernard King. The facilities on the Dundee campus form the heart of its computer games technology, computer arts teaching and knowledge-creation activities to combines the talents of computer arts and games students, PhD researchers and lecturers, together with business people, broadcasters and artists.

Gaberlunzie admits a fascination with the natural world lowtech spinoffs for hightech uses, from beetles providing the template for photonic crystals to slime secreted by algae embedded in special bioreactors bind metal contaminated water to photosynthetic bacteria capable of f converting or organic acids and alcohols into methane with low levels of light energy input. Now a common backyard fungi gets the accolade for being able to handle depleted uranium.

Realtime Worlds, the independent video game developer, has regained the global distribution rights to multiplayer online game All Points Bulletin or APB, an original MMOG for the PC platform, under development in the company's Dundee studio, from Korean online entertainment company Webzen Inc, which originally partnered with Realtime Worlds in 2005.

Realtime Worlds the Dundee video games producer raised m in second round funding from US investment house Maverick Capital with existing investors New Enterprise Associates and WPP. The firm, founded in 2002 by former DMD Games CWO Dave Jones, will use the funding to launch a new online urban action game All Points Bulletin.

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