A few days ago, Dan Rutter (the Dan in "Dan's Data") published an interesting idea for extending the sort of philanthropic technical pranksterism that spawned throwies by applying the same approach to Wi-Fi. That means, looking what he hopes is not too far down the road, creating Wi-Fi repeaters that are cheap enough to deploy on the sly and frugal enough with power to run on solar power or cheaply replaceable batteries. But as he says, "If you've got a lot of spare money, a ladder and no respect for private property, though, you could already be stealthily deploying Open-Mesh or other such gadgets all over your neighbourhood." In some cities at least, you'd be hard pressed to ever avoid at least one available wireless access point, but that's not the experience for most people, most places -- which bears correction.
The Dow Chemical Company, a leading diversified chemical and plastics company has appointed Donald Mascarenhas head for Emergency Services & Security (ES&S) and Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) Implementation process for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By DAVID TAYLOR A COUPLE accused of masterminding a pounds 40million internet drugs ring have been told they face 98 YEARS in a US prison. Brian and Kerry Ann Howes are set to be extradited after raids on their warehouse in Grangemouth by the US Drug Enforcement Agency and police. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Jana Hollingsworth, Duluth News-Tribune, Minn. May 4--It was midnight on Mille Lacs Lake when three Fond du Lac spear-fishermen discovered a massive ice floe creeping closer to their nine nets. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Brent Frazee, The Kansas City Star, Mo. May 4--LINN CREEK, Mo. -- Dale Parrish has been waiting months for a day like Thursday. Spring finally was showing itself at Lake of the Ozarks. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. May 4--The grains of sand in a seemingly endless hourglass finally have run out. After years of controversy, a federal judge has accepted a plan that limits beach driving at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Dan Rodricks, The Baltimore Sun May 4--Ithink it's great that the governor of Maryland and our two U.S. senators want the feds to declare the Chesapeake Bay crab fishery a disaster. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Carli Teproff, The Miami Herald May 4--North Miami has a more than 40-year-old water plant on the brink of failing and no money in the city coffers to pay for it. Price tab to rehab the old plant and build a new one: $100 million. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Carli Teproff, The Miami Herald May 4--North Miami Beach's Charter Review Committee will meet once every two weeks after May 21, accept suggestions from the public and aim to have a public hearing in mid-June. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By The Baltimore Sun May 4--It's difficult to understand how the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could judge the proposed liquefied natural gas facility at Sparrows Point as environmentally acceptable, given the quantity of unknowns involved. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Susan Cocking, The Miami Herald May 4--Fort Lauderdale artificial reef builder Gary Levine has received tentative approval from Miami-Dade County officials to post a gigantic environmental billboard on the ocean floor off Miami Beach. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
THE UEFA Cup final is only 10 days away and the Sunday Mail, is giving you the chance to send your good luck messages to Rangers which will be printed in Scotland's biggest-selling newspaper. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
By Madison Park, The Baltimore Sun May 4--THEY CAME. THEY BOBBED -- some awkwardly. They sang. "Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
APC, a global leader in integrated critical power and cooling services, recently expanded its Keyboard Video Mouse (KVM) Switch offerings to include four new switches. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 May 2008 | 11:00 am
nuke-alwin writes "Channel 4 news in the UK is reporting that Google will be sued by Lastminute.com for the way it sells advertising. Adverts from competitors will now be displayed when searching for some trademarks. Google says consumers will benefit. Some trademarks become so familiar that all similar products are known by the trademark name: Coke and Hoover, for example. I think searching for these kinds of words should allow competitors to advertise their similar products."
According to a new survey of 1,200 people conducted by Nationwide Mutual Insurance , a third of the Gen Y-ers admitted to "always multitasking while driving," and even more scary, 37-percent said they... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 May 2008 | 8:03 am
By Tolkoff, Sarah Aktino Taps New CEO; Kingston, Blizzard Team to Create Flash Memory for Game Players TECHNOLOGY Cheaper laptops, sales in emerging markets and the replacement of old desktops are set to keep computer sales growing this year, according to a report from Stamford, Conn.-based market researcher Gartner Inc. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 May 2008 | 8:00 am
PETACH TIKVA, Israel, May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Internet Gold - Golden Lines ltd reports that her it's subsidiary 012 Smile.Communications , a growth-oriented provider of communication services in Israel, today announced that it has applied to Israel's Communications Ministry to expand its license for mobile WiMAX trials to allow an expanded trial in the Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan area, Israel's most densely populated business and residential center. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 May 2008 | 8:00 am
AUSTIN, Texas _ Presidential superdelegates have gone unnoticed by the general public for decades, mostly a blip on the screen of Democratic nominations that are decided long before the 795 party stalwarts enter the picture to cast their largely ceremonial votes. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 May 2008 | 8:00 am
Q. I recently searched for a certified used Toyota via the Internet and found one at a suburban dealership. I e-mailed the Internet sales manager; he wrote back that the vehicle was in great shape and asked whether I'd like to see it. I said I'd be there that night. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 May 2008 | 8:00 am
By Sara Kennedy, The Bradenton Herald, Fla. May 4--BRADENTON -- A good gift can be something as simple as hiring someone to wash windows for a birthday celebrant whose housework has gotten away from her. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 May 2008 | 8:00 am
Kara Swisher remains waaaay plugged-in on this Yahoo/Microsoft deal. Beating Monday's papers (and her WSJ compatriots' inevitable Monday piece) by ... oh, 36 hours or so, she has up the first credible... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 May 2008 | 7:01 am
You just found a cool spot on your travels and want to share it with the world; www.wayfaring.com is one tool. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 May 2008 | 7:00 am
The companies had engaged in takeover talks, but were unable to close a multibillion-dollar gap in price expectations. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 May 2008 | 7:00 am
Question: I'm relocating to another city and don't know what area to consider. How can I tell whether a neighborhood is convenient? Safe? Close to what I want to do? Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 May 2008 | 7:00 am
The methods, when paired, expedite links to relatives past and present. When the paper trail that Raymond A. Winbush... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 May 2008 | 7:00 am
So, what happens next? Microsoft has walked away from Yahoo, or at least from its current takeover offer, and is saying it will move forward organically -- and said word with its reek of cattle feces... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 May 2008 | 6:56 am
Ant contributes a link spotted on Neatorama that may upset middle school Earth Science teachers, writing "LiveScience says Earth's simple schematic is not core, mantle, and crust anymore. It is more like the gooey center of a chocolate morsel harboring peanut butter and honey. Inner Earth is far more nuanced than outward appearances would suggest. A new model is proposed in the May 2, 2008, issue of the journal Science."
This is rapidly turning into two post-tryst teens texting one another hate messages -- u suck! no, u suck! -- but Yahoo is now out with a response to Microsoft's response about its decision to terminate... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 May 2008 | 6:07 am
Staff at one of Thailand's 23 state wildlife rescue centres are getting good at scrimping by. The tigers are eating cheap chicken rather than expensive beef, and keepers only Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 May 2008 | 5:34 am
Summary Of Today’s News: Negotiations between Yahoo and Microsoft, widely expected to result in a negotiated deal by Monday, fell apart today. There were a number of statements, all summarized below... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 May 2008 | 4:36 am
Here is my first cut analysis of what has happened here: On the friendly front, Yahoo drew a hard line at $37 per share, well above the $33 that Microsoft now says it told Yahoo this week it was willing... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 May 2008 | 4:14 am
Here is the full press and "Dear Jerry" letter from Microsoft's Ballmer on calling it quits on the Yahoo acquisition. Via PR Newswire: Microsoft Withdraws Proposal to Acquire Yahoo!... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 May 2008 | 4:04 am
Microsoft is walking, it says, from its Yahoo bid. Not a surprise given the history and given Ballmer's confused approach, but it is an open questions whether this is mere stratagem, a "for keeps"... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 May 2008 | 4:00 am
Malaysia is promoting its controversial palm oil industry as a model of eco-friendliness, but activists warn forests are still being destroyed to make way for vast plantations. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 May 2008 | 3:47 am
In his office in Lagos, Alain Salleras, a Frenchman of about 50 for whom biofuels are something of a crusade, is working away at his pet project -- producing ethanol from sweet sorghum in... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 May 2008 | 3:27 am
Dionysius, God of Wine and Leaf, writes with a link to a New York Times story on a source of pollution that doesn't leave contrails: "The world's data centers are projected to surpass the airline industry as a greenhouse gas polluter by 2020, according to a new study by McKinsey & Co. ... [C]omputer servers are used at only 6 percent of their capacity on average, while data center facilities as a whole are used at 56 percent of peak performance." Data centers, though, might have more options for going green than airlines do, given present technology.
Yahoo issued the following press release responding to the breakdown in today’s Microsoft negotiations (interesting that Chairman Roy Bostock is taking center stage here, not CEO Jerry Yang). As... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 May 2008 | 3:01 am
PETACH TIKVA, Israel, May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Internet Gold - Golden Lines ltd (Nasdaq: IGLD; TASE) reports that her it's subsidiary 012 Smile.Communications Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 May 2008 | 2:38 am
A few days ago I had pointed out that Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo was a checkmate kind of a move: Yahoo couldn’t win from this attack. Today, by pulling its bid for the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 May 2008 | 2:21 am
PETACH TIKVA, Israel, May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- 012 Smile.Communications (Nasdaq: SMLC; TASE), a growth-oriented provider of communication services in Israel, today Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 May 2008 | 2:09 am
Microsoft walks away from Yahoo after offering $33 a share -- $4 less than Yahoo was seeking. The announcement came at the end of a long, tense week of deliberations and three months after Microsoft first submitted an unsolicited offer for the web company.
Microsoft withdrew its $42.3 billion bid to buy Yahoo Saturday after last-ditch efforts to come to terms on a price proved unsuccessful. Microsoft was willing to pay $33 a share, but Yahoo wanted $37. "Clearly a deal is not to be," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer wrote in a letter to Yahoo.
mksmac writes "According to the KOMO TV Website, Microsoft has withdrawn its bid for Yahoo after presenting them with an increased offer that was subsequently declined by Yahoo. Frankly, this seems like a smarter decision on Microsoft's part, but I'd like to hear how other people feel about the deal. Should Microsoft have walked away, pressured Yahoo via a hostile takeover or sweetened the pot until Yahoo gave in?" For those who prefer it, the NYT also has coverage, and the story is also at news.com, among many others. I like the Beeb's version as well. And for the Microsoft-centric explanation of why the courtship is over, see Steve Balmer's letter to Jerry Yang.
Microsoft Corp. has withdrawn its $42.3 billion bid to buy Yahoo Inc., scrapping an attempt to snap up the tarnished Internet icon in hopes of toppling online search and advertising... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 May 2008 | 12:52 am
The companies had finally engaged in merger talks, but were unable to agree on a price. After trying for three... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 May 2008 | 12:50 am
OMNIpotusCOM writes "CNN is reporting an outbreak of Enterovirus 71 (or EV71), that has affected more than 3700 children and killed over 20, is creating concern for the visitors and athletes expected for the Beijing Olympics in August. The virus can cause 'poliolike paralysis,' according to the article."
The computer game Grand Theft Auto IV is set to become the biggest-grossing title ever, with sales outstripping Hollywood's biggest films. But is it art? We asked three critics - and GTA novices - to fire... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 3 May 2008 | 11:03 pm
Catherine Bennett: Those who play the video game say that it 'gets their anger out'. Perhaps Gordon Brown ought to try it Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 3 May 2008 | 11:02 pm
NotBornYesterday writes "On April 8, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited his country's secretive nuclear enrichment plant at Natanz for a photo op. What came out of this visit is a series of photos which have caused a fair amount of interest among western scientists. Shown in the photos are not only some of the inner workings of the plant and current generation of enrichment centrifuges, but also key components to newer generations of more effective centrifuges. Analysts are 'intrigued' not only by the technical revelations in the pictures, but also because Iran's Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar accompanied Ahmadinejad through the facility."
andrewmin writes with an enthusiastic pitch for Google's closed-beta call-aggregation service called GrandCentral, for which we non-beta-testers can at least reserve a number. Specifically, he's using GrandCentral in combination with Gizmo5 to make free VoiP calls. Excerpted: "Most of the time, I'm at my computer. Or near it. And if I had an internet device like a Nokia N810 or an iPod Touch, I'd have it with me 24/7. And since most of the time I'm at a place where there's a WiFi network, it makes sense for me to use VoIP rather than a regular phone line. ... I'm talking about making and receiving calls that are completely free (that is, $0.00/minute) forever (that is, no 30-day demo) for as much as you want (that is, no 30-day trial or five hour/week limit)."
Roland Piquepaille writes "Networks are used to represent the structure of complex systems, including the Internet or social networks, but often these descriptions are biased or incomplete. Now, researchers at the Santa Fe Institute (SFI) have shown that it's possible to extract automatically the hierarchical structure of networks. The researchers say their results 'suggest that hierarchy is a central organizing principle of complex networks, capable of offering insight into many network phenomena.' They also think that their algorithms can be applied to almost every kind of networks, from biochemical networks (protein interaction networks, metabolic networks or genetic regulatory networks) to communities in social networks. But read more for additional references and some pictures about hierarchical networks and their applications."
REDMOND, Wash., May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today announced that it has withdrawn its proposal to acquire Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO). Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 May 2008 | 7:56 pm
profdc9 writes "For the past six months or so I have been working on the MiniOn, a network enabled microcontroller programming system, similar in idea to the Basic Stamp and Arduino hobbyists are fond of, but it is programmable and accessible through a Web browser and TELNET, requiring no installed development software. It uses the cheap, readily available LPC2000 ARM7TDMI micrcontrollers, and the easy to interface Microchip ENC28J60 for ethernet. The MiniOn firmware is written using only the free WinARM development tools (Linux tools work also) for those who wish to improve the MiniOn. I have already implemented an MP3 streaming server and a web-based graphical oscilloscope in MiniOnBasic. The MiniOn should hopefully lower the barriers and costs to getting started learning about embedded systems, and provide a non-proprietary method of data acquisition."
Amazon is suing New York over a new law that requires out-of-state online companies to collect sales tax from shoppers in New York. Officials estimate the state would gain about $50 million by requiring Internet giants such as Amazon to collect state sales tax.
Another restriction on daily life falls away under new President Raul Castro: Cuba's government allows desktop computers to go on sale to the public for the first time.
Skype guru Ahti Heinla and Microlink and Delfi founder Rainer Nolvak put cutting-edge IT technology and 40,000 volunteers to work Saturday to clean-up the tiny Baltic Sea state of Estonia. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 May 2008 | 6:28 pm
WASHINGTON, May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In a first step toward comprehensive reform of Universal Service, the Federal Communications Commission yesterday adopted an... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 May 2008 | 6:18 pm
The glowing amber dot on a light switch in the entryway of George Tsapoitis' house offers a clue about the future of electricity. A few times this summer, when millions of air... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 3 May 2008 | 6:17 pm
The Arctic will remain on thinning ice, and climate warming is expected to begin affecting the Antarctic also, scientists announce Friday. This summer will likely match last year's record low sea ice in the North.
After hinting that the new Dungeons and Dragons license would be aimed at phasing out the older open licenses, Wizards of the Coast have published more details suggesting that this won't be embodied in the license itself (though they haven't published the license or its terms of use yet):
Q. Do I have to give up my right to publish 3.5 OGL products in order to publish 4e compatible products?
A. No. Publishers are free to print product lines under either the OGL or 4E GSL. We would love to see our industry colleagues convert their entire product offerings to 4E, as we are doing, but we do not expect or require entire companies to convert to the new edition.
Marilyn sends us this, "photo gallery of bizarre playground equipment mostly from Russia includes a happily impaled Baba Yaga, ghouls, a climbing turnip, decapitated monkeys decorating a swing set, and a stationary merry-go-round."
Link
(Thanks, Marilyn!)
