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Best and Worst Coding Standards?An anonymous reader writes "If you've been hired by a serious software development house, chances are one of your early familiarization tasks was to read company guidelines on coding standards and practices. You've probably been given some basic guidelines, such as gotos being off limits except in specific circumstances, or that code should be indented with tabs rather than spaces, or vice versa. Perhaps you've had some more exotic or less intuitive practices as well; maybe continue or multiple return statements were off-limits. What standards have you found worked well in practice, increasing code readability and maintainability? Which only looked good on paper?"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 20 Jul 2008 | 1:21 pm Clash of the consoles - San Diego Union Tribune
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 20 Jul 2008 | 12:24 pm Texas To Build $4.93B Wind-Power ProjectHugh Pickens points out a story in the NYTimes about Texas' $4.93 billion wind-power transmission project. One of the major goals of the project is to improve electrical throughput to the population centers. Current transmission lines are unable to handle all of the power generated by Texas' wind fields. State citizens will be paying slightly more to help cover the cost, though the project is expected to eventually lower the cost to consumers. Quoting: "The lines can handle 18,500 megawatts of power, enough for 3.7 million homes on a hot day when air-conditioners are running. 'The project will ease a bottleneck that has become a major obstacle to development of the wind-rich Texas Panhandle and other areas suitable for wind generation. The lack of transmission has been a fundamental issue in Texas, and it's becoming more and more of an issue elsewhere,' said Vanessa Kellogg, the Southwest regional development director for Horizon Wind Energy, which operates the Lone Star Wind Farm in West Texas and has more wind generation under development. 'This is a great step in the right direction.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 20 Jul 2008 | 12:19 pm Dubious achievement: Hackers ‘jailbreak’ the iPhone 3G - CNNMoney.com
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 20 Jul 2008 | 12:17 pm Did E3 Just Gasp Its Last Breath?Ian Lamont writes "This year's E3 is over, and there's already talk that this could be the last one. Even before the conference started, a slew of studios announced they wouldn't be taking part, citing high costs and other 'business reasons.' At the conference itself, 'there were no huge game announcements, and Microsoft didn't even bother having Bungie show up to talk about the next Halo release, claiming that the company wanted to "shorten the presentation."' Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello said he 'hated' E3's new format, adding 'either we need to go back to the old E3, or we'll have to have our own private events.' Crave also noted there are no solid plans for next year's show. On the other hand, people have predicted E3's demise in previous years, and they turned out to be wrong."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:15 am Motorola Sues Former Executive Who Joined Apple - eFluxMedia
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:08 am China Publishes Handbook on Signs of Poison AttackText of report by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) [By reporter Zhang Jingyong: "What Are the Circumstances Under Which a Chemical or Biological Terror Attack May Have Occurred?"] Beijing, 20 Jul (Xinhua) - What are the circumstances under which a chemical terror attack or a biological terror attack may have happened? The answer can be found in the "Brace Yourself Against Terror Attack: A Citizen's Handbook," printed and distributed by the Bureau of Counterterrorism of the Ministry of Public Security.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am New Federal Policy Seen As Boon to FarmersBy Luther Turmelle, New Haven Register, Conn. Jul. 20--The recent passage of the 2008 Farm Bill, which sets the nation's agricultural policy for the next four years, benefits Connecticut agricultural operations more than previous legislation has, according to state and federal officials.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Women Play Large Role in Key Weld County IndustryBy Bill Jackson, Greeley Tribune, Colo. Jul. 20--The dairy industry, which is the fastest growing segment of northern Colorado agriculture, is probably the most demanding career a farm family can be involved in.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am The Tribune's 4 Reasons to GoBy Lauren Viera, Chicago Tribune Jul. 20--1. BIRDING Loons, vultures, sandpipers, herons, cranes, hawks, grebes ... they all make their home in various pockets of the Lakeshore. Some are here by accident; others come to breed and fly south for the winter.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Retired Officers Aim for Special Gun PermitsBy Greg Linch, The Miami Herald Jul. 20--As bullets ripped through blue-bodied targets, the concussions from the shots echoed around the outdoor firing range.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Turtle Nest Found in Hillsboro Beach: Officials Hope It's a Sign Replenishment Project is WorkingBy Elizabeth Roberts, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Jul. 20--Ten months after Hillsboro Beach officials nearly backed out of a contract for an expensive sand-replenishment system, there is a sign their efforts are paying off. The turtles are back.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Proposal Would Toughen Critical Area Law in County: Building Without a Permit Could Lead to Demolition of StructureBy Steven Stanek, The Baltimore Sun Jul. 20--Anne Arundel County could soon have some of the stiffest penalties in Maryland for violations of critical area laws.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Kenyan Leaders Urge State to Settle People Ordered Out of ForestText of report by Barnabas Bii entitled: "Give Mau farmers land, MPs tell State" published by Kenyan privately-owned newspaper Daily Nation website on 20 July Members of parliament from Rift Valley Province have asked the government to provide alternative land to the people living in Mau Forest [southwest Kenya] before evicting them.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am City Approves Hallandale Square ProjectBy Sergy Odiduro, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Jul. 20--City commissioners recently approved plans for Hallandale Square, a 380,000-square-foot retail project.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Hikers Help Clear Falls Lake TrailBy Joe Miller, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Jul. 20--Jeff Brewer prepped his 60 or so volunteers early Saturday morning for the day ahead: watch for ticks; drink lots of water because it's going to be hot; be careful with those axes and bow saws.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am BRIEF: Percussion Group to Play at Gateway ReceptionBy Heidi Freeman, Winston-Salem Journal, N.C. Jul. 20--Gateway Gallery at The Enrichment Center will open its summer exhibition with a free reception and concert from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. The center's Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Aaron Bachelder, will perform at 7 p.m.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am BRIEF: Sessions Will Offer Information on New Online Public SchoolBy The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash. Jul. 20--Students and their families interested in iQ Academy Washington, a new online school for grades seven through 12, can find out more at information sessions in the area. Tacoma events will be Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am New Midwest Airlines Schedule Retains Service to 32 CitiesMILWAUKEE, July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines today announced its flight schedule for September 8 and beyond. The schedule retains service to 32 cities, including both coasts.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am BRIEF: Call for EntriesBy Heidi Freeman, Winston-Salem Journal, N.C. Jul. 20----Beach Ball '08: The American Cancer Society is accepting donations of works to be auctioned at its fundraiser on Aug. 9. The deadline is Friday.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am BRIEF: Garner Minister Elected As BishopBy The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C. Jul. 20--GARNER -- A Methodist minister from Garner has been elected a bishop in the United Methodist Church. The election of the Rev.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Microsoft and Google Stocks Suffer Despite Reports of GrowthBy Brad Stone Like two straight-A students who uncharacteristically fail an exam, the technology titans Google and Microsoft have issued quarterly results that disappointed investors.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Chicago Tribune Hypertext Column: Steve Johnson's Web Spin. Fast Takes on the Week's Five Most Viewed Tribune Stories on the Paper's Web Site. Find Them Quickly at Www.Chicagotribune.Com/Most.By Steve Johnson, Chicago Tribune Jul. 20--Fast takes on the week's five most viewed Tribune stories on the paper's Web site. Find them quickly at chicagotribune.com/most. 1. Obama backers on the left are doing the wincing now (July 13).Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am New Church Meets in TheaterBy Jennifer Atkins Brown, News & Record, Greensboro, N.C. Jul. 20--While serving as a youth pastor in California in December 2005, Jesse Caro suffered congestive heart failure. He was only 30.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am On the Record"It is ludicrous to think that our board could accept such a proposal." * Roy Bostock, chairman of Yahoo, on Microsoft's offer to buy Yahoo's Internet search business, leaving the rest of the company in the hands of the dissident investor Carl Icahn.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am BRIEF: Art BriefsBy Heidi Freeman, Winston-Salem Journal, N.C. Jul. 20--Gallery to have opening reception Thursday 5IVE & 40RTY gallery, 541-A N. Trade St., will open its next exhibition, "Michael Northuis: eye cons," with a free reception from 5:40 to 7:40 p.m. Thursday.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am zCover ships iSAglove 3G cases for iPhone (Macworld.com)Macworld.com - zCover on Friday announced that it is shipping its iSAglove 3G cover for the iPhone. It costs $29.99 and joins zCover's line of iPhone accessories.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 20 Jul 2008 | 11:00 am Mom fights music giant - San Jose Mercury News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 20 Jul 2008 | 10:40 am Buy Apple into Earnings - Seeking Alpha
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 20 Jul 2008 | 10:04 am Shanghainese disco bunny steals UK govt official's heart, nicks his BlackberryA top aide to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown was seduced by a hot woman he met in a Shanghai disco, who came back to his hotel room. In the morning, his (unencrypted) Blackberry was gone. Crypto: 1, Penis: 0.The group stayed at the disco for at least two hours. One senior aide was approached by an attractive Chinese woman. The couple danced and later disappeared together.Link (via /.) Source: Boing Boing | 20 Jul 2008 | 9:22 am Shanghainese disco bunny steals UK govt official's heart, nicks his BlackberryA top aide to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown was seduced by a hot woman he met in a Shanghai disco, who came back to his hotel room. In the morning, his (unencrypted) Blackberry was gone. Crypto: 1, Penis:...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 9:22 am It's Not Easy Being MeSometimes you just have to do what you have to do--for example, host 250 women bloggers at your house. This is a photo from the Kirsty ("Digg for chicks") and Alltop ("aggregation without aggravation")...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 8:50 am Star Wars photoshopping contestToday on the Worth1000 photoshopping contest: Star Wars meets fine art. There are so many fantastic entries here -- I was very hard pressed to pick a favorite (pet, shown here). Other noteworthies: Thomas...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 8:25 am Star Wars photoshopping contest Today on the Worth1000 photoshopping contest: Star Wars meets fine art. There are so many fantastic entries here -- I was very hard pressed to pick a favorite (pet, shown here). Other noteworthies: Thomas Kinkade with AT-AT, King Jabba VIII, Vitruvian Wookiee, Da Vinci's R2 plans, Napoleon Vaderpart and Vaderhol. Link Source: Boing Boing | 20 Jul 2008 | 8:25 am UK PM's Aide Loses BlackBerry In Chinese Honeytraplongacre writes "The Times of London is today reporting a January incident in which a top aide to Prime Minister Gordon Brown discovered his BlackBerry missing from his hotel room after spending the night with an attractive woman who approached him in a Shanghai disco. Seems this was a run-of-the-mill BlackBerry without any encryption, only a simple password lock. The greatest fear is that, even if the device did not contain any sensitive messages at the time, there was likely enough information on board for a hostile intelligence service to snake its way deep into Downing Street's email servers. The aide was 'informally reprimanded.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 20 Jul 2008 | 8:22 am Laptop lounge chairRobin Carpenter's (concept?) design for a laptop chair really strikes a chord with me. My house and office always seem to be a minefield of laptops balanced on chair-arms or stood on edge on the floor...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 8:18 am Laptop lounge chair Robin Carpenter's (concept?) design for a laptop chair really strikes a chord with me. My house and office always seem to be a minefield of laptops balanced on chair-arms or stood on edge on the floor. I'd love to be able to pop the little guy down beside me and pick up the paper for a bit without risking sending him crashing to the ground. Link (via Cribcandy) Source: Boing Boing | 20 Jul 2008 | 8:18 am My Favorite Things About Paris Paris : 01.07.2008 22:13 Originally uploaded by Olivier Colas. We are leaving Paris today. Taking the eurostar to London for a few days and then back to the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 7:40 am Startup Job Site Gets Backing From Y Combinator, Relauches As StartuplyNew Y Combinator startup Startuply launches today. It’s a free job listing service aimed squarely at small startups, which have a lot of trouble getting the attention of new engineering graduates...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 7:19 am Videogames getting minds of their own (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 20 Jul 2008 | 7:17 am Survival Research Labs benefit for Todd Blair tonight in SF
Eddie Codel reminds us that tonight (Sunday, July 20) is the big benefit for SRL member Todd Blair, in San Francisco. You don't have to be there in person to help. Snip: Todd Blair, whom I've known since 1999 through Survival Research Labs, suffered a traumatic head injury last year at the Robodock SRL show in Amsterdam. I posted previously about it here. He's back home in the US slowly and arduously recovering. Traumatic brain injuries are probably the worst kind of injury a human being could suffer, and it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. To help offset Todd's massive medical and physical therapy bills, a fundraiser event is being held this Sunday, July 20th. It's not just an event, but a culmination of lots of work and dedication from Todd's friends and family with some unique creative twists.Gearing up for fundraiser for Todd Blair [eddie.com] Todd Blair Benefit: The Wall [srl.org] Source: Boing Boing | 20 Jul 2008 | 7:14 am Survival Research Labs benefit for Todd Blair tonight in SFEddie Codel reminds us that tonight (Sunday, July 20) is the big benefit for SRL member Todd Blair, in San Francisco. You don't have to be there in person to help. Snip: Todd Blair, whom I've known...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 7:14 am The Batsuit gets a makeoverThe 'Dark Knight' hero has tossed the sweaty rubber and molded-plastic costumes of yesteryear and sports a cooler, motocross-style flexi-suit this time around. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am Searching online for a home: Many websites, varying insightsMaps, data, detailed listings come with some sites. But 'most visited' doesn't necessarily mean 'most helpful.' First of two parts.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 7:00 am Web networking photos come back to bite defendants (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 20 Jul 2008 | 6:14 am Backpack Bird Cages - The PetPocket(TrendHunter.com) Carrying your tiny pooch in your handbag is so passe. Now you can take your feathered friend for a walk in this backpack style pet bird carrier. It's a great way to transport small...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 5:42 am Web-Crawling Program Spots Disease Outbreaksno1home writes "There is a story at Discovery Channel's site about a new utility for mapping disease. The premise is to have bots crawl the web looking for stories about disease outbreaks and log them onto a map. '"We were originally thinking about how we could expand disease surveillance and pick up outbreaks earlier than traditional methods," said John Brownstein of Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston, who created HealthMap in September of 2006 with Clark Friefeld, a software developer at Harvard Medical School.' But then it was noticed by Google.org and has since grown into its own website, HealthMap Global disease alert map, and claims to be able to identify 95% of all disease outbreaks, some of them before WHO or CDC."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 20 Jul 2008 | 5:40 am 32 Electric Cars (SUPER GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Electric cars are not the future: zero-emission vehicles are the now! There are a variety of eco-friendly, battery-powered cars on the market today and thousands more in design and...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 5:20 am Iran's Music Scene - Tehran's Underground Rock (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) Iran is one of the key topics in the media, but it seems Iran is always portrayed negatively. For that reason, we're investigating a little into Iranian pop culture. Yesterday we featured...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 5:00 am NASA eyes buying Japan's cargo spacecraft: paperTOKYO (Reuters) - NASA has began unofficial negotiations with Japan's space agency on purchasing units of an unmanned cargo transfer spacecraft as the successor to its space shuttles, the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 20 Jul 2008 | 4:09 am Sturdy Econo Speakers Rock Your Knoll, Blast Your NeighborsThese backyard boomers will satisfy your hard rock cravings. Sophisticated outdoor speakers combine earth-shaking bass with a clean, well-balanced sound.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 20 Jul 2008 | 4:00 am Sturdy Econo Speakers Rock Your Knoll, Blast Your NeighborsThese backyard boomers will satisfy your hard rock cravings. Sophisticated outdoor speakers combine earth-shaking bass with a clean, well-balanced sound.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 20 Jul 2008 | 4:00 am FBI Fights Testing For False DNA MatchesStatesman writes "The Los Angeles Times reports that an Arizona crime lab technician found two felons with remarkably similar genetic profiles, so similar that they would ordinarily be accepted in court as a match, but one felon was black and the other white. The FBI estimated the odds of unrelated people sharing those genetic markers to be as remote as 1 in 113 billion. Dozens of similar matches have been found, and these findings raise questions about the accuracy of the FBI's DNA statistics. Scientists and legal experts want to test the accuracy of official statistics using the nearly 6 million profiles in CODIS, the national system that includes most state and local databases. The FBI has tried to block distribution of the Arizona results and is blocking people from performing similar searches using CODIS. A legal fight is brewing over whether the nation's genetic databases ought to be opened to wider scrutiny. At stake is the credibility of the odds often cited in DNA cases, which can suggest an all but certain link between a suspect and a crime scene."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 20 Jul 2008 | 3:06 am To Stet Or Not To Stet, That Is the Questiontheodp writes "The NY Times' Virginia Heffernan confesses to being stumped by how to excerpt the language on message boards and blogs. For example, Heffernan notes she could quote kavya on Yahoo Answers word for word ('How is babby formed? How girl get pragnent?'), but worries that doing so makes kavya look like an idiot rather that the sweetly earnest 7-year-old that he or she might be. Is it better to paraphrase or revise the question into 'How is a baby formed?' For now, Heffernan is going to let things stand (stet) and treat message boards like novels, preserving idiosyncrasies of language as far as possible and taking them as intentional — a 'wuz' on the Internet remains 'wuz' in the paper."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 20 Jul 2008 | 1:10 am Facebook sues German rival (CNET)CNET - Social networking giant Facebook has filed a copyright infringement suit against a German counterpart, according to the Financial Times.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 20 Jul 2008 | 12:22 am Real-World 3G Monthly Cost With Taxes and Fees?Kristl writes "I have called AT&T and walked into several AT&T stores to ask 'How much will an AT&T phone plan cost per month with taxes and fees and everything?'. No one can answer this question. They are evasive and become testy when I push them on it. Their answer is they can't tell me what the government is going to charge me as the fees can vary month to month, but I've been an AT&T customer for several years, and my taxes and fees have not varied more than a dollar in all of that time. So I question them: 'Can you just tell me what the taxes and fees will be for a 3G plan in California that has the basic calling plan, basic data plan, and the basic text plan?' I even do the math for them, that's $75. Okay AT&T, what are the taxes and fees on $75? Oh, they can't tell me that, as the taxes and fees can vary from month to month." There's more to this justified rant (below); real-world numbers in comments could help answer the questions that cell carriers seem content to sidestep as completely as possible.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 19 Jul 2008 | 11:56 pm Armando Iannucci: Welcome to the brave new world of MurdochIn the annals of business acumen, no single act of commercial chutzpah can surpass the company manoeuvres carried out by Rupert Murdoch over the period 2010 to 2014. To assess just how revolutionary, how...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 19 Jul 2008 | 11:02 pm John Naughton, The Networker: Big Google is watching you. Ready for your close-up?If, while walking your dog, you see a black Opel Vectra with a top-heavy pole sticking out of its roof, do not be alarmed. It is not a UFO or a van checking for TV licence-fee dodgers, but a Googlecam...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 19 Jul 2008 | 11:01 pm Check your connections to avoid a shocking holidayYou can suffer more than culture shock when holidaying abroad: there is a risk of electric shock too if you take your home-bought gadgets with you or are using foreign electrical goods bought from back-street...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 19 Jul 2008 | 11:01 pm Hi-tech is turning us all into time-wastersMobile phones and emails are triggering the 'distraction' part of the brainSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 19 Jul 2008 | 11:01 pm UK fails to bar internet access to child pornAlmost a million UK households could access websites known to host images of child sex abuse despite a government pledge made two years ago to stop access to paedophile sites. Last night a coalition of...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 19 Jul 2008 | 11:00 pm The 20-year-old at heart of web's most anarchic and influential siteIt seemed an ordinary day at Google's offices in Tel Aviv, Israel. Until an alarming discrepancy glued eyes to computer screens. Google Hot Trends is a feature intended to give 'a snapshot of what's on...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 19 Jul 2008 | 11:00 pm Martin Love discusses the Volvo S80Volvo S80 £20,304 Miles per gallon: 49.6 Seats: 5 Good for: born agains Bad for: porn barons There are many thoughts that could flit across the mind of the owner of a forecourt-fresh motor: the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 19 Jul 2008 | 11:00 pm Junk food diet fuels epidemic of pet obesityCalls for owners to face prosecution for cruelty as number of overweight animals hits half a millionSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 19 Jul 2008 | 11:00 pm Cells from humans grow blood vessels in mice: studyWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cells taken from human bone marrow, blood and umbilical cords grew into functioning blood vessels in mice with just the right coaxing, U.S. researchers reported on...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 19 Jul 2008 | 10:55 pm GM Researching Windshields For Old Driversbeuges writes "General Motors researchers are working on a high-tech windshield that users lasers and infra-red sensors to identify and enhance important objects for older drivers with vision problems. 'For example, during a foggy drive, a laser projects a blue line onto the windshield that follows the edge of the road. Or if infrared sensors detect a person or animal in the driver's path during a night drive, its outline is projected on the windshield to highlight its location.' And it's not only older drivers who will benefit: 'Some features would be helpful to drivers of all ages. If a driver is speeding, a pink box frames an approaching speed limit sign to draw the driver's attention.' The 65 and older population in the US will nearly double in about 20 years, meaning more people will be struggling to see the road like they used to."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 19 Jul 2008 | 10:42 pm Dwarf planet near Pluto named for Polynesian godWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A dwarf planet orbiting beyond Neptune has been designated the third plutoid in the solar system and given the name Makemake, the International Astronomical Union...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 19 Jul 2008 | 10:40 pm Difference Engine: An Interview With Neil HalsteadNeil Halstead leaves behind Slowdive's wall of gear and sound for a solo career featuring intimate pop. "We had a lot of pedals, a lot of love and some good grass," Halstead confesses. "When the love ran out, we sold the grass and smoked the pedals."
Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jul 2008 | 10:15 pm Flying Without ID? Know What's in Your FilesUnder new rules from the Transportation Security Administration, travelers who try to fly without ID will need to provide personal information from public records to convince federal employees to let them past the x-ray machines and onto the plane.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jul 2008 | 10:00 pm Peru fears environmental mining disasterPeru scrambled Saturday to prevent potential environmental disaster, after a dump for a major ore mining operation showed signs of a rupture that could lead to contamination of the local...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 19 Jul 2008 | 9:42 pm The Father of Multi-Core Chips Talks Shoppacopico writes "Stanford professor Kunle Olukotun designed the first mainstream multi-core chip, crafting what would become Sun Microsystems's Niagra product. Now, he's heading up Stanford's Pervasive Parallelism Lab where researchers are looking at 100s of core systems that might power robots, 3-D virtual worlds and insanely big server applications. The Register just interviewed Olukotun about this work and the future of multi-core chips. Weird and interesting stuff."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 19 Jul 2008 | 9:40 pm Murky Coffee's owner responds to espresso-over-ice kerfuffleOn July, I posted a funny rant from Jeff Simmermon of And I Am Not Lying who ordered a triple-shot of espresso over ice at Murky Coffee in Arlington, VA. He said the barista told him he couldn't have it, and the incident turned into a caffeinated remake of Five Easy Pieces.Here's an excerpt from lengthy and interesting response from Nick Cho, the owner of Murky Coffee: The customer in question, when told that it's our policy NOT to offer "espresso over ice," got angry right away. Regardless of how you feel about the merits of our policy, the fact that he got angry (in my opinion) is the crux of the matter. There are things in life to get angry about. There are matters that demand an elevated heart rate. This is not one of them.BY the way, Nick runs a great coffee podcast, called The Portafilter. Murky Coffee Follow Up Source: Boing Boing | 19 Jul 2008 | 9:09 pm Cold Boot Encryption Attack - code releaseJacob Appelbaum, one of the security researchers who worked on the paper cold boot attack on encryption keys (featured in a previous BBtv episode, above) tells Boing Boing the code has just been released today at the [last] HOPE hacker con in NYC. It's up, it's signed, and here it is. Memory Research Project Source Code [Princeton.edu] Previously on Boing Boing:
Complete list of authors for the original paper, "Lest We Remember: Cold Boot Attacks on Encryption Keys": J. Alex Halderman, Seth D. Schoen, Nadia Heninger, William Clarkson, William Paul, Joseph A. Calandrino, Ariel J. Feldman, Jacob Appelbaum, and Edward W. Felten. Source: Boing Boing | 19 Jul 2008 | 9:02 pm Kids Predict Flying Cars Will Cure Cancer in Mural ProjectThe Intel Computer Clubhouse Network launches the World Mural Project, which encourages children around the world to digitally illustrate their predictions of "what computers will empower us to do" in 40 years.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jul 2008 | 9:00 pm Kids Predict Flying Cars Will Cure Cancer in Mural ProjectThe Intel Computer Clubhouse Network launches the World Mural Project, which encourages children around the world to digitally illustrate their predictions of "what computers will empower us to do" in 40 years.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 19 Jul 2008 | 9:00 pm Early 20th c. George Eastman House photos now on Flickr
The 1910 autochrome of medieval cosplayers, cropped above, and the monkey-on-a-rhino gelatin print below are in a set of early 20th century photographs from The George Eastman House, which has joined the flickr commons. I spotted this on photographer Raul Gutierrez' blog (a regular source of joy for me), and there he wrote: Flickr Commons is a fantastic idea. My wish is that the whole thing could be taken further. Imagine an open source version of flickr dedicated to showing artwork and photography from public institutions in which users had the opportunity to contribute scholarly work or to group images into collections. George Eastman House's photostream [Flickr] I also loved this photo of Egyptian women in beautiful dresses; a woman in a fur throw with a corsage, and this stunning, simple portrait. Also, baby rhinos!
Source: Boing Boing | 19 Jul 2008 | 8:54 pm Profiles of two Japanese artists On her Tokyomango blog, Lisa Katayama profiled two fascinating Japanese artists I'd never heard of: Yayoi Kusama (L) and Mariko Mori (R).
Kusama lives in a mental hospital near her studio in Tokyo because psychiatrists don't understand how her complex brain functions (she's obviously a genius). She turns 80 next year, but that hasn't stopped her momentum of obsessive, repetitive dot-drawing. Dot dot dot dot dot. That's what she sees, so that's what she draws. Abused as a child, suicidal as a teen, and plagued with OCD for the ensuing half century and beyond, she has often claimed that her objective in life is to obliterate herself and her world through art. The dots, Kusama has said, symbolize disease: she often covers herself in them, and when that's not enough, she covers museum walls, random objects, and public statues in them as well. Of course, her art is so famous and cool that nobody objects. Walking into a Kusama-dotted room really feels like walking into an alternate universe.
Mori isn't afraid to combine aliens with Buddhas or to experiment with materials and concepts normally unheard of in the art world. She spent part of her thirties voyaging to historic sites across the world in a time-traveling alien pod. When she got back, she created the Wave UFO, a giant teardrop-shaped spaceship that shows visitors their brainwaves as projections on the wall while they sit in Technogel lounge chairs. "The past, present, and future exist in harmony in her work," says Stover. "It represents the space-ageyness of Japan."Futurist Japanese Artists Show Us Life in the Next Century (Tokyomango) Source: Boing Boing | 19 Jul 2008 | 8:39 pm Software to video meteors (and other stuff in the sky)UFOCapture is a Windows application that helps you videotape meteors and other fast-moving stuff in space. You hook up a sensitive video camera to your computer, point it out your window, and while you slumber, the software saves all the good bits. It’s full of falling stars! But wait a minute. There are even more videos from this same user. Does he waste every night looking at the sky? Does he goes through hundreds of hours of videos searching for meteors? Is this a hoax?This is my favorite. What is it? Source: Boing Boing | 19 Jul 2008 | 8:20 pm Photo of people flinching at a flying baseball bat Not sure of the source of this photo posted on Arbroath's blog (a detail is shown here), but I imagine the looks of surprise on the people's faces are a goldmine for researchers like Paul Ekman, who study facial expressions and emotions.
Flying baseball bat scares people (Arbroath) Source: Boing Boing | 19 Jul 2008 | 8:03 pm Craigslist Scam Used Name of Michigan Soldier Whose Remains Found ... - FOXNews
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 19 Jul 2008 | 7:06 pm The Ghost in Your Machine: IPv6 Gateway to HackersIt may be years before the new internet protocol IPv6 takes over from the current IPv4, but a security researcher is warning that many systems -- corporate and personal -- are already open to attack through channels that have been enabled on their machines to support IPv6 traffic.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jul 2008 | 6:30 pm Horror/Sci-Fi Great O'Bannon Brings the PainSci-fi and horror master Dan O'Bannon is returning to the horror genre with a new script, The Pain Clinic (co-written with Donald Grail). John Scott Lewinski shares some insights about O'Bannon's work gleaned from an exclusive interview.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jul 2008 | 6:30 pm Big Shareholder Supports Yahoo Board Over IcahnOne of Yahoo's largest shareholders is supporting the re-election of the Internet company's incumbent board, delivering a significant blow to an attempted coup being led by activist investor Carl Icahn.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jul 2008 | 6:00 pm Ebadi rights group warns Iran on Internet crime bill (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 19 Jul 2008 | 5:49 pm Turkey plans water pipeline link for north CyprusTurkey plans to supply drinking water to northern Cyprus via a pipeline running 110 kilometres (70 miles) between its coast and the Mediterranean island, Turkish Prime Minister Recep TayyipSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 19 Jul 2008 | 5:48 pm India's RCom and SAfrica's MTN call off merger talks (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 19 Jul 2008 | 5:43 pm Dark Knight Sets New Box Office RecordStoked by fan fever over the manic performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, "The Dark Knight" sets a one-day box office record with $66.4 million on opening day.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 19 Jul 2008 | 5:00 pm The Story Behind San Francisco's Rogue Network Admin - PC World
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 19 Jul 2008 | 12:23 pm
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