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Watches That Need Decoding - Superior Minimalist Watch (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) This ultra modern, minimalist watch is for those who eschew the traditional timepiece. The Superior watch requires the wearer to decode the time from the two rows of lit and unlit diamonds...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 6:40 pm Live Solar Eclipses - NASA TV & Exploratorium Coverage (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) This morning, August 1, a total solar eclipse caused people from around the world to gather in front of their computers to watch NASA TV who broadcast the event from 6 to 8:15 a.m...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 5:20 pm Leaf Wedding Chapels - Wow Places For Vows (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) For those who choose not to get married in a church, the options are pretty mundane. You could opt for a courthouse, hotel, park, beach, hockey arena, etc. In Japan, an architect,...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 5:00 pm Stitchless Jeans - GlueJeans(TrendHunter.com) Gluejeans are apparel for would-be exhibitionists or people who like to be daring because there are no stitches in the seams. The jeans are just held together with really strong glue...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 4:40 pm Custom Laser Jewelry - Ponoko (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) If youve ever wanted to design or make your own jewelry but dont know how or youre a jewelry artisan wishing to design jewelry in ways you havent before, then Ponoko is for you. Ponoko...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 4:20 pm $38 Billion Olympics - China Spends Most, Expects Most Returns(TrendHunter.com) China has already invested $38 billion dollars into the Beijing Olympics, putting funds into the construction of 20 new Olympic buildings, the world's largest airport, environmental...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 4:00 pm Yahoo expected to spar with peeved shareholders (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:59 pm Sun expands stock buyback by $1 billion (AP)AP - Sun Microsystems Inc. said Friday it is expanding its stock buyback program by $1 billion, an indication that the server maker believes its slumping shares are undervalued.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:58 pm Sun's gloomy 1Q outlook hurts shares (AP)AP - Shares of Sun Microsystems Inc. tumbled 13 percent Friday after the server and software maker offered up worse-than-expected guidance that reflects the company's dangerous reliance on U.S. sales in a bumpy economy.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:51 pm Portrait of an Unknown Woman Found Under a Van Gogh Painting - eFluxMedia
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:49 pm FCC streaming server chokes amid critical - ZDNet
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:47 pm Anthrax Scientist Kills Self as Feds Close InAn Army microbiologist, who U.S. officials believe was responsible for the 2001 anthrax attacks that killed five people, has apparently committed suicide just as prosecutors were getting ready to arrest him.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:40 pm MIT Professor Develops More Efficient Way To Use Solar EnergyImage Caption: MIT researchers have developed a new catalyst, consisting of cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode. When the catalyst is placed in water and electricity runs through the electrode, oxygen gas is produced. When another catalyst is used to produce hydrogen gas, the oxygen and hydrogen can be combined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power a house or an electric car, day or night. Photo / MIT News OfficeSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:32 pm Yahoo Board Expected To Face Criticism At Annual MeetingYahoo Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:30 pm Hu stands by Games pledges, web curbs lifted (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:28 pm Sun 4Q profit falls 73 pct, guidance hurts stock (AP)AP - Sun Microsystems Inc.'s profit plunged 73 percent in the most recent quarter as slumping sales to big U.S. companies and restructuring charges weighed on the server and software maker.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:25 pm 3D Printing For Everyonemmacx writes "Technology Review has up an article about Shapeways, a new online rapid-prototyping service that allows users to upload digital designs which are then printed on 3-D printers and shipped back. A spinoff from Philips Research, the service gives small businesses, designers, artists, and hobbyists access to prototyping tools that were once available only to the largest corporations. The fee for a typical printed object is $50-$150. Their video shows the steps behind the process." We've been talking about 3D printing for years.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:16 pm Geologists Rock TogetherGeologists from 80 nations joined forces to map out between 60% and 70% of the Earth's surface; now available down to the scale of 1:1,000,000.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:15 pm Apple Quickly Kills Popular iPhone 'Tethering' App - PC World
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:11 pm TwitpitchFred Wilson asked on Twitter this morning for a good place to have a cup of coffee in New Paltz. Otherw who know the place made recommendations. I went to Google Maps to find reviews, just as a friendly...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:09 pm DayStar to Present at Canaccord Adams Growth Conference Aug. 14SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DayStar Technologies, Inc. , a developer of photovoltaic products based on CIGS thin film semiconductor technology, today announced that Dr.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:01 pm Apple Patches DNS Flaw and 16 Other Holes - Washington Post
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Douglas Park Plan Unveiled: PROJECT: Airport-Area Work Will Create Jobs and 4 Million Square Feet of Space for Mixed Commercial Use.By Joe Stevens, Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif. Aug. 1--LONG BEACH -- A San Francisco-based group has started development on an enormous, $350 million project on 54 acres of land at Douglas Park, adjacent to the Long Beach Airport. Newcastle Partners, Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Anhydrous Ammonia Violations Bring FineBy Chris Bristol A local fruit company has been fined $81,193 by the federal Environmental Protection Agency for violating restrictions on the use of anhydrous ammonia.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Ban Dangerous Driving HabitsI just observed a person driving in Salem with their small dog on their lap, hanging out the open window, while the driver talked on a cell phone.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Reservoir Spillway to Be ReplacedBy Bailey Davis $1 million project mostly covered by a grant; spillway is a smaller wall than reservoir's dam. By Baylie Davis bdavis@wyomingnews.com CHEYENNE - Work to replace the spillway at Granite Springs Reservoir is scheduled to begin this spring.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Long Island Nonprofit Briefs: August 1, 2008By Alison Snyder Worldwide delivery for DHL, Nassau Girl Scouts Delivery company DHL and the Girl Scouts of Nassau County partnered to ship 35,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to troops overseas.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Avenues Rallies for FirefightersThe City Creek Canyon fire burned 130 acres, but it never came close to threatening any homes. That's why Avenues homeowners came out to thank some of the nearly 200 firefighters who helped completely contain the fire Thursday night.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Poor Air Quality Today -- Try Not to Use CarToday has been forecast as a "yellow" air-quality day for Salt Lake, Davis, Utah and Weber counties, the Department of Environmental Quality said.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Firefighters Gain Control of Refuge BlazeBy KRISTIN DAVIS By Kristin Davis The Virginian-Pilot SUFFOLK The Great Dismal Swamp wildfire that once blazed out of control has been reduced to a 4,664-acre simmer, with firefighting efforts slashed to a fraction of what they once were.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm China Welcomes More Foreign Investment, Cooperation, Vice PremierChina welcomes more foreign investment, cooperation, vice premier BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang said on Thursday China encouraged foreign companies, including Hewlett- Packard (HP), to enlarge their business in the country.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Pick Apples to Help Kids: Restaurant Program Provides BackpacksBy Suzanne Ulbrich, The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C. Aug. 1--SNEADS FERRY -- Gentry Nealey picked an apple from a tree in Sneads Ferry Wednesday. But instead of eating it, the 7-year-old went shopping.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Oklahoma-Based Helmerich and Payne Profits Up 8.8% to Third-Quarter RecordBy Kirby Lee Davis A 24-percent jump in revenues led Helmerich and Payne profits to a fiscal third-quarter record, beating Wall Street estimates.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm INVISUS Direct Launches First Comprehensive Computer Support and Identity Protection SuiteINVISUS Direct, the world leader in personal computer services, today announced the launch of iSimplify, the first comprehensive computer care suite to offer both total computer support and whole identity protection.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Cordell Crane From Microsoft and Stephen Lawton From Acronis Inc. To Be Featured on Let's Talk Computers (R)Guests from Microsoft and Acronis Inc. will appear on radio talk show Let's Talk Computers. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services, and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Amazon Exclusively Offers Collector's Edition of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard"To the excitement of Muggles around the world, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced that in addition to the Standard Edition of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" it will offer a luxuriously packaged Collector's Edition -- available exclusively at Amazon's worldwide websites. Inspired by J.K.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Location-Based Mobile Social Networking Will Generate Global Revenues of $3.3 Billion By 2013, According to ABI ResearchThe recent emergence of location-based mobile social networking services offered by providers such as GyPSii, Pelago and Loopt is revolutionizing social networking by allowing users to share real-life experiences via geo-tagged user-generated multimedia content, exchange recommendations about places, identify nearby friends and set up ad hoc face to face meetings.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm ARAnet Announces Video Service to Accompany Copyright-Free ContentARAnet, Inc., an innovator in delivering copyright-free feature articles to newspapers and Web publishers, is expanding the breadth of its content with the launch of a video distribution service, announced company president Scott Severson.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 1 Aug 2008 | 2:00 pm Highlighters & Flash Drives - Together At Last!By Andrew Liszewski From the world of crappy USB promotional giveaways comes this combination USB flash drive and highlighter dock. It comes with 3 stubby highlighters in yellow, green and blue colors...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:49 pm Mars Water Discovered, "Tasted" by Lander -- A First - National Geographic
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:44 pm Alfresco opens up SharePoint to Java, Linux, Oracle, and more - CNET News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:42 pm PCMark Memory Benchmark Favors GenuineInteljavy_tahu writes "A review by Ars Technica disclosed that PCMark 2005 Memory benchmark favors GenuineIntel CPUID. A VIA Nano CPU has had its CPUID changed from the original VIA to fake GenuineAMD and GenuineIntel. An improvement of, respectively, 10% and 47% of the score was seen. The reasons of this behavior of FutureMark product are not yet known."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:31 pm AT&T Makes $1 Million Contribution in Support of the National Urban League's Project Ready College Access ProgramDALLAS, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) today announced a $1 million contribution over two years in support of the National Urban League's...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:30 pm Giant Digital Clock BookcaseBy Andrew Liszewski Depending on what you compare it to, this Giant Digital Clock bookcase may or may not actually qualify as being ‘giant’. If you put it next to your alarm clock or even your...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:28 pm YouTuber 'Trashman' arrested for threatening to poison baby food - CNET News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:20 pm SINA Corporation to Report Q2 2008 Financial Results on August 6, 2008SHANGHAI, China, Aug. 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- SINA Corporation (Nasdaq: SINA), a leading online media company and value-added information service provider for China andSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:20 pm Leading Analyst Firm Positions EDS in the 'Leaders' Quadrant for Storage ServicesPLANO, Texas, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EDS, a leading global information technology services company, today announced it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:15 pm Video: Total eclipse of the sunSkywatchers from around the world observe a total solar eclipse in the Russian city of NovosibirskSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:14 pm Belzberg Technologies reports on non-electronic trading error in its Chicago floor brokerage subsidiaryTORONTO, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Belzberg Technologies has recently incurred an $800,000 one-time pre-tax loss due to an error in executing a hand-written, manually...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:14 pm Phoenix Lander Tastes Martian WaterPhoenix melts icy Martian soil, confirming the presence of frozen water.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:13 pm Global CIO Value Forum: Best Practices for Measuring IT Value and Portfolio ManagementDUBLIN, Ohio, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Glomark-Governan has announced its upcoming Global CIO Value Forum 2008, an event designed to discuss best practices for measuring ITSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:12 pm Elegy for the hackSteve Smith, editor of the Spokesman-Review, writes an eloquent elegy for the newspaperman and his myth. Something is coming, some turn in the media universe, a turn in the future of my newspaper. A turn...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:08 pm DHS border policy: we can steal anything from you, read all your data, and disclose it to anyone we wantThe DHS has disclosed its official policy on laptop border seizures: they can take your laptop, or anything else, for no reason at all, forever, and disclose anything they find to anyone they feel like:Also, officials may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Travelers' Laptops May Be Detained At Border (via /.) Source: Boing Boing | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:06 pm RNC Launches New Web Site 'Who Said It: Celebrity Edition'WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Republican National Committee (RNC) today announced a new interactive Web site,Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:06 pm Joi Ito's Freesouls: a book of CC-licensed portraits of, and essays by, copyfighters Joi Ito's got a new book coming out -- a collection of photos of people he knows through the free culture/copyfight movements. They're lovely portrait shots and they're all CC Attribution licensed for a broad range of uses, creating a pool of good stock photos of people from the movement. Each photo is accompanied by an essay from the subject (I'm one of them), making the book an interesting read, too.
They're doing three editions, two limited editions and a regular release, all to be published in the fall.
FREESOULS: Captured and Released by Joi Ito Source: Boing Boing | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:04 pm Bally Technologies to Report Fourth Quarter and Year-End Fiscal 2008 Results on Wednesday, August 20 and Host Conference Call and WebcastLAS VEGAS, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bally Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: BYI), a leader in slots, video machines, casino management systems, and networked solutions...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:03 pm Solar eclipse draws crowd of thousands in SiberiaAbout 15,000 amateur and professional astronomers gathered in Russian city of Novosibirsk for rare spectacleSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:01 pm China Security & Surveillance Technology Signs Letter of Intent to Acquire Three Chinese Security CompaniesSHENZHEN, China, Aug. 1 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- China Security & Surveillance Technology, Inc. ('The Company' & 'CSST')(NYSE: CSR), a leading ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:01 pm PSI Corp. Announces Successful Launch of E-Banking KioskNEW YORK, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PSI Corp. (Pink Sheets: PSCP) is pleased to review its recent progress. PSI confirms that as of this week several...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:00 pm Marvel Apps Chooses PA SportsTicker for Online Sports ContentNEW YORK, August 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile content and game provider Marvel Apps has selected sports information supplier PA SportsTicker to bring customized sports...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:00 pm Nisus Writer Express updated to 3.1 (Macworld.com)Macworld.com - Nisus Software on Friday announced the release of Nisus Writer Express 3.1, an update to their word processing software for Mac OS X. It costs $45, and is a free update for registered 3.x users (upgrades from previous releases cost $30).Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:00 pm Ahead of the Bell: TomoTherapy tumblesShares of TomoTherapy Inc. plunged in premarket trading Friday after the radiation therapy device maker posted a disappointing second quarter and said economic conditions are hurting its results.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 12:58 pm Is Cuil a Google Killer? - Switched
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 1 Aug 2008 | 12:50 pm Apple Patches Kaminsky DNS VulnerabilityAlexander Burke writes "Apple has just released Security Update 2008-005, which patches BIND against the Kaminsky DNS poisoning issue. 'This update addresses the issue by implementing source port randomization to improve resilience against cache poisoning attacks. For Mac OS X v10.4.11 systems, BIND is updated to version 9.3.5-P1. For Mac OS X v10.5.4 systems, BIND is updated to version 9.4.2-P1.' It also closes the script-based local privilege escalation vulnerabilities, the most common examples of which were ARDAgent and SecurityAgent, and addresses other less-publicized security issues as well." A few days back we noted Apple's tardiness in fixing their corner of this Net-wide issue.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Aug 2008 | 12:48 pm Celebrity Squares: Lucy Porter hates her NokiaWhat's your favourite piece of technology? My Bosch Classixx 1400 Express washing machine, and matching dryer. How has it improved your life? My landlady has put it in the flat, because I'm renting, and...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 12:44 pm India's 3G Spectrum Policy Allows Foreign Bids (PC World)PC World - New Indian guidelines for the auction of 3G spectrum permit foreign bidders.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 1 Aug 2008 | 12:40 pm Jerry Yang prepares for showdown with Yahoo investorsYahoo chief executive Jerry Yang faces another test of his leadership today as he prepares for a showdown with angry investors at the company's annual general meeting. He will have to quell a rebellion...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 12:39 pm DHS Allowed To Take Laptops Indefinitelyandy1307 writes with a Washington Post story giving details of Department of Homeland Security policies for border searches of laptops and other electronic devices (as well as papers). (We have been discussing border searches for a while now.) DHS says such procedures have long been in place but were "disclosed last month because of public interest in the matter," according to the article. Here is a link to the policy (PDF, 5 pages). "Federal agents may take a traveler's laptop or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed. Also, officials may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption, or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, US Customs and Border Protection and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement... DHS officials said that the newly disclosed policies — which apply to anyone entering the country, including US citizens — are reasonable and necessary to prevent terrorism... The policies cover 'any device capable of storing information in digital or analog form,' including hard drives, flash drives, cell phones, iPods, pagers, beepers, and video and audio tapes. They also cover 'all papers and other written documentation,' including books, pamphlets and 'written materials commonly referred to as "pocket trash..."'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Aug 2008 | 12:08 pm Eclipse blankets Russia; thousands watch in awe - Reuters
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 1 Aug 2008 | 12:01 pm In-flight Cell Ban Advances In Congressnarramissic writes "The awkwardly named Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace (HANG UP) Act was approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on a voice vote Thursday. The bill would make permanent the long-standing ban on in-flight cell phone calls by the FAA and FCC. 'Polls show the public overwhelmingly doesn't want to be subjected to people talking on their cell phones on increasingly over-packed airplanes. However, with Internet access just around the corner on U.S. flights, it won't be long before the ban on voice communications on in-flight planes is lifted,' said Representative Peter DeFazio, a Democrat from Oregon who co-sponsored the HANG UP Act in a statement. 'Cash-strapped airlines could end up charging some passengers to use their phones while charging others to sit in a phone-free section of the plane,' he said."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Aug 2008 | 11:01 am Why Facebook left 'Scrabulous' alone - CNET News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 1 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Nortel posts bigger 2Q loss on chargesCanadian telecommunications equipment maker Nortel Networks Corp. on Friday said it posted a bigger second-quarter loss on higher restructuring charges and expenses that outpaced sales growth.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 10:48 am BBtv WORLD: Through the eyes of the pueblo. (Guatemala)
Watch this episode in Flash above, or download here: MP4 link. BBtv WORLD is our recently-launched series on Boing Boing tv featuring first-person views of life around the globe. This third episode in our series is the last of a three-part report I filed from a K'iche Maya community in Guatemala. Few foreigners come to this village at 10,000 feet in the highlands. Most glimpses we have of remote indigenous communities like this are through the lenses of outsiders -- like myself. But how better to see their story than through the eyes of the people themselves? Before I left the US for this pueblo a few weeks ago, we asked two companies that produce small, inexpensive, USB camcorders -- Pure Digital (makers of the Flip) and RCA (makers of the Small Wonder) -- to donate a few devices. I brought them to the village, so that some of the adults and young people here could explore what is possible with the tools of video storytelling in their own hands. Today's BBtv WORLD is the result: stories shot by the K'iche people in this village. The world they see around them, through their own eyes and in their own language. Some of what the children shot really surprised me. They caught on right away, faster even than the adults, and quickly taught each other how to record and play back video. Some of them seemed to transform into instant YouTube stars -- new alter-egos showed up out of nowhere. One boy we'd come to know as quiet and well-mannered over the course of many previous visits here shot himself throwing gang signs against the sunlight, like shadow puppets, while he walked a path that leads to a Mayan altar. Another girl who was very shy with us in person recorded video of herself making outrageous silly faces, and speaking in a boisterous, confident voice to her new handheld lens. When I downloaded the footage from their devices, I felt as if I were seeing this place, and these people, for the first time.
Previous BBtv WORLD episodes:
Sponsorship note: The BBtv crew wishes to thank Microsoft for underwriting this episode, and generously supporting the launch of the "BBtv World" series. In this ongoing video series, we will be looking at the intersection of social causes & technology around the world from a number of perspectives. Through their new "i’m Initiative," Microsoft shares a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world’s most important social causes when users email or IM with tools such as Windows Live™ Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail®. For more information, visit imtalkathon.com or im.live.com.
Source: Boing Boing | 1 Aug 2008 | 10:22 am China relaxes internet censorship for OlympicsChina has lifted blocks on long-barred websites for journalists after coming under fire over censorship. The move, which followed overnight talks with the International Olympic Committee, means that sites...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 9:36 am UK P2P Fight Brewingforunder writes "Zeropaid has been covering a very hot topic going on in the UK right now. The government, prodded by entertainment lobbyists, has gotten six UK ISPs to agree to help police piracy on their networks. A leaked government letter says they are looking to cut internet piracy by 80%. In the same week Microsoft released a study which found that some 54% of UK file sharers are between 11-16. The UK's Green Party has already spoken up, calling the new policies an 'Attack on Civil Liberties.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Aug 2008 | 8:39 am Video: Water on MarsNasa scientists confirm water has been found on Mars in a soil sample taken by the Phoenix landerSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 8:22 am Alok Jha on why algae could be used as a fuelAlok Jha on claims that fuel made from algae may power cars of the futureSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 7:53 am Nintendo Wii outsells PS3 3-to-1 in Japan in July (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 1 Aug 2008 | 7:36 am Chemistry set ad from the pre-War-on-Fun days Ah, just look at this fantastic artifact from the innocent era before the War on Fun kicked off -- a beautiful big bangy chemistry set, advertised in the September, 1955 Popular Mechanics. Are you looking for a WONDERFUL FUTURE that can start at home right now? The NATIONAL SCHOOL OF CHEMISTRY offers a fascinating: correspondence course in PRACTICAL CHEMISTRY which will give you a wonderful education that can be used almost immediately to increase your income and your position in life, with prospects of a GLORIOUS FUTURE!CHEMISTRY - BIG LABORATORY GIVEN FREE! (Sep, 1955) Source: Boing Boing | 1 Aug 2008 | 7:30 am There's water on Mars, NASA confirmsTests performed on the Phoenix lander offer definitive proof, scientists say. It is the first time any spacecraft has discovered water on another planet. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Judge misdials in Sprint ruling on early termination fees (CNET)CNET - A California state judge handed down a surprising and oddly reasoned verdict Thursday: Sprint Nextel's early termination fees for cell phone customers are illegal.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 1 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Software Backs Up Human MemoryCWmike writes "Ever try to remember who you bumped into at the store a few days back? Well, you're not alone. And IBM researchers are working on software that just may help you better recollect all the forgotten pieces of your life. This week, the company unveiled Pensieve, software that stores images, sounds, and text on everyday mobile devices, then allows the user extract them later on, to help them recall names, faces, conversations and events. IBM's project is akin to one that Gordon Bell and other scientists at Microsoft Research have been working on for the past nine years."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Aug 2008 | 5:53 am Doctorow and Scalzi talk YA science fiction -- video part 2Tor and Expanded Books have released part two of the video interview/book trailer they shot with me and John Scalzi, talking about our new young adult novels -- my Little Brother and John's Zoe's Tale, which comes out in three weeks. The Expanded People really cut nice stuff -- I laughed even harder watching the video than I did when we were shooting it! Sci-Fi Juggernauts Meet Up - Part 2
See also: Scalzi and I talk about our latest books -- video
Source: Boing Boing | 1 Aug 2008 | 5:47 am Profile of an NRA spy who infiltrated gun-control groupsMother Jones Magazine has outed a private spy named Mary Lou Sapone AKA Mary Lou McFate, who infiltrated various gun-control groups on behalf of the NRA, posing as a fiery activist, spying on her friends, and writing reports on them so that the NRA could undermine their work.Hohlt recalled several recent episodes in which McFate maneuvered to place herself in the middle of issues important to the NRA and others in the gun lobby. One occurred this spring, when the London-based International Action Network on Small Arms was trying to persuade American gun control groups to attend a July meeting at the United Nations on small-arms control. (A 2001 UN conference ended up establishing a program weaker than gun control advocates had desired, thanks to the intervention of the Bush administration, which had been lobbied by the NRA.) States United to Prevent Gun Violence had never before been involved with international gun control issues. And to participate in the UN meeting, it had to apply for credentials. Hohlt says McFate pushed her to file for them. Hohlt did so, and McFate ended up being able to learn what the anti-gun forces were planning for the UN session—including the delegates they intended to lobby, and the arguments they would highlight.There's Something About Mary: Unmasking a Gun Lobby Mole (via Beyond the Beyond) Source: Boing Boing | 1 Aug 2008 | 5:43 am Public Knowledge's "Selectable Output Control" video -- show this to your friends and get them to take actionThe good folks at Public Knowledge have produced a fantastic video explaining the MPAA's "Selectable Output Control" proposal -- the idea that a TV show should be able to disable parts of your home theater (for example, if MTV is worried that your Dolby sound outputs might be used to record the audio portion of music videos, they could shut down those outputs and only allow you to hear sound via the speakers in your TV).Selectable Output Control (via Lawgeek) Source: Boing Boing | 1 Aug 2008 | 5:36 am Readercon's Steampunk panel - the podcastJake von Slatt sez, "I am fortunate to work with someone who has been involved with ReaderCon, the annual literary science fiction convention in Massachusetts, and when he mentioned that there would be a Steampunk panel I begged for audio! The podcast adds up to fifty minutes of intense, fun engagement with the movement."Readercon is an annual, literary science fiction convention in Burlington, Massachusetts. This year, it included a panel on steampunk, recorded for podcast here.Podcast: Steampunk Panel at ReaderCon (Thanks, Jake!) Source: Boing Boing | 1 Aug 2008 | 5:32 am ComicCon's best Star Wars costumes Bonnie sez, "When you’re at San Diego Comic-Con, it’s nearly impossible to walk more than a few feet and not run into a fan in costume. Every year the convention center is flooded with various versions of superheroes, video game characters, horror film icons, pirates, steampunk kids, vampires, werewolves, manga and anime favorites, food mascots and of course lots and lots of Star Wars characters. Even though it seemed the Joker costumes dominated the con, the 501st and Rebel Legion were out in full force, as were fans dressed as Yoda, Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Jedi and even a couple of TIE Fighters. Here’s a recap of some of the best costumes we spotted." Comic-Con: Best Star Wars Costumes (Thanks, Bonnie!) Source: Boing Boing | 1 Aug 2008 | 5:30 am Large Hadron Rap, best supercollider rap everBrookynTwang sez, "Check out this video for the Large Hadron Rap, by far the greatest physics rap of all time. The flow is halfway decent, and it accurately covers a lot of knowledge related to particle physics and the LHC. Its by AlpineKat, alter-ego of a science writer currently working at the LHC."
Oh that's fantastic! I got to tour Cern and the LHC last week and got a ton of great pics, and came away with the impression that if this thing causes the universe to wink out of existence, it'll have been worth it.
Large Hadron Rap, My photos from Cern Source: Boing Boing | 1 Aug 2008 | 5:28 am Sex Drive Leaves Wired.com, Regina Lynn Says B4NI miss you already. Leaving Sex Drive is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Over the past five years, this column has become such a core part of me that I don't quite know how to let go. And yet, after much soul-searching and many discussions with trusted advisers, I know the time has come to plunge with my whole heart into a few other pursuits. These demand a focus and an energy I cannot muster without compromising Sex Drive. I have much sympathy for the proverbial cobbler and his unshod children – relationships deserve time too, along with exciting projects. But I think I've done what I set out to do here: Discuss sex in an intelligent way, from a perspective that -- as recently as two years ago -- was so offbeat, even other sex writers had to ask me what I meant by "sex and tech." Wired News took a big chance in adding a sex column to its lineup and, if I may be immodest for a moment, I think it worked out pretty damn well. (Thanks, Kourosh.) I hope I've been able to serve as a gateway between us regular folks and people on the forefront of modern sexuality. I hope I've helped plant the seeds of a more positive and relaxed approach to sex, particularly as our most intimate lives become more entwined with our technologies. As I accidentally told one reporter, I'm a tech-positive columnist who writes about sex. He liked the sound bite and I cringed, but I have to admit, it's true. I am proud of what we've done together over the years -- yes, we, for Sex Drive would not be what it is without your comments, e-mails, interviews, conversations, flames and blogs -- to show that sex tech is not all about fear and politics. I've tried to emphasize how sex tech touches each of us personally: It's not just a social movement, it's an everyday experience for us, individually and as lovers, spouses, partners. This sex tech stuff is serious! I hope I have provided you with a laugh now and then. I don't know where I'll pop up next, although I assure (or threaten) you that you've not read the last of me. I don't consider myself a true blogger -- I don't think fast enough on my feet, for one thing -- but I do blog a few times a week at reginalynn.com. I've become braver about sharing my fiction. I'm still reporting on sex (and sex tech) in the news on Tuesdays at Playboy Radio. And, of course, you can always find me in my books. Thank you for sharing your Fridays with me. I'll be seeing you, Regina Lynn - - - Regina Lynn will always love you. It's not you, it's her. You'll meet a new sex-tech columnist who makes you happy, and then you'll realize that this is for the best, despite the mutual heartbreak and shattered expectations. Really.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 1 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am Meet the Next Rocky Horrors: Tarantino's Hell Ride and Four Other Freaky FlicksThink "midnight movie," and John Waters' Pink Flamingos or David Lynch's Eraserhead likely springs to mind. These '70s experimental flicks — deemed too raw and weird for mainstream audiences — flopped on initial theatrical release only to creep back as late-night fare. Now there's a new crop of films taking the express route to cultdom. Rather than banking on big box-office draw, these movies are playing up their fringe appeal with witching-hour screenings. Among them is the Quentin Tarantino-produced biker bloodbath homage Hell Ride, starring Larry Bishop, Dennis Hopper, and Michael Madsen (out August 8). "The thing you don't want," says writer-director Bishop, "is people walking out of the theater and going, 'That was nice.' This movie is not nice." Here's the next wave of outlandish night-frights invading a theater near you.
1: Hell Ride
2: Sukiyaki Western Django
3: The Midnight Meat Train
4: Big Man
5: Speed Racer
Source: Wired Top Stories | 1 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am Aug. 1, 1949: FCC Gets In on Cable TV1949: A secretary at the Federal Communications Commission sends a letter to cable pioneer Ed Parsons in Astoria, Oregon, asking him to explain his community-antenna television system. It's the first-known FCC involvement in cable TV. Parsons was a radio engineer and station owner who'd worked in Alaska, Washington and Oregon. He and his wife saw television demonstrated at a broadcasters' convention in Chicago in 1947. Mrs. Parsons wanted one of the new-fangled gizmos, and Ed bought one when Seattle's KRSC-TV, Channel 5, announced plans in the spring of 1948 to go on the air. Parsons had to figure out a way to receive the TV signals from Seattle 120 miles away to Astoria, near the mouth of the Columbia River. He rigged a large antenna atop the Astoria Hotel and ran a coaxial cable across the street to his apartment. He got it working November 25. Problem solved. Problem created: The apartment was the only place in town that could pick up the signal from Seattle, and soon friends, neighbors and total strangers were crowding into the Parsons' living room to watch the modern marvel. Parsons was nearly driven out of house and home: "People would drive for hundreds of miles to see television. We had gotten considerable publicity …. And when people drove down from Portland or came from The Dalles or from Klamath Falls to see television, you couldn't tell them no." He ran another cable from the hotel roof down to a TV set in the hotel lobby. So many people clogged the lobby that they got in the way of the hotel's paying guests. Parsons began running cable to other people's homes. Problem solved, industry born. The Cable Center says Parsons charged the people he hooked up only for his materials and labor, never exacting a subscription fee. But MSNBC reports that Parsons charged $125 ($1,150 in today's money) for installation, plus $3 ($27.50 today) a month for service. The Cable Center credits Parsons with inventing cable TV, because his system, completed in February 1949, was the first in the United States to use "coaxial cable, amplifiers and a community antenna to deliver television signals to an area that otherwise would not have been able to receive broadcast television signals." Nonetheless, the center notes that Jim Davidson beat Parsons to the punch with the first cable program: the Tennessee vs. Mississippi college football game on November 13, 1948. In any event, FCC secretary T.J. Slowie wrote to Parsons on August 1, 1949, requesting "full information with respect to the nature of the system you may have developed and may be operating." Parsons complied, and an FCC attorney eventually concluded that CATV was a common carrier, subject to FCC jurisdiction. The commission, however, didn't adopt his recommendation, and it would be 1965 before the FCC decided to regulate cable TV. Source: Cable Center, MSNBC
Source: Wired Top Stories | 1 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am Laptops With Certain NVidia Chips FailingEukariote writes "An estimated 18 million laptops with NVidia G84 and G86 graphics chips sold in the past one and a half years are experiencing high failure rates. Various laptop models from multiple manufacturers (Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and others) are affected. NVidia blames it on bad chip packaging causing thermal failure. BIOS updates that turn the laptop fan on more frequently or permanently have been released by Dell and HP. The cynical interpretation is that this is likely to only delay the problem until the warranty has expired."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Aug 2008 | 3:02 am NYT Explores the World of Internet Trollsprostoalex writes "New York Times magazine explores the history and status quo of Internet trolling. They look at the early days of Usenet trolling, current anonymous forums, and social networking pages as the latest venues for trolls: 'In the late 1980s, Internet users adopted the word troll to denote someone who intentionally disrupts online communities. Early trolling was relatively innocuous, taking place inside of small, single-topic Usenet groups. The trolls employed what the M.I.T. professor Judith Donath calls a pseudo-naïve tactic, asking stupid questions and seeing who would rise to the bait. The game was to find out who would see through this stereotypical newbie behavior, and who would fall for it. As one guide to trolldom puts it, If you don't fall for the joke, you get to be in on it.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Aug 2008 | 1:18 am The War Against Virtual Beer PongMichelle Shildkret, 360i on behalf of TIME.com writes "JV Games was all set to release 'Beer Pong' for the Nintendo Wii when parents and lawmakers got a whiff, forcibly renaming the game to Pong Toss and filling its pixelated cups with water instead. But the game is still rated 'T' for teen, and anybody who encounters it will be able to draw clear conclusions as to its intended purpose (drink and get drunk)." Lesson: Don't play games that simulate drinking before you play games that simulate driving, or larceny.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Aug 2008 | 12:03 am Shimano Shuns Cables for Full Electronic ShiftingJapanese parts manufacturer Shimano is launching an electronic shifting system for high-end road bikes that it claims will vastly improve performance and reduce maintenance. By replacing the conventional levers that pull wound-steel cables through protective housings with solid-state switches and rubber-coated wires, there's no chance for road gunk to clog things up and interfere with shifting, or, for that matter, your post-ride beer. The principle of an electronically controlled drive train is to execute perfect shifts every time, thus "reducing mental overhead," in the words of Shimano marketing manager Devin Walton. This is a resource cyclists find in short supply during epic rides. Thursday's announcement that the system, called Di2, will hit shops in January 2009 settles a question first raised in 2005 when prototypes began cropping up on the bikes of select Shimano-sponsored racers in the pro peloton. The system's development has been photographed, chronicled and Angsted over ever since. But if the existence of electronic shifting comes as no surprise, its weigh-in certainly should. During a recent telephone interview, an industry insider who spoke on condition of anonymity stopped cold amid a why-do-we-need-this diatribe, upon learning that Di2 weighs less than Shimano's current generation of parts. According to the company, Di2 will be 67 grams lighter than the current Dura-Ace 7800 and only 68 grams heavier than Dura-Ace 7900, the snazzy forthcoming 2009 suite of parts. "I'll be going to hell," said the source, who then fell silent -- no doubt converting grams to ounces to fractions of a pound to the limitless advantages of such weight savings. That's at least an extra Clif Bar. 
Di2's front derailleur automatically adjusts itself so the chain doesn't rub as you shift.
Shimano plans to offer the electronic setup as an upgrade option within the 7900 group -- which is preselling for $2,600 -- so parts such as the two-tone cranks and brakes will be the same. (No word yet on the additional cost for electric; it could be double.) Di2 consists of two brake-and-shift levers, two derailleurs whose springs have been replaced by servo-motors, a 7.4-volt lithium-ion battery pack, and the wiring harness that connects everything. The derailleurs, whose job is to move the chain from gear to gear as you shift, talk to each other and automatically adjust so the chain doesn't rub. They also calibrate themselves, so you don't have to play with cable tension to maintain shift quality as cables stretch and the chain and cogs wear. And although the control buttons have been placed in the traditional location behind the brake levers -- so as not to confuse anyone or overly tax that mental overhead -- they could be integrated with the ends of time-trial bars, the top of the handlebars or just about anywhere a rider might find convenient. Still, the advantage that people who've experienced the system talk about is how little effort it takes to change gears. A quick nudge to one of the shift switches signals a motorized worm gear in the derailleur to instantly move the precise amount it needs to. Fractions of a second later, the chain snaps into position. Chris d'Aluisio, director of advanced research and development for Specialized, likens the difference between mechanical and electric shifting to the difference between driving a race car with a manual transmission and one with F-1 style paddle shifters. "You can stay on the gas and flip through the gears with no hesitation," said d'Aluisio. "It's seamless power." Frankie Andreu, who raced in nine Tours de France, described the shifting as "immediate and very smooth and accurate.... It's super nice." Even my curmudgeonly unidentified source said, "The shifting is mind-blowing: I mean, you just touch the button, and it shifts." 
The shift buttons are located in the traditional place -- behind the brake levers -- but they could go anywhere without affecting the performance of the system.
But let's not lose perspective. Shimano isn't the first company to attempt electronic shifting. Mavic introduced Zap in 1994 and then a wireless version called Mektronic in 2000, neither of which survived. Zap's wires proved to be less than waterproof, and Mektronic was finicky to set up properly. Shimano, notorious for its rigorous testing gauntlet, is betting that its engineers have solved the electricity problem -- and so is Campagnolo, a competitor that is on a similar development path but has yet to announce when it will release its system. The crux of the engineering challenge is making the battery light yet long-lasting, so Shimano's engineers turned to the hardest-working part in any shifting system: the front derailleur. It's also the most temperamental, with a nasty habit of dropping or jamming the chain if the rider doesn't modulate his tempo properly while shifting. (Mavic didn't even go there -- only the rear was electric.) To be fair, the front derailleur has the notably tough job of moving a chain under heavy load between two gears of dramatically different sizes, moving at different speeds. The Di2 crew knew going in that it would require three or four times the juice of the rear derailleur. So, when Shimano started out in 2003, the initial strategy was to throw a bunch of power at the problem, and take advantage of the servo-motor's massive torque. But this came at too high a cost, according to former Olympian Wayne Stetina, a Shimano vice president whose primary job is to test equipment and provide feedback to the engineers in Japan. "As I recall, in 2004 we had a much larger battery that went dead on me several times during long rides," said Stetina, who has logged 19,000 miles on various iterations of Di2. "It couldn't last more than three or four hours between charges, and the battery pack and control system weighed nearly a pound." 
Shimano claims that the 7.4-volt lithium-ion battery will go 1,000 kilometers between charges.
That wasn't going to fly in a sport where grams can translate directly into seconds. The trick would be to conserve power, not squander it. Shimano's engineers redesigned the geometry of the front-derailleur to amplify the force, so they could get the necessary output with far less input. The greater leverage of the new derailleur allowed for a much smaller battery and ultimately shaved half a pound off the system. Stetina claims the battery consistently lasts 2,000 miles between charges (which takes 90 minutes). Officially, Shimano says the battery will last for 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). The front derailleur doesn't actually move with more force or more speed, as you might assume. It does receive the signal to shift faster than you can send one by cranking on your lever and fighting against friction, spring tension and a lesser mechanical advantage. More important, it should do the same exact thing, every time, without needing to be coaxed or cursed. Powered as it is by an electric motor, the front derailleur simply moves a calibrated distance when it's told. "It just jams the chain into the big ring, no matter how much load is on it," d'Aluisio said. "You don't lose any momentum, and your legs never stall." Road-bike aficionados are much like trout: simultaneously enthralled and mortified by anything shiny and new that enters their environment. And so it's not surprising that the first two questions people tend to ask about Di2 are: 1) What if the battery dies? and 2) What if it gets wet? Stetina believes he's personally answered the first. And besides, he said, there is a battery meter on the Flight Deck computer (which includes heart rate, altimeter, inclinometer, calorie counter and the ability to download all these details to your PC after the ride). His unscientific-though-admirable strategy for testing the waterproofness of the system has been to blast the components with the high-pressure hose at a coin-op car wash. Presumably Shimano's engineers in Japan have more-traditional testing methods. The company prides itself on systems engineering, and has been working on this set of components for more than five years. How will it work? You can find out for yourself when Di2 goes on sale in January. Call us when you've put 12,000 miles on it.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 1 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am Shimano Shuns Cables for Full Electronic ShiftingJapanese parts manufacturer Shimano is launching an electronic shifting system for high-end road bikes that it claims will vastly improve performance and reduce maintenance. By replacing the conventional levers that pull wound-steel cables through protective housings with solid-state switches and rubber-coated wires, there's no chance for road gunk to clog things up and interfere with shifting, or, for that matter, your post-ride beer. The principle of an electronically controlled drive train is to execute perfect shifts every time, thus "reducing mental overhead," in the words of Shimano marketing manager Devin Walton. This is a resource cyclists find in short supply during epic rides. Thursday's announcement that the system, called Di2, will hit shops in January 2009 settles a question first raised in 2005 when prototypes began cropping up on the bikes of select Shimano-sponsored racers in the pro peloton. The system's development has been photographed, chronicled and Angsted over ever since. But if the existence of electronic shifting comes as no surprise, its weigh-in certainly should. During a recent telephone interview, an industry insider who spoke on condition of anonymity stopped cold amid a why-do-we-need-this diatribe, upon learning that Di2 weighs less than Shimano's current generation of parts. According to the company, Di2 will be 67 grams lighter than the current Dura-Ace 7800 and only 68 grams heavier than Dura-Ace 7900, the snazzy forthcoming 2009 suite of parts. "I'll be going to hell," said the source, who then fell silent -- no doubt converting grams to ounces to fractions of a pound to the limitless advantages of such weight savings. That's at least an extra Clif Bar.
Di2's front derailleur automatically adjusts itself so the chain doesn't rub as you shift.
Shimano plans to offer the electronic setup as an upgrade option within the 7900 group -- which is preselling for $2,600 -- so parts such as the two-tone cranks and brakes will be the same. (No word yet on the additional cost for electric; it could be double.) Di2 consists of two brake-and-shift levers, two derailleurs whose springs have been replaced by servo-motors, a 7.4-volt lithium-ion battery pack, and the wiring harness that connects everything. The derailleurs, whose job is to move the chain from gear to gear as you shift, talk to each other and automatically adjust so the chain doesn't rub. They also calibrate themselves, so you don't have to play with cable tension to maintain shift quality as cables stretch and the chain and cogs wear. And although the control buttons have been placed in the traditional location behind the brake levers -- so as not to confuse anyone or overly tax that mental overhead -- they could be integrated with the ends of time-trial bars, the top of the handlebars or just about anywhere a rider might find convenient. Still, the advantage that people who've experienced the system talk about is how little effort it takes to change gears. A quick nudge to one of the shift switches signals a motorized worm gear in the derailleur to instantly move the precise amount it needs to. Fractions of a second later, the chain snaps into position. Chris d'Aluisio, director of advanced research and development for Specialized, likens the difference between mechanical and electric shifting to the difference between driving a race car with a manual transmission and one with F-1 style paddle shifters. "You can stay on the gas and flip through the gears with no hesitation," said d'Aluisio. "It's seamless power." Frankie Andreu, who raced in nine Tours de France, described the shifting as "immediate and very smooth and accurate.... It's super nice." Even my curmudgeonly unidentified source said, "The shifting is mind-blowing: I mean, you just touch the button, and it shifts."
The shift buttons are located in the traditional place -- behind the brake levers -- but they could go anywhere without affecting the performance of the system.
But let's not lose perspective. Shimano isn't the first company to attempt electronic shifting. Mavic introduced Zap in 1994 and then a wireless version called Mektronic in 2000, neither of which survived. Zap's wires proved to be less than waterproof, and Mektronic was finicky to set up properly. Shimano, notorious for its rigorous testing gauntlet, is betting that its engineers have solved the electricity problem -- and so is Campagnolo, a competitor that is on a similar development path but has yet to announce when it will release its system. The crux of the engineering challenge is making the battery light yet long-lasting, so Shimano's engineers turned to the hardest-working part in any shifting system: the front derailleur. It's also the most temperamental, with a nasty habit of dropping or jamming the chain if the rider doesn't modulate his tempo properly while shifting. (Mavic didn't even go there -- only the rear was electric.) To be fair, the front derailleur has the notably tough job of moving a chain under heavy load between two gears of dramatically different sizes, moving at different speeds. The Di2 crew knew going in that it would require three or four times the juice of the rear derailleur. So, when Shimano started out in 2003, the initial strategy was to throw a bunch of power at the problem, and take advantage of the servo-motor's massive torque. But this came at too high a cost, according to former Olympian Wayne Stetina, a Shimano vice president whose primary job is to test equipment and provide feedback to the engineers in Japan. "As I recall, in 2004 we had a much larger battery that went dead on me several times during long rides," said Stetina, who has logged 19,000 miles on various iterations of Di2. "It couldn't last more than three or four hours between charges, and the battery pack and control system weighed nearly a pound."
Shimano claims that the 7.4-volt lithium-ion battery will go 1,000 kilometers between charges.
That wasn't going to fly in a sport where grams can translate directly into seconds. The trick would be to conserve power, not squander it. Shimano's engineers redesigned the geometry of the front-derailleur to amplify the force, so they could get the necessary output with far less input. The greater leverage of the new derailleur allowed for a much smaller battery and ultimately shaved half a pound off the system. Stetina claims the battery consistently lasts 2,000 miles between charges (which takes 90 minutes). Officially, Shimano says the battery will last for 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). The front derailleur doesn't actually move with more force or more speed, as you might assume. It does receive the signal to shift faster than you can send one by cranking on your lever and fighting against friction, spring tension and a lesser mechanical advantage. More important, it should do the same exact thing, every time, without needing to be coaxed or cursed. Powered as it is by an electric motor, the front derailleur simply moves a calibrated distance when it's told. "It just jams the chain into the big ring, no matter how much load is on it," d'Aluisio said. "You don't lose any momentum, and your legs never stall." Road-bike aficionados are much like trout: simultaneously enthralled and mortified by anything shiny and new that enters their environment. And so it's not surprising that the first two questions people tend to ask about Di2 are: 1) What if the battery dies? and 2) What if it gets wet? Stetina believes he's personally answered the first. And besides, he said, there is a battery meter on the Flight Deck computer (which includes heart rate, altimeter, inclinometer, calorie counter and the ability to download all these details to your PC after the ride). His unscientific-though-admirable strategy for testing the waterproofness of the system has been to blast the components with the high-pressure hose at a coin-op car wash. Presumably Shimano's engineers in Japan have more-traditional testing methods. The company prides itself on systems engineering, and has been working on this set of components for more than five years. How will it work? You can find out for yourself when Di2 goes on sale in January. Call us when you've put 12,000 miles on it. Source: Wired: Gadgets | 1 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am Lawmaker Crying Foul Ahead of FCC Net-Neutrality DecisionHouse minority leader Rep. John Boehner is criticizing Friday's expected censure of Comcast by the Federal Communications Commission for throttling BitTorrent traffic to manage congestion. Boehner, in a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, said the move is akin to "essentially regulating the internet." Digital rights groups, however, are already praising the upcoming decision.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 31 Jul 2008 | 11:02 pm New In Rainbows' Numbers Offer Lessons for Music IndustryA British economist teamed with a firm that measures file sharing to show that Radiohead's 'pay what you want' album release strategy was a success, despite millions of copies being traded online.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 31 Jul 2008 | 10:11 pm SLIDESHOW: The Disappearing Great MigrationsThese animals know no boundaries. Can conservation keep up?Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 31 Jul 2008 | 9:41 pm Patch Open Source SoftwareSometimes the software you download doesn't do exactly what you want it to do. Luckily, open source software permits you to adapt, or patch, the code to your liking. Downloading and applying a patch sounds like a formidable task, but it's not. It just takes a few lines of command line hackery. Fix your favorite software with this tutorial.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 31 Jul 2008 | 9:21 pm How to Turn Anything Into a ScreenplayYou may fancy yourself a screenwriter, but have only your household pet as a muse. No problem. According to screenwriting guru Robert McKee, you can make any idea into a screenplay easily if you just follow some basic dramatic rules. Pull out a typewriter and some white paper and lets get started.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 31 Jul 2008 | 8:12 pm Need Exercise? Pop a Pill (If You're a Mouse)A newly developed drug triggers sweat-free calorie burning in sedentary mice.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 31 Jul 2008 | 7:09 pm The $46,616.47 Oil Change and Size-22 Carbon FootprintSomeone with more money than sense flies his Lamborghini from Qatar to Britain for an oil change. Environmentalists want the guy's head, but Britain's Lamborghini club can't see what all the fuss is about.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 31 Jul 2008 | 6:38 pm Alfresco Wants to Stand in for SharePoint Server (PC World)PC World - Open-source content management vendor Alfresco can now stand in for SharePoint server.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 31 Jul 2008 | 5:40 pm Universe's Spiral Galaxy Population EvolvingSpiral galaxies with central bars of stars are becoming increasingly common.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 31 Jul 2008 | 5:24 pm Review: Svelte Samsung Slider Has a Mighty Morphin' Touch ScreenWe've seen a lot of phones with touchscreens. We've seen even more with physical buttons. What we haven't seen is a phone with both a physical buttons and an OLED touchscreen that actually works. The Samsung U900 has both of these things plus a 5-megapixel digicam to boot.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 31 Jul 2008 | 5:00 pm Celestial Clock Tracked Olympic GamesA 2,100-year-old calculator tracked celestial events and dates of Olympic games.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 31 Jul 2008 | 2:05 pm Great Migrations Deserve Protection, Say ExpertsThe fading glory of migration is an environmental tragedy, say scientists.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 31 Jul 2008 | 1:41 pm
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