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Coming attractions: Whatever they call it, it spells 'Doom' (USATODAY.com)USATODAY.com - Game developer id Software has begun working on the next Doom game, Pierce Brosnan is stealing away for another Affair, and Sarah McLachlan will be out with a Best of CD in October.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 4 Aug 2008 | 12:19 pm Final Fantasy XIII demo coming in March in Japan - NetworkWorld.com
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Aug 2008 | 12:17 pm After sun, it will be moon eclipse on Aug 17 - Times of India
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Aug 2008 | 12:13 pm Science Weekly: Magic, the Brain, and Doping at the OlympicsJames Randerson discusses magic, the brain and doping at the Olympics with the help of special guest Julian Savulescu. Plus the exercise drug, and what happens when particle physics meets hip hop.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 12:13 pm Mozilla SSL Policy Considered Bad For the WebChandon Seldon writes "The issue of digital certificates for SSL and the policies surrounding them comes up repeatedly. I've written an article criticizing the behavior in Firefox 3, which includes a serious comparison of the current Mozilla policy — restricting encrypted HTTP to paying customers — to a violation of net neutrality."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 4 Aug 2008 | 12:05 pm Apple pulls posted pulled iPhone modem app - Register
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:56 am Apple bails out of Black Hat gig - Inquirer
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:46 am Netbytes: Jack Schofield reviews HubPagesYou may have heard a lot about Google's Knol recently, but you have probably never heard of HubPages. This is a pity, because while Knol is based on the same idea - inviting users to create pages on topics...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:45 am Telegraph makes mobile content freeTelegraph.co.uk is switching from a paid-for to a free mobile content offering with the launch today of a new version of its site offering news, sport and travel articles for readers to access from 3G...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:24 am Nvidia denies chipset farewell - Register
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:22 am Gameloft Releases Wild West Guns for WiiWarePARIS, August 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gameloft(R), a leading developer and publisher of console and mobile games, announced today the launch of Wild West Guns, a fun...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:08 am NovaShield, Inc. Launches NovaShield AntiMalware Version 2.0 With 90-Day Free TrialBreakthrough specification-based monitoring approach from University of Wisconsin research provides signature-less real time protection against emerging and unknown threatsSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:01 am Giant Wireless Technology Selects DSP Group's New XpandR Platform for its Digital Home Multimedia ProductsXpandR, a wireless multimedia SoC solution, to drive Giant's innovative multimedia terminals for the digital home SAN JOSE, Calif., and HONG KONG, Aug. 4...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Launches Mobile Gift Center1-800-FLOWERS.COM announces a convenient way for BlackBerry users to shop on the go! CARLE PLACE, N.Y., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/-- 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, INC. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Yucheng Technologies Provides Leading E-Banking Solution to Bank of NingboBEIJING, Aug. 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Yucheng Technologies Limited (Nasdaq: YTEC), a leading provider of IT solutions and services to China's banking...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Verint and NICE Systems Resolve Patent DisputesRA'ANANA, Israel and MELVILLE, New York, August 4 /PRNewswire/ -- NICE Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: NICE) and Verint Systems Inc. (VRNT.PK), today announced that they have...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Nexenta Enhances NexentaStor With API and SDK and Free Plug-in CapabilitiesPALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexenta Systems, Inc., developer of NexentaStor(TM), the leading open storage solution based upon the revolutionary file system...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Yucheng Technologies Announces Conference Call on August 18, 2008 for Unaudited Financial Results of the Three-Month Period Ended June 30, 2008BEIJING, Aug. 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Yucheng Technologies Limited (Nasdaq: YTEC), a leading provider of IT solutions and services to China's banking...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am AbsolutelyNew Names Harvard Professor, Staples Founder to Advisory BoardNew Board Member Hart Also Serving on Kraft, Office Depot Boards SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- AbsolutelyNew, Inc. has appointed href="Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am CEVA, Inc. Announces Stock Repurchase ProgramSAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CEVA, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEVA); (LSE: CVA), a leading licensor of silicon intellectual property (SIP) DSP cores and platformSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Sony 'to invest 40 bln yen in batteries' (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 4 Aug 2008 | 10:56 am FCC hauls Comcast over the coals - Inquirer
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Aug 2008 | 10:47 am Intel Reveals More on the Larrabee - Techtree.com
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Aug 2008 | 10:37 am Beijing Olympics gets official YouTube channelThe Beijing Olympics will be broadcast online to more than 70 territories using a dedicated YouTube channel in a bid to help deter illegal viewing of the event on the internet. Beijing games organiser...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 10:28 am Dow Jones launches global Dow, India indexDow Jones will launch two new indexes, the Global Dow and a blue-chip index for India, News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch announced Monday in India's financial capital, Mumbai.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 9:57 am Online Website Backup Options?pdcull writes "I can't be the only person on the planet who has this problem: I have a couple of websites, with around 2 GB of space in use on my hosting provider, plus a few MySQL databases. I need to keep up-to-date backups, as my host provides only a minimal backup function. However, with a Net connection that only gets to 150 Kbps on a good day, there is no way I can guarantee a decent backup on my home PC using FTP. So my question is: does anybody provide an online service where I can feed them a URL, an FTP password, and some money, and they will post me DVDs with my websites on them? If such services do exist (the closest I found was a site that promised to send CDs and had a special deal for customers that had expired in June!), has anybody had experience with them which they could share? Any recommendations of services to use or to avoid?"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 4 Aug 2008 | 9:34 am Third time unlucky for Elon Musk's Falcon rocket - Register
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Aug 2008 | 9:26 am Thailand halts Grand Theft Auto sales after murder (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:29 am Frakkin (Computer) Toasters!By Jonathan Kimak A while back I did an article about a toaster inspired by Battlestar Galactica. Well now another innovation in toaster technology has brought us the toaster computer. A modder from the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:07 am Tech StarsBy Hromadka, Erik IDENTIFYING CANCER cells more accurately, managing parking systems and placing take-out restaurant orders from cell phone are among the innovative ways that Indiana companies are using technology to create new opportunities in the state.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Fayetteville Wastewater Upgrades Flowing FastBy Bell, Robert DEALING WITH THE MILlions of gallons of water that Americans send spiraling down the drain each day requires miles of pipe, mountains of equipment and infrastructure, years of planning and budgeting and precise feats of engineering.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Benzene Leak in La Porte Sends Several to HospitalBy Jennifer Latson, Houston Chronicle Aug.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am 2 Miles of Road in La Porte Closed After Chemical AccidentBy Jennifer Latson, Houston Chronicle Aug. 3--A two-mile stretch of Bay Area Boulevard in La Porte remains closed after a factory sprayed a toxic chemical into the air and coated the road. A safety valve at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am State Appoints Dairy Council MembersBy Gregory, Traci New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker has appointed members to a Milk Marketing Advisory Council (MMAC), which will advise him on dairy-policy matters.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am For Beach, Money to Save Open Land is DwindlingBy Deirdre Fernandes, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va. Aug.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Grand Prairie's Delfasco Forge Files for Bankruptcy Amid EPA NegotiationsBy Jon Nielsen, The Dallas Morning News Aug. 4--The company at the center of a hazardous chemical investigation in Grand Prairie has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am City Wants to Extend Building MoratoriumBy Samantha Marcus, La Crosse Tribune, Wis. Aug. 4--La Crosse officials are looking to extend for another six months a quasi-moratorium on commercial building along the Great River Road. The existing moratorium, set to sunset Aug.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga., Tim Chitwood Column: Growth and GarbageBy Tim Chitwood, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga. Aug. 4-- Human society sustains itself by transforming nature into garbage, and it's Monday Mail. More garbage.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Speak OutGraffiti deterrent Maybe if the taggers knew that when they clean up their graffiti it would put them in harm's way they would think twice about tagging in the first place (Editorial, Aug.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Go on a Long Beach Nature Walk Under the StarsEnjoy the sights and sounds of nature on a quiet, reflective night walk on the trails with a naturalist at the El Dorado Park Nature Center on Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. The cost is $3 per person. The center is at 7550 E. Spring St. Call 562-570-1745.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Designers on Quest to Build $12 ComputerBy Jerry Kronenberg, Boston Herald Aug. 4--Derek Lomas, Jesse Austin-Breneman and other designers want to create a computer that Third World residents can buy for less than you probably spend on lunch.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am IBM Invests $1B in Dutchess PlantBy Gordon, Jim IBM is investing in the lower Hudson Valley to the tune of $1 billion, which it says will go to the East Fishkill semiconductor plant over the next three years. Additionally, the state will invest $65 million in the plant.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Tech Jobs Rise, but Graduates Are on DeclineBy Olson, Scott At a time when central Indiana is adding high-tech jobs faster than any other area in the Midwest, the overall health of the industry could he threatened by a lack of interest from college students.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Lap of LuxuryBentley have endorsed their own pounds 10,000, leather-bound, laptop computer which will come in 10 colour schemes to match those of their famous luxury cars when launched in September. (c) 2008 Daily Record; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am WEB SETS UP LINK TO CUSTOMERS: Internet Sites Help Businesses Bond With CommunitiesBy Paula Schleis, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio Aug. 4--The reasons for selling your products and services on the Internet are obvious.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Who's Who in NEPA: Solid CactusBy Anonymous Scotts Santitippo and Joe Palko are two locally-grown entrepreneurs who saw the future and turned their ideas into Solid Cactus, a Shavertown-based commercial Web site development company which has been nationally recognized for its quality work and amazing growth.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am 500 Get Bebo ET ChanceSOCIAL networking website Bebo are offering members the chance to send a message to ET in a "digital time capsule". They've teamed up with Russian space radio expert Dr Alexander Zaitsev for the Message From Earth project.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Wi-Fi Network Expansion Could Mean a Walk in the ParkBy Mary Ann Ford, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill. Aug. 4--NORMAL -- David Hands goes to uptown Normal about an hour or so every weekday to use the Wi-Fi connections at The Coffee Hound or The Coffeehouse and Deli.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am BRIEF: Lightning Bolt Jolts Old Lynn Church, Sparks Steeple BlazeBy Mike Underwood, Boston Herald Aug. 4--A bolt of lightning struck a church steeple yesterday, sparking a ferocious three-alarm blaze that ravaged a historic Lynn church.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 Aug 2008 | 8:00 am Foxconn Building 800,000 iPhones A WeekFoxconn, the Taiwanese electronics giant that produces the iPhone 3G for Apple, has ramped up production to 800,000 units per week, says a source close to Apple with direct knowledge of the numbers. This...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 7:51 am Beijing Games hit by Internet ticket scam (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 4 Aug 2008 | 7:31 am Amnesty International - INK (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) INK, by TBWA ad agency, is the second monochromatic life-saving-signatures spot for Amnesty International. The first spot, Signatures, won a Cannes Gold Lion earlier this year. This...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 7:25 am Canadians File Class Actions Over Incoming SMS Feesdontmakemethink writes "CTV reports that over the last couple of weeks class-action lawsuits have been filed against two major Canadian cellular service providers, Bell and Telus, for imposing fees on incoming text messages. While there has been very vocal opposition to the introduction of the fees, those who cannot change providers due to binding contracts feel the situation is actionable in court. Some of those not bound by contract, such as myself, have given their service provider notice that they will charge the provider for having to contact them to have charges reversed for unsolicited texts. Because service providers are aware of the volume of unsolicited texts, we feel they are liable for the inconvenience to their clients for preventing spam charges, and more importantly under no circumstances should service providers profit from spam. We also feel that requiring us to buy text bundles to avoid the inconvenience of reversing spam charges constitutes extortion. They can charge me for texts when they stop the spam."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 4 Aug 2008 | 7:06 am First Wind Files For $450M IPOFirst Wind (fka UPC Wind) filed to raise up to $450M in an IPO. The Newton, MA-based wind energy company has raised $230M in project financing and tax equity to date. First Wind runs 3 wind farms in the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 7:02 am Growth hormone cuts abnormal fat in patients with HIVBut the treatment brings a risk, according to research in an AIDS-themed edition of a medical journal. Other studies examine tuberculosis medicine and the treatment of injection-drug abusers. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Brick Testament - Re-Telling the Bible in LEGO (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Rev. Smith is the sole creator of the Brick Testament, the largest and most comprehensive illustrated Bible in the world with over 3,600 LEGO illustrations that retell more than 300...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Nanosilver products raise concerns of safety, effectivenessLittle is known about how the minuscule particles of silver affect humans or even if nanosilver's antibacterial claims hold up. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Nanosilver use prompts worries of resistant bacteriaThe advent of nanosilver products raises the possibility of new strains of silver-resistant bacteria, although there's little evidence of that. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am He's still waiting on Time WarnerScott Benson will have to sit tight until Nov. 12 for 12 HD channels the company said would be in his area by July 1. Remember Scott Benson?...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Verizon, unions agree to extend contract talksVerizon Communications Inc. and two unions representing some 65,000 of its workers remained in talks after agreeing to "stop the clock" on contracts that were set to expire late Sunday.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am More than 1 percent of US adults are in jail or prison...for the first time ever in our nation's history. That most interesting fact, cited in the lasest issue of an American prison industry trade magazine. Snip:Quoting the recent report by the Pew Center on the States’ Public Safety Performance Project, Lamkey noted that for the first time in history more than 1 percent of adults in the United States — one in 99.1 persons is held in jail or prison.Ned Sublette, on whose email list I found the item, says: That is a good thing, if you sell things like Aedec's Pro-Straint prisoner restraint chair. [ * ] Another article at this journal's website discusses the problem of increasing numbers of alzheimer's cases in today's aging prison population.More from the trade zine: As reported in the May/June issue of Correctional News, the United States leads the world in the number of inmates per capita, with 750 inmates per 100,000 residents, according to the Pew report. During 2007, the U.S. prison population increased by more than 25,000 inmates to almost 1.6 million inmates, and local jails throughout the United States held 723,131 inmates at the end of 2007.There are other interesting things in here, including tips on reducing carbon footprint of jail facilities, and stuff about colors and how they affect the imprisoned population. In the Trenches: AJA Seminar Highlights (Correctional News, thanks Ned Sublette) [ * ] Here's more on the design and use of "restraint chair" devices: The Devil's Chair (Progressive magazine) Source: Boing Boing | 4 Aug 2008 | 6:49 am More than 1 percent of US adults are in jail or prisonThat most interesting fact, cited in the lasest issue of an American prison industry trade magazine: Quoting the recent report by the Pew Center on the States Public Safety Performance Project, Lamkey...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 6:49 am Spanish Solar Energy Firm SolarWatio Raises $350M From GE/OthersSpanish solar power project developer Fotowatio has raised $350M from GE Energy Financial Services and Grupo Corporativo Landon. Fotowatio is developing 960 megawatts of solar projects in Spain, Italy...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 6:47 am $14 Million Baby Photos (Update) - Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt Baby Twins Pictures (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) The long awaited baby pictures of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitts newborn twins have finally been revealed in People and Hello! magazines. Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline are featured...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 6:40 am Monster Pays $72.5M For Trovix Resume SearchThe last time we covered Trovix, the company emerged from stealth mode with $5.25M in Series A from Stanford University, 3i and USVP. (Trovix had raised a total of $18.25M) It's been a wait, but Trovix...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 6:12 am Papercraft locomotive engineAtom's papercraft locomotive engine doesn't actually run on steam (you have to push it to make it go), but man, it sure does go. Link (via Neatorama) Source: Boing Boing | 4 Aug 2008 | 6:12 am Papercraft locomotive engineAtom's papercraft locomotive engine doesn't actually run on steam (you have to push it to make it go), but man, it sure does go. Link (via Neatorama)Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 4 Aug 2008 | 6:12 am Hand-drawn map archive A reader writes, "The Hand Drawn Map Association (HDMA) is an ongoing archive of user submitted maps and other interesting diagrams created by hand." The Hand Drawn Map Association Source: Boing Boing | 4 Aug 2008 | 5:03 am Mars research culminates his dream - Boston Globe
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Aug 2008 | 4:51 am Error-Proofing Data With Reed-Solomon Codesttsiod recommends a blog entry in which he details steps to apply Reed-Solomon codes to harden data against errors in storage media. Quoting: "The way storage quality has been nose-diving in the last years, you'll inevitably end up losing data because of bad sectors. Backing up, using RAID and version control repositories are some of the methods used to cope; here's another that can help prevent data loss in the face of bad sectors: Hardening your files with Reed-Solomon codes. It is a software-only method, and it has saved me from a lot of grief..."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 4 Aug 2008 | 4:39 am Id: New Doom Will Look Really Really Good - Wired News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Aug 2008 | 4:18 am Wooden Sci-Fi Sculptures Make Great Geek Art : Courtesy Michael ReaSculptor Michael Rea has a knack for building. But unlike most architects, he draws on an encyclopedic knowledge of geek culture and an eccentric sense of humor for his unique sculptures. Rea’s movie-influenced menagerie includes electronic consoles, time machines and holy artifacts -- all fashioned from wood. He even built an eight-foot-tall prosthetic suit, equipped with swords, for physicist Stephen Hawking after seeing Quentin Tarantino’s kung fu-inspired Kill Bill. Click through the gallery to see his geekiest creations. If you want to see them in person, Rea will be showing off his custom-made woodwork at San Francisco’s Fecal Face gallery in October. Left: This grandiose gun, nicknamed Lysistrata, after a Greek comedy written in 411 B.C., wows onlookers with its intricate components and larger-than-life dimensions. The installation also comes with a helmet and a flack jacket, both crafted from wood and burlap. Attendees are encouraged to don the protective gear and slip their hand into the machine -- sort of like a biomechanical appendage. The sculpture is deliberately designed to restrict movement and freeze the participant. "It's kind of an experiment about the absurdity of violence," says Rea. "Putting your arm into [the gun] creates a weird, paralyzing bravado."  : Courtesy Michael ReaRea built this oversize computer console, as well as its complementary sculptures, Space Capsule and Space Suit, after repeat viewings of the 1983 film about the beginnings of the NASA space program, The Right Stuff. Like most of his projects, he didn't sketch or draw any plans for his wooden control-room dashboard -- Rea just began building. "I just have a knack for it," he says. "As a kid, my models looked like shit. It's easier for me just to start building [rather than follow blueprints.]"  : Courtesy Michael ReaRea wanted to recreate his own version of The Right Stuff, a 1983 film about the history of early space exploration in the United States, but settled on building props influenced by the film instead. The Space Capsule (left) is an homage to the Mercury mission capsule manned by American astronaut Gus Grissom. The capsule, called Liberty Bell 7, sank after splashdown in the ocean -- a complicated stunt Rea eventually elected not to recreate. "I wanted to sink a capsule in a swimming pool and escape," he says. "But I figured I'd probably die -- so I didn't do it."  : Courtesy Michael Rea"I needed a suit to go with the capsule," says Rea, whose trio of work -- Space Capsule, Mission Control and Space Suit -- pays tribute to The Right Stuff , an '80s film about NASA in the 1950s. As with all of his timber-based creations, Rea didn't consult any technical drawings for his piece. He simply began cutting and fitting pieces together until the final product (left) resembled the aeronautic suits worn by the astronauts in the movie.  : Courtesy Michael ReaWhile tooling around post-college in Chicago, Rea and his friends got the idea to stage pseudo musical performances. After booking a venue, Rea built an entire band's worth of equipment out of wood. While blaring tunes over a PA system, Rea and friends would "shred" on their wooden guitars. "It worked like quasi-karaoke," Rea says. "Kind of obnoxious, but we did it for free drinks."  : Courtesy Michael ReaAt first glance, this sculpture, cheekily titled A Prosthetic Suit For Stephen Hawking with Japanese Steel, might seem to be mocking the world-renowned theoretical physicist. But Rea, always a fan of Hawking's appearances on The Simspons and Futurama, decided to build the mecha-robotic body suit to honor the scientist's achievements. The 300-pound suit stands eight feet tall and is interactive -- there's a hatch in the back wide enough for a willing participant to crawl in through.  : Courtesy Michael ReaThis is the view of A Prosthetic Suit For Stephen Hawking with Japanese Steel from behind.  : Courtesy Michael ReaThis massive tank is nicknamed the "Time Machine," and it functions as a counter-piece to Stephen Hawking's prosthetic suit. Rea says it represents the conflict between Hawking and noted Pulitzer Prize-winning astronomer Carl Sagan on time travel. "I often display the two as having a showdown," says Rea, who estimates that the tank weighs in at a little less than 1,000 pounds. Like the body suit, the tank has interior room for a passenger and can be moved backwards, forwards or even sideways by his or her feet. The price tag for the beast is a hefty $16,000, Rea's most expensive piece to date.  : Courtesy Michael ReaRea was inspired to build a replica of the long-lost, legendary Ark of the Covenant after seeing the coveted artifact in popular films like the Ten Commandments and Raiders of the Lost Art . Weighing in at 75 pounds, Rea's holy tablet-holder stands four feet tall and six feet wide. "My design is not biblically correct," says Rea. "My dimensions are probably off … but it looks ark-ish enough."  : Courtesy Michael ReaWhile Rea was stationed in Madison, Wisconsin, getting his graduate degree in art, his rate of production went through the roof. After hustling to build a multitude of his stage prop-like pieces, he thought it would be funny to create a set of pseudo-power tools. "They're along the same lines as all of my work -- suspension of disbelief and hyperbole." Rea's collection of elegantly crafted instruments includes a chop-saw, jigsaw, two sanders and a drill. Each piece is comparable in size to its real-life counterpart but are nonoperational.  : Courtesy Michael Rea"I wanted to make something that was 'bitchin,'" Rea says of his highly detailed, life-size wooden model of a jet ski. Rea decided to create a subversive version of a popular pastime as commentary on human leisure activities and "the illusion of the American dream." He spent a summer building the 12-foot-long watercraft vehicle by constructing a large wood rib, filling it with pink foam and then sculpting large planks of wood around the body. 
Source: Wired Top Stories | 4 Aug 2008 | 4:00 am Cable car machinery photosWired's got a nice photo-gallery of the 135-year-old San Francisco cable-car system, which is such a bizarre rube-goldberg-device (constantly moving subterranean cables!).Cable Cars Still Humming on 19th-Century Tech Source: Boing Boing | 4 Aug 2008 | 3:40 am Microsoft's Annual Report Reveals OSS Mistakesmjasay writes "Microsoft's most recent annual report suggests that the company is increasingly coming to grips with open source, yet also seems determined to perpetuate myths about open source that poorly serve it and its shareholders. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has suggested before that 'free software means no free soda' for Microsoft employees; but this is perhaps the first time that Microsoft has managed to enshrine its ignorance in a public document. In the annual report, Microsoft makes two primary false claims about open source: 1) Open source companies don't invest in research and development and instead largely free-ride on Microsoft's patents and copyrights; and 2) Open source projects don't innovate and instead mimic Microsoft's products. Perhaps Microsoft has forgotten its own 'innovative' past copying of markets and technologies created by Apple and others. But at least Microsoft gets one thing right: 'To the extent open source software gains increasing market acceptance, our sales, revenue and operating margins may decline.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 4 Aug 2008 | 2:43 am Aug. 4, 1977: All U.S. Energy Placed Under Single Roof1977: President Carter signs the Department of Energy Organization Act, creating the U.S. Department of Energy. Prior to 1973, the United States had no coherent energy policy. Instead, a number of smaller agencies, often working independently of one another, handled different aspects of the nation's energy needs. In the early years of the Atomic Age, for example, the military assumed responsibility for all nuclear-related issues. The 1973 energy crisis changed everything. It was triggered when Arab member nations of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries imposed an oil embargo against all western countries supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War. The embargo resulted in an immediate jump in oil prices (to $12 a barrel!), widespread gasoline rationing and the imposition of a 55 mph maximum speed limit. And it exposed America's energy dependencies and weaknesses. The Nixon administration responded with Project Independence and the creation of the Federal Energy Office, the former intended to give the United States total energy independence by 1980 and the latter to manage a national energy policy. The energy program grew incrementally under the Nixon and Ford administrations, but remained diffuse. Jimmy Carter had acquired a technical background in nuclear propulsion as an engineering officer in the Navy. When he took office in 1977, he proposed creating a Cabinet-level überagency that would consolidate everything energy-related -- research, exploration, conservation, production and disposal -- under its authority. The Energy Department would also be responsible for setting the national energy agenda and assuring nuclear safety. Congress passed the act, and Carter signed it Aug. 4. The Department of Energy began operating Oct. 1, 1977. The energy secretary, currently Samuel Bodman III, oversees a department with a $25 billion budget and more than 16,000 employees. Among the many units DOE funds and operates are more than 30 national laboratories. And it's the Energy Department, not the Pentagon, which oversees the development, testing, integrity and safety of the nation's nuclear arsenal. Source: Various
Source: Wired Top Stories | 4 Aug 2008 | 1:00 am Diagramming Tool For SQL Select Statementsalxtoth writes "Snowflake is a new BSD-licensed tool that parses SQL Select statements and generates a diagram. It shows parts of the underlying SQL directly in the diagram. For example: x=30, GROUP BY (year), SUM (sales), HAVING MIN (age) > 18. The primary reason for the tool was to avoid Cartesian joins and loops in SQL written by hand, with many joined tables. The database will execute such a statement, if syntactically correct, resulting in runaway queries that can bring the database down. If you sit close to the DBAs, you can hear them screaming... "Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 4 Aug 2008 | 12:49 am With automated tagging, Web links can surprise (AP)AP - It wasn't what anyone expected to see while perusing a news article.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Aug 2008 | 11:55 pm Researchers Find Color In FossilsScience News has a look at the latest paleontological fashion: what may be the remains of pigment in fossilized feathers 100 million years old. The material in question is believed to be black melanin, on the evidence of its similarity in scanning-microscope images to the modern pigment. The researchers are hopeful of identifying other varieties of melanin, which provide red or yellow coloration; and also possibly of spotting fossilized nanostructures of melanin that create iridescent patterns in some modern animals.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 3 Aug 2008 | 10:54 pm Olympic Committee Is Grilled on Net CensorshipInternational Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge is accused of backtracking on promises of press freedoms. Under pressure from the IOC, Chinese organizers unblock some sites at the main press center and venues, but others remain censored less than a week before the Beijing Games begin.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Aug 2008 | 10:45 pm DNA Led the FBI to Anthrax SuspectA government scientist reports that DNA taken from the bodies of people killed in the 2001 anthrax attacks helped lead investigators to Bruce Ivins, who oversaw the highly specific type of toxin in an Army lab.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Aug 2008 | 10:30 pm Biodefense Labs, Bad for Our HealthFor the last five years, some of us have argued that the government's biodefense priorities are screwed up. The biggest bio threat may be from the proliferation of biodefense labs. Today, The New York Times echoes what we've been saying.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Aug 2008 | 10:00 pm Yahoo Blocks Venerable Email List Over False PositivesRomulusNR writes "Yahoo has stopped delivering This Is True, Randy Cassingham's 14-year-old mailing list, because too many Yahoo readers have mistakenly or carelessly flagged it as spam. Yahoo readers make up over 10% of True's readership, slashing the ad revenue that keeps it going. And Yahoo doesn't negotiate with spammers. As Randy describes it: 'The yahoos... ask to be put on True's distribution, then confirm that request, and... then click the "This is Spam" button when they don't recognize the mailing or simply don't want it anymore. Yes, those yahoos have screwed thousands upon thousands of others who really do want my newsletter. Too bad: Yahoo is listening to the yahoos instead: they're blocking it. To them, we're "spammers" and no protestations from "spammers" count.' The irony is that This is True is one of the first profitable mailing lists, predating Yahoo! Mail by almost three years."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 3 Aug 2008 | 9:45 pm SpaceX suffers third rocket launch failure (CNET)CNET - A privately funded rocket suffered a launch failure Saturday night, the third launch failure in as many attempts for an Internet entrepreneur who is hoping to develop private space delivery and transportation.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 3 Aug 2008 | 8:40 pm FBI Seizes Library Computers Without WarrantAn anonymous reader writes "Two FBI agents walked into a public library in Maryland, without a warrant, and walked out with two computers. The library director agreed to release the machines to these smooth-talking feds. According to the article, the director of Frederick County Public Libraries indicated that this was the third time in his 10 years there that the FBI had requested records, but the first time they had come without a court order. The director seemed to indicate no regrets, stating 'It was a decision I made on my experience and the information given to me.' He further justified his actions, noting that the agents indicated specific computers they needed (of the several dozen in the library) and further that they 'had an awful lot of information.'" The library director speculated whether the raid may have involved the Bruce Ivins / anthrax case, musing "Obviously it coincided with the events everyone is talking about," but he said the agents hadn't mentioned it.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 3 Aug 2008 | 8:36 pm How To Fix the Poor Usability of Free Softwareflosofl writes "Matthew Paul Thomas has an entry on his blog called Why Free Software Has Poor Usability, And How To Improve It. While this advice is helpful and may indeed lead to improvements in many open source programs, the guidelines may be much more difficult for smaller projects. From the entry, 'Free Software has a long and healthy tradition of "show me the code." But when someone points out a usability issue, this tradition turns into "patches welcome," which is unhelpful since most designers aren't programmers. And it's not obvious how else usability specialists should help out.'" Thomas has been developing the ideas in this essay for years. The critique is comprehensive, listing 15 challenges in the way software projects, and in particular free software projects, are structured, with suggestions for improving each one.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 3 Aug 2008 | 7:28 pm Satirical WWI maps BibliOdyssey has a fascinating, annotated collection of satirical maps of Europe from WWI: "The Dogs of War are loose in Europe, and a nice noise they are making! It was started by a Dachshund that is thought to have gone made -- though there was so much method in his madness that this is doubtful. [NOTE FOR THE IGNORANT: The German for Dog is Hund. The English for German is Hun. Dachshund means badger-dog -- and he is sometime more badgered than he likes.] Mated with the Dachshund, for better or for worse, was an Austrian Mongrel. By the fine unwritten law of Dogdom big dogs never attack little dogs. There are, however, scallywags in every community, and, egged on by the Dachshund for private ends, the Mongrel started bullying a little Servian. And the fat was in the fire, for the little Servian had a great big friend in the form of a Russian Bear, and he stood up for his pal. And that was what the Dachshund wanted. He hoped that a big row would ensue, and in the confusion he intended to steal a bone or two that he had his eye on for some time. He got what he wanted -- and a little more. For the Russian Bear had friends too. There was a very game little Belgian Griffon, and there was a great big French Poodle, a smart dandified fellow, and there was a Bulldog. Rather a sleepy chap this last one, and the Dachshund despised him because he was not always yapping and snaring. But the Bulldog has a habit of sleeping with one eye open, and, when he is roused, he grips and won't let go.Satirical Maps of the First World War (Thanks, Peacay!) Source: Boing Boing | 3 Aug 2008 | 7:13 pm Settle the Beef: Does Rush Deserve the Hall of Fame?If you could ask the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame about a Rush candidacy, what would you ask? Listening Post will sift through your queries and lob the best three at our contact in Cleveland.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Aug 2008 | 7:00 pm Saudi religious police officer accused of having six wives (two over limit)A 56-year-old Saudi religious police officer from the Saudi Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has been accused of having six wives, which is two over the limit.Muslim men can keep up to four wives at a time under sharia, or Islamic law, which is applied in Saudi Arabia.Saudi accused of having six wives (BBC) (via Arbroath) Previously on Boing Boing: Source: Boing Boing | 3 Aug 2008 | 6:42 pm SpaceX Falcon 1 craft launch live online (as in, now) Update: Here's a statement from Elon Musk after the event. SpaceX, the space technology firm created by PayPal co-founder and Tesla Motors chairman Elon Musk, is webcasting the launch of its Falcon 1 as I type this blog post. The long run-up to the launch may be a bit boring to watch, but if you are having a lazy Saturday afternoon as I am, I do suggest this as more entertaining veg-out viewing than, say, Project Runway or The Girls Next Door. And, seriously: If they're successful, this will become the first privately developed liquid fuel vehicle to orbit our planet. So that's pretty neat. Snip from press release: Lift-off of the vehicle will occur from SpaceX’s Falcon 1 launch site at the Kwajalein Atoll, about 2500 miles southwest of Hawaii. Falcon 1 launch facilities are situated on Omelek Island, part of the Reagan Test Site (RTS) at United States Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) in the Central Pacific.SpaceX Webcast. Source: Boing Boing | 3 Aug 2008 | 6:30 pm Rumors Abound About 'Potential for Life' on MarsWired Science investigates the rumors flying this weekend that Mars Phoenix has made a major discovery relating to the potential for life on Mars
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Aug 2008 | 6:00 pm Balloon versus CCTV: balloon wins!
William Lamson's art-project is delightful: a helium balloon artfully positioned so as to blind a CCTV. This could be a lot of fun for real-world shenanigans or for a piece of fiction. Just got to hope for a windless day.
Link
(Thanks, Turadg!)
Source: Boing Boing | 3 Aug 2008 | 5:52 pm Microscope on a chip could be implantableLast Friday's Science Friday on NPR featured a really exciting segment on a "microscope on a chip," an ingenious, $10 method for building a microscope using a digital camera controller. The 17-minute segment runs through a number of potential applications for this, from cellphone microscopes that could autonomously identify hazardous bacteria in water samples (for cameraphones, the cost of implementing microscope functionality is about $1), to implanting cancer-detecting scopes in high-risk patients, to putting hundreds of microscopes on a single chip for massively parallel sampling and testing.Micro Microscope (broadcast Friday, August 1st, 2008) Source: Boing Boing | 3 Aug 2008 | 5:48 pm Third SpaceX Rocket Launch Attempt FailsFive minutes after liftoff, the live webcast of a Falcon 1 rocket launch, carried out by SpaceX on Kwajalein Atoll, ends abruptly. This is the third failed launch attempt for the private space transportation company.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Aug 2008 | 5:00 pm Review: Mummy 3 Comes UnraveledThe first Mummy movie was a rousing pulp adventure, giving us Brendan Fraser at his wise-cracking best. Ken Denmead reviews the third installment of the series, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 3 Aug 2008 | 5:00 pm Jerry Beck finds the worst comic strip ever Cartoon historian Jerry Beck of Cartoon Brew declares that Uncle Funny Bunny and Chumpy, which appeared in 1950s issues of My Weekly Reader, is the worst comic strip ever made. I'm inclined to agree with him, but I think Uncle Funny Bunny and Chumpy has a quality that commands it to be read, unlike the comic strips in today's newspapers, which are both awful and uninviting. Admittedly it’s aimed at children, and produced in the more innocent era of the early 50s. But the consistently corny gags, the awful stiff artwork… surely this takes the prize. Unless one considers the Weekly Reader’s back up strip: Loki, Your Fuzzy Forest Friend.Uncle Funny Bunny and Chumpy (Cartoon Brew) Source: Boing Boing | 3 Aug 2008 | 3:58 pm
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