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Historic Olympic Records - Michael Phelps Wins 8 Gold Medals in Beijing (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Michael Phelps has made Olympics history by winning 8 Gold medals in the Beijing Olympic Games 2008. That is a perfect score for the 8 competitions he has participated in. Not only...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 4:02 pm Palm Leaks Presentation of Treo Pro - Its “Best Looking” Smartphone - eFluxMedia
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 17 Aug 2008 | 12:39 pm Outages Leave Google Apps Admins In the Hotseatsnydeq writes "This week's Google outages left several Google Apps admins in the lurch — and many of them are second-guessing their advocacy for making the switch to hosted apps, InfoWorld reports. The outages, which affected both Gmail and Apps, 'could serve as a deterrent to some IT and business managers who might not be ready to ditch conventional software packages that are installed on their servers,' according to the article. 'If we began to experience a similar outage more than about two or three business hours per quarter, we'd probably make Google Apps and Gmail a backup solution to a locally hosted mail system, if we used it at all,' said one Apps admin. 'And it would likely be years before we'd try a cloud-based collaborative system again from any vendor.' Coupled with recent Apple and Amazon cloud issues, these Google outages are being viewed by some as big wins for Microsoft."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 17 Aug 2008 | 12:23 pm Media on mediaI’m set to be on Howie Kurtz’ Reliable Sources at 10a EDT today to talk about the waste and hubris of sending 15,000 journalists to the political conventions and how we over-report politics...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 12:14 pm MSOs Admit To Tracking Consumers’ Online Activity - Multichannel News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 17 Aug 2008 | 11:08 am Update 2: In July Nintendo On Top, Gamers Play NCAA 09 For Xbox 360 - eFluxMedia
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 17 Aug 2008 | 11:03 am BurnAgain FS improves large file handling (Macworld.com)Macworld.com - Freeridecoding on Friday announced the release of BurnAgain FS 1.0.3, an update to their CD and DVD data burning software for Mac OS X. A free update for registered users, BurnAgain FS costs $23.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 17 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am Bees Help Detectives Catch Serial KillersHugh Pickens writes "The way bumblebees search for food could help detectives hunt down serial killers — because just as bees forage some distance away from their hives, so murderers avoid killing near their homes, says a University of London research team. The researchers' analysis describes how bees create a 'buffer zone' around their hive where they will not forage, to reduce the risk of predators and parasites locating the nest. This behavior pattern is similar to the geographic profile of criminals stalking their victims. 'Most murders happen close to the killer's home, but not in the area directly surrounding a criminal's house, where crimes are less likely to be committed because of the fear of getting caught by someone they know,' says Dr. Nigel Raine. Criminologists will fold this insight into their models using details about crime scenes, robbery locations, abandoned cars, even dead bodies, to hone the search for a suspect."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 17 Aug 2008 | 10:12 am Can I Be Fired For Refusing To File a Patent?An anonymous reader writes "I am a developer for a medium-sized private technology company getting ready for an IPO. My manager woke up one morning and decided to patent some stuff I did recently. The problem is, I'm strongly opposed to software patents, believing that they are stifling innovation and dragging the technology industry down (see all the frivolous lawsuits reported here on Slashdot!). Now, my concern is: what kind of consequences could I bring on myself for refusing to support the patent process? Has anybody been in a similar position and what was the outcome?"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 17 Aug 2008 | 8:02 am Georgia under cyber attack - Los Angeles Times
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 17 Aug 2008 | 7:05 am Getting the 411 on phone chargesThe lifting of price controls for phone services has been extremely lucrative for companies like AT & T and Verizon. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Your Money: Broadband InternetMaking the best connection When it comes to choosing broadband Internet providers, you can't always get what you...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Revolve Clothing sets up its first store -- on Melrose AvenueThe Web-based company brings its up-to-the-minute retail model to a new boutique on Melrose. THERE'S been a lot of talk about bricks-and-mortar...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Shroud of Turin stirs new controversyA Colorado couple researching the shroud dispute radiocarbon dating of the alleged burial cloth of Jesus, and Oxford has agreed to help them reexamine the findings. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 7:00 am Has Any Penny Stock Ever Become a Big/Important Company?Columnist Floyd Norris has a fun challenge: Name a penny stock that has become a big and important company. And not just a company, successful now, whose split-adjusted price was pennies years ago. Floyd...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 6:57 am Terry Pratchett fan-afghan -- the Pratchgan Kairsten sez, A group of Terry Pratchett fans, known as the Ankh Morpork Knitter's Guild from the fiber arts site http://ravelry.com, were inspired by Mr Pratchett's Alzheimer's diagnosis to create a group afghan (known as The Pratchgan) to give to the author. The woman who collected the squares and sewed the quilt had the opportunity to give the Pratchgan to Mr Pratchett at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Saturday. She blogged about it; the finished Pratchgan can be seen here, and there's a Flickr group containing many of the squares here. It's a pretty special project and Mr Pratchett seemed to like the blanket.The Pratchgan 2008 - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!! (Thanks, Kairsten!) Source: Boing Boing | 17 Aug 2008 | 6:27 am Terry Pratchett fan-afghan -- the PratchganKairsten sez, A group of Terry Pratchett fans, known as the Ankh Morpork Knitter's Guild from the fiber arts site http://ravelry.com, were inspired by Mr Pratchett's Alzheimer's diagnosis to create...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 6:27 am Electric carving knife: superior cardboard-carving toolWho knew that kids' playtime could be so enhanced with an electric carving knife? Think of the fun we'll have! Asha at ParentHacks has the scoop:I was given an electric carving knife as a wedding present with a note that went something like this: This is great as a carving knife, but even better for all those times you need to cut cardboard for your childrens' projects. I have yet to use the knife for my own children, but as a teacher I use it all the time. So nice and easy!Cut cardboard with an electric carving knife (Thanks, Marilyn!) Source: Boing Boing | 17 Aug 2008 | 6:17 am Electric carving knife: superior cardboard-carving toolWho knew that kids' playtime could be so enhanced with an electric carving knife? Think of the fun we'll have! Asha at ParentHacks has the scoop: I was given an electric carving knife as a wedding present...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 6:17 am Doubts On Yahoo's Human Rights Code of ConductIan Lamont writes "The US Senate has been pushing American technology companies to work with rights groups to develop a human rights code of conduct, which would help to guide their overseas activities. Yahoo now claims that it has established the 'core components' of a global code of conduct, and a more complete version will be ready this fall. However, the Industry Standard notes that there's a fundamental flaw with such efforts: US law is not world law. Following the local laws is a requirement of doing business in any country, and conflicts between corporate ethics and the law of the land in which these corporations do business are inevitable. The US Senate's push for such a code was prompted by a number of incidents, including Yahoo's complicity in the arrest of Chinese dissidents and a Chinese journalist."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 17 Aug 2008 | 5:48 am MLS: Houston 4, Real Salt Lake 3Brian Ching and Brian Mullan each had a goal and an assist Saturday night to lead the Houston Dynamo to a 4-3 MLS victory over Real Salt Lake.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 17 Aug 2008 | 5:00 am CNN Doesnt Include Spoiler Alert In Tweets, Twitter Users Say It Ruined OlympicsThe American media has been obsessively covering Michael Phelps on his quest to win eight gold medals this Olympiad - a feat that has never been accomplished. Up until now he has been perfect, managing...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 4:32 am KongZhong Corporation Announces Management ChangeBEIJING, Aug. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- KongZhong Corporation (Nasdaq: KONG) today announced that Yunfan Zhou, a co-founder of the Company, has notified the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 4:17 am Preparing for an urban WMD attack (CNET)CNET - SAN FRANCISCO--"Weapons of mass destruction multi-agency exercise."Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 17 Aug 2008 | 4:05 am Perhaps Pandora Must Be Our Sacrificial LambPandora made a bold political statement today, saying they’d likely shut down rather than continue to pay exorbitant fees to play music to listeners of its massively popular service. Radio stations...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 3:48 am Customizable Helmet Covers (Part 2) - Add Flowers and Skulls to Your Brain Bucket (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Earlier, Trend Hunter featured customizable helmet covers for scooter helmets. Now, twere featuring full motorcycle helmet covers from the same company. In addition to looking...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 3:37 am Western Digital Working On a 20,000 RPM DriveMrKaos writes "Western Digital seems to be preparing for the onslaught of solid-state drives set to impact its market by developing a 20,000 rpm hard drive. Similar to the VelociRaptor line of drives, the new drives are speculated to be offering lower capacity as a tradeoff for faster seek and write times." This report out of Taipei is the only word on the rumored WD 20K drive. It's said to be a 2.5" drive in a 3.5" enclosure, for efficiency of cooling — the arrangement the Register enjoyed poking fun at when the 10K drive was upgraded last month.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 17 Aug 2008 | 3:36 am Combining Light, Sound & Massage Therapy - The OSIM uSpace(TrendHunter.com) The OSIM uSpace is better known as the Well-Being Chair, and for good reason. This luxury recliner pod is a Selfridges & Co special that is meant to bring you into the world...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 3:20 am Winged Stilettos - Nickolas Kirkwood Shoes for Autumn/Winter 2008 (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Architectural shapes in footwear are going to continue to be avant-garde fashion into 2009. These winged stilettos are a fabulous example of a designer making the most of the trend...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 3:00 am Cockroach King reigns as pest-killers discuss climate changeMore than 100 of Southeast Asia's hardiest bugs measured up this week in Bangkok, where experts met to discuss new ways of controlling the pests, which they say are a major contributor to...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 2:56 am Endangered species law in danger from Bush - San Francisco Chronicle
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 17 Aug 2008 | 2:38 am Sanitation and hygiene in focus at World Water WeekAs the world races to find solutions to the planet's climate woes, some 2,500 experts meet in Stockholm this week to put the spotlight on one of the most pressing issues, that of water...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 17 Aug 2008 | 2:37 am Google feeds publishers with new AdSense option - ZDNet
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 17 Aug 2008 | 2:33 am Anti-Net Neutrality Astroturfer ExposedI Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "Ever wonder about all those groups claiming Google had a 'search monopoly' (as if there are no other search engines), or worse, coming out against Net Neutrality? CNet has a story about a shady DC lobbying group called LawMedia Group, being paid by Microsoft and Comcast, that is behind many of these attacks. That said, it's a mystery why they weren't able to pay more authoritative groups than the American Corn Growers Association or the League of Rural Voters to weigh in on technical matters. As a computer geek from corn country, I wouldn't solicit their opinion on tractor repair, let alone Internet policy."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 17 Aug 2008 | 1:50 am How to persuade customer service reps to help youHere's a clever tip for getting customer service reps to help you with a sticky problem that will require extra effort on their part. It's from Noah Goldestein, a behavioral scientist at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and the author of Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive (co-authored by by Robert B. Cialdini, who wrote the terrific book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion).If you've ever contested a mysterious charge on your credit card, tried to resolve a problem with your computer, or wanted to return an item to a vendor, you've probably encountered stubborn customer service agents -- people who seem nice at the outset but change their tune when they realize complying with your request will cause additional work on their part. To change their orientation toward you, try the following: If you find toward the beginning of your interaction that the customer service agent is being particularly friendly, polite, or responsive -- perhaps before you get to your toughest request -- tell the agent that you're so impressed with his or her service and knowledge so far that you're going to write a positive letter or e-mail about your interaction to his or her supervisor as soon as you get off the phone. After getting the agent's name and the supervisor's contact information, you can then get to the more complex issues at hand.Trouble with customer service agents? Try this Source: Boing Boing | 17 Aug 2008 | 1:04 am Software Logging Schemes?MySkippy writes "I've been a software engineer for just over 10 years, and I've seen a lot of different styles of logging in the applications I've worked on. Some were extremely verbose — about 1 logging line for every 2 lines of code. Others were very lacking, with maybe 1 line in 200 devoted to logging. I personally find that writing debug and informational messages about every 2 to 5 lines works well for debugging an issue, but can become cumbersome when reading through a log for analysis. I like to write warning messages when thresholds or limits are being approached — these tend to be infrequent. I log errors whenever I catch one (but I've never put a "fatal" message in my code, because if it's truly a fatal error I probably didn't catch it). Recently I came across log4j and log4net and have begun using them both. That brings me to my question: how do the coders on Slashdot handle logging in their code?"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 17 Aug 2008 | 12:02 am Sales Of Electric Bikes Surging Amid Higher Gas PricesLooking for an environmentally friendly way to commute to her job as a bookshop owner, Honora Wolfe, a 60-year-old bookshop owner who lives in the outskirts of Boulder, CO, found her solution in the form of an electric bicycle."I'm not out to win any races," she said.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Aug 2008 | 11:40 pm Shatner Backs New Video Autograph ServiceWilliam Shatner sat in a dull office looking at a TV monitor displaying a personal message he was supposed to read while signing an autograph.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Aug 2008 | 11:29 pm Invasive Snail ConcernLake Michigan's ecosystem is being threatened by a quick producing, tiny snail. The invasive creature has scientists worrying about the lake's balance.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Aug 2008 | 11:15 pm Student special: Online savingsIn the old days - more accurately, a few years ago - students had to rely on flashing their NUS card at every retailer they could find or cutting out money-off coupons from magazines and newspapers to...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 16 Aug 2008 | 11:05 pm Into the future: Pros and cons of a Google worldPeter Bazalgette, media consultant, investor and former producer of Channel 4's Big BrotherAs the channels of communication become more complex, and the TV schedule dies, the search to find a particular...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 16 Aug 2008 | 11:05 pm Google, 10 years in: big, friendly giant or a greedy Goliath?Eagerly they came - the young, the ambitious, the smartest of the smart. They queued impatiently and crowded into the rafters above Charlie's Cafe at the 'Googleplex', the curving glass and steel cathedral...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 16 Aug 2008 | 11:05 pm A founding father of the web says it's come a long way, but its potential for worldwide change can and will be greater stillThe internet is still very young. It was only November 1977 when a group of computer scientists successfully connected three networks around the world, including one at University College London. It took...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 16 Aug 2008 | 11:04 pm Forensic science: Secrets of the case against CrippenPersonal records of pioneering pathologist could shed new light on classic English murder trialsSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 16 Aug 2008 | 11:03 pm Stone Age Mass Graves Reveal Green Saharaiminplaya sends along a New Scientist article that begins: "One of the driest deserts in the world, the Saharan Tenere Desert, hosted at least two flourishing lakeside populations during the Stone Age, a discovery of the largest graveyard from the era reveals. The archaeological site in Niger [is] called Gobero... It had been used as a burial site by two very different populations during the millennia when the Sahara was lush... 'The first people who used the Gobero cemetery were Kiffian, hunter-gatherers who grew up to two meters tall,' says Elena Garcea of the University of Cassino in Italy and one of the scientists on the team. The large stature of the Kiffian suggests that food was plentiful during their time in Gobero, 10,000 to 8,000 years ago... All traces of the Kiffian vanish abruptly around 8,000 years ago, when the Sahara became very dry for a thousand years. When the rains returned, a different population, the Tenerians, who were of a shorter and more gracile build, based themselves at this site... 'The most amazing find so far is a grave with a female and two children hugging each other. They were carefully arranged in this position. This strongly indicated they had spiritual beliefs and cared for their dead,' says Garcea." The research article is at PLoS One.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 16 Aug 2008 | 10:15 pm Some Eye-Popping Research From Siggraphjamie found links to a discriminating selection of Siggraph papers at waxy.org. Among the more captivating: automatically improving the attractiveness of faces in portraits; automatic substitution of similar faces into photographs (with potential applications such as a privacy-enhanced Google Street View); and using still photographs to enhance video of a static scene.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 16 Aug 2008 | 9:18 pm Uranium Processing Site Reborn as Wildlife PreserveAfter extensive environmental remediation, a site once home to a Cold War-era uranium processing plant re-emerges as a haven for wildlife and a memorial to those who worked to make the area safe.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 16 Aug 2008 | 9:15 pm Finding That Special Green PersonGreen has certainly gone mainstream, even singles looking for love can find their soul mate with the help of an eco-friendly website.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Aug 2008 | 8:40 pm Need for Speed: Undercover Set for Release Nov. 18 - 1UP.com
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 16 Aug 2008 | 8:28 pm Internet Radio's "Last Stand"We've been discussing the plight of Internet radio for some time, as the Copyright Royalty Board imposed royalties that industry observers predicted would prove lethal to the nascent industry. We discussed Web radio's day of silence in protest, which won the industry a reprieve, and the futile efforts to find relief in Congress. Now it's looking as if the last act is indeed close. Death Metal Maniac sends along this Washington Post story with extensive quotes from Pandora CEO Tim Westergren, who said: "The moment we think this problem in Washington is not going to get solved, we have to pull the plug because all we're doing is wasting money... We're funded by venture capital. They're not going to chase a company whose business model has been broken." The article estimates that XM Satellite Radio will pay "about 1.6 cents per hour per listener when the new rates are fully adapted in 2010. By contrast, Web radio outlets will pay 2.91 cents per hour per listener." That's 70% of projected revenue for Pandora; smaller players estimate the hit at 100% to 300% of revenue.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 16 Aug 2008 | 8:20 pm Archaeologists Uncover Portal To Mythical Mayan UnderworldA maze of stone temples in underground caves which ancient Mayans believed was a portal where dead souls entered the underworld have been discovered by Mexican archaeologists.Explorers said some of the caves were submerged in water and contained human bones.Scuba clad divers discovered the stone ruins of eleven sacred temples and what could be the remains of human sacrifices at the site in the Yucatan Peninsula.Mayans believed the underground complex of water-filled caves leading into dry chambers — including an underground road stretching some 330 feet — was the path to a mythical underworld, known as Xibalba.Guillermo de Anda, one of the lead investigators at the site, said according to an ancient Mayan scripture, the Popol Vuh, the route was filled with obstacles, including rivers filled with scorpions, blood and pus and houses shrouded in darkness or swarming with shrieking bats.He said the souls of the dead followed a mythical dog who could see at night.Excavations over the past five months in the Yucatan caves revealed stone carvings and pottery left for the dead."They believed that this place was the entrance to Xibalba.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 16 Aug 2008 | 8:14 pm Media Advisory: Consumer Electronics Association to Visit Seattle, WA Highlighting Benefits of International Trade to U.S. EconomyVisit part of 34-state 'America Wins With Trade' Bus Tour SEATTLE, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- WHAT: The Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA) "AmericaSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 16 Aug 2008 | 7:55 pm India offers money to villagers to vacate tiger reservesIndia on Saturday offered money to villagers to vacate wildlife reserves in a bid to save the country's tigers from extinction, officials said. The National Tiger...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 16 Aug 2008 | 7:43 pm Pandora Web Services Facing ExtinctionThe founder of the Internet radio company Pandora says the growing presence of digital media is threatening to destroy his U.S. company.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 16 Aug 2008 | 5:00 pm High-Tech Timing System Settles Phelps' Race for 7th GoldTo the disbelief of many, Michael Phelps' closing stroke edges out his competition -- by the length of a fingernail -- to win his seventh gold medal. That's because it's tech, not the naked eye, that's able to establish who won the race.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 16 Aug 2008 | 5:00 pm High-Tech Timing System Settles Phelps' Race for 7th GoldTo the disbelief of many, Michael Phelps' closing stroke edges out his competition -- by the length of a fingernail -- to win his seventh gold medal. That's because it's tech, not the naked eye, that's able to establish who won the race.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 16 Aug 2008 | 5:00 pm Shapeways lets Internet users manufacture goods (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 16 Aug 2008 | 4:08 pm CCTV tees Red Bubble has a couple of sweet, CCTV-themed tees, entitled: CCTV Government, The Kiss (Thanks, Alice!) Source: Boing Boing | 16 Aug 2008 | 3:41 pm ISO rejects Office Open XML appeal (redux) - Register
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 16 Aug 2008 | 2:26 pm Legal flap over Defcon talk exposes divide on disclosing security ... - Computerworld
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 16 Aug 2008 | 1:31 pm Defense Spooks: Let's Control Enemy MindsRather than developing performance-enhancing drugs for soldiers, defense agents want to study performance-degrading drugs for our enemies. A report recommends investment in neuroscience research that could reveal ways to eliminate our enemies' motivation to fight and get them to obey our commands.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 16 Aug 2008 | 1:03 pm In Germany, wandering whale creates wondermentGermans have been treated to the rare sight of a lone and wayward humpback whale swimming in the Baltic Sea, but marine biologists said it may be doomed because the waterway lacks the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 16 Aug 2008 | 12:33 pm
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