Source: Gizmodo | 12 Jan 2009 | 9:50 am

Killzone 2 Kicking Tires, Lighting Fires, but Why Again Exactly? (PC World)

PC World - Guerilla Games' first-person PS3-exclusive shooter Killzone 2 has everyone gabbing, and bloggers in particular panting, gushing, and fawning. According to the developers, it's steeped in "Hollywood realism" that's supposed to make things more "immersive."
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 12 Jan 2009 | 9:36 am

Intel brings cheesy DJs to CES, overshadows elegant image

Section: Trade Shows, CES

Companies like Intel have a lot to be proud of, but don’t much to show at tradeshows like the Consumer Electronics Show this past week.  This stems from the fact that they are primarily a B2B vendor that ships its products to be included in other companies products.  So what do companies like them show?  Well, a little bit of everything.  At CES, Intel showed off product categories ranging from netbooks, to mobile devices, to minority report-like touch screen displays, which all feature their chips or technology.

So how do you get people into your booth when you’re just showing off things that other companies are showing at their booths?  Club Core is the answer.  Intel featured a bunch of cheesy DJs standing in a DJ booth grooving to beats while randomly shouting out uses for and specs of their products.

While it was mildly entertaining, it was very strange seeing a company with such an elegant public image attempt to jazz things up with a little hip hop.

Suggestion: Intel… stick with elegance next year.  You are an amazing company, so let the insane number of products that contain your chips and futuristic technologies you’ve developed speak for themselves.  A little fun isn’t going to hurt anyone, but a lot of corniness makes you look silly.  So next year, leave the hip hop at home.

Full Story » | Written by Doug Berger for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

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Source: Gadgetell | 12 Jan 2009 | 9:11 am

IT Security Spending Will Increase to Match Cybercrime Threat in 2009

SAN JOSE, California, January 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Finjan Inc., a leading provider of secure web gateway solutions for the enterprise market, today announced the findings of its IT security survey conducted during H2/2008. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080618/309345 ) In light of the economic downturn and rising cybercrime attacks as indicated in Finjan's Web Security Trends Report Q4 2008 ( http://www.finjan.com/Content.aspx?id=827), Finjan conducted an online survey among 200 IT and security professionals.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jan 2009 | 9:00 am

ASCII Art Steganography

bigearcow writes "ASCII art is nothing new, but this site takes it one step further by allowing you to embed another data file within the image. The resulting ASCII art remains printable (i.e. no special unicode symbols) — this means you can print the image out, hang it on your wall, and have it look like an innocent ASCII art when it's hiding a secret document of your choice." You'll need a small (200x200 pixel max) base image from which the ASCII art will be built.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:37 am

AOL Continues To Splinter Content Into Anti-Portals

Bill Wilson’s star continues to rise at AOL even as other groups continue to shed products and execs. He moves from EVP Programming to President of the newly formed MediaGlow, which controls all of AOL’s content sites.

AOL’s programming sites (Money & Finance, News, Sports, Health, Food, Music, Games, and Moviefone, among others) have been on a tear for the last year and a half and now attract 70 million monthly visitors, says AOL. Page views have grown 40% year over year.

The NYTimes reports that the group controls 75 sites and will add 30 more this year. Many of these sites, as we’ve previously reported, have little or no AOL branding at all.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

Source: TechCrunch | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:28 am

CES Highlight: Humorous band Tripod steals the show from Ballmer

Section: Trade Shows, CES

If you’re not familiar with how trade show keynotes work, the headline speaker takes the stage, talks about their company’s direction, and then introduces a slew of presenters and product managers to show off their latest and greatest.

At this year’s Steve Ballmer keynote, not much exciting was announced beyond a demo of Windows 7, announcement of Halo Wars and Halo 3 ODST, and of course the entrance of gameshows like 1 vs. 100 into Xbox Primetime.  How did the company fill the void in the keynote?  Entertaining band Tripod took the stage during, and after the show, and had the audience cracking up…that’s how. 

The Melbourne-based band features three geeky vocalists who sang songs about Microsoft products and how addicted to them they are.  Topics included Windows, Xbox, and several other things.  For more information band, check out their website, or Wikipedia.

Via [Steve Ballmer Keynote]

Full Story » | Written by Doug Berger for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

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Source: Gadgetell | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:08 am

Blu-ray disc sales soar - San Jose Mercury News

UberGizmo.com

Blu-ray disc sales soar San Jose Mercury News - 5 hours ago By Peter Svensson AP LAS VEGAS - The Blu-ray Disc, the high-definition successor to the DVD, was one of the few products that did well in the just-ended holiday season, with sales tripling from the previous year. Wrapping Up CES: Blu-ray, Cameras And More Washington Post LG Introduces the Ultimate Storage Device: NAS with Blu-ray PC World PC Magazine - ABC15.com (KNXV-TV) - Twice - Afterdawn.com all 63 news articles

Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:04 am

Fatal Police Shooting Posted on YouTube [Voices]

By Jemima Kiss, Blogger, The Guardian

The footage is shaky and low quality, with chaotic shouts and protests from onlookers at a subway station in San Francisco’s east bay. But it clearly shows three policeman roughly handling a group of young men–including one who is pinned to the ground by two officers and shot in the back.

This shooting of 22-year-old Oscar Grant–who died later in hospital–has outraged many in California and triggered riots in Oakland in a case that many feel echoes the brutal beating of Rodney King by LA Police in 1991.

Transport police were called to the Fruitvale train station in the early hours of New Year’s Day after reports of a fight. Grant was one of a small group of men taken off the train and restrained, at which point several passengers began to film using mobile phones and cameras.

Read the rest of this post

Source: All Things Digital | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:04 am

Cyber-Spy Shares Her Know-How Tracking Terrorists [Voices]

By Erika Hayasaki, Writer, The Los Angeles Times

Reporting from New York–The nervous woman in a gray suit clicked on a photo lineup on an overhead screen labeled “Jihadi Martyrs.” It flashed to mug shots of men with names like Abu Issa, an Al Qaeda recruiter, and Abu Jabber, a trainer.

A man in one photograph was pointing a machine gun.

“They are all me,” said the blond mother from Montana, speaking before an audience of computer experts, law enforcement agents and investigators at the first International Conference on Cyber Security, held last week in New York. “These are all individuals I acted as on the Internet.”

Shannen Rossmiller, 39, is a cyber-spy and former judge who taught herself Arabic after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and began infiltrating websites and chat rooms to hunt for terrorists. “I learned to act like them,” she said. “I learned to be them.”

Read the rest of this post

Source: All Things Digital | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:03 am

In which Twitter Tells Me What My Landlord Can’t [Voices]

By Caroline McCarthy, Editor, The Social, CNET

Hey, guys, news flash: Twitter is good for something.

This morning, I crawled out of bed and headed to the kitchen to make coffee, but upon turning on the faucet, I noticed that the water flowing out of it was a sketchy brown shade. Not good–especially since New York is one of those cities that prides itself on having a water purification infrastructure so advanced that you can drink right out of the tap.

My roommates weren’t around. My landlord had no idea what was up. And an hour later, the water wasn’t back to normal. So in an attempt to find an answer to my most important question (”When can I take a shower?”), I turned to the Web.

All things “hyperlocal” were irritating the heck out of me. I found nothing on Outside.in or its neighborhood aggregator ilk, or on city blogs like Gothamist. Consequently, I posted a Twitter message saying I thought there was rust in my tap water.

Read the rest of this post

Source: All Things Digital | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:02 am

Army Assembles ‘Mad Scientist’ Conference. Seriously. [Voices]

By Noah Shachtman, Editor, Danger Room, Wired.com

Last August, the U.S. Army held a three-day conference in Portsmouth, Virginia, to look at new developments in military science and hardware. The confab was called the “2008 Mad Scientist Future Technology Seminar.” Really. It was.

“The objective of the seminar was to investigate proliferating technologies with the potential to empower individuals and groups in the next 10-25 years,” according to an unclassified summary of the Mad Scientist gathering, obtained by Danger Room.

Read the rest of this post

Source: All Things Digital | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:01 am

Twitter Squatters Take Over Where Domain Squatters Left Off: Resolution Policy Needed? [Voices]

By Mike Masnick, Blogger, Techdirt

In 1994, reporter Joshua Quittner famously registered the domain name mcdonalds.com, and wrote a whole article about how so many top brand names were available for registering by anyone who wanted them. Reading the article sounds pretty amazing in retrospect. The one and only domain name registrar at the time, InterNIC had a grand total of 2.5 people reviewing each and every application and trying to avoid “obvious” conflicts–except that didn’t seem to work. As Quittner points out, Sprint had registered MCI.com. There was eventually a bit of a battle over mcdonalds.com, and once people finally realized this was a big deal, a process, the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) process was created.

Of course, these days, there are many more ways that your brands interact online than just by your domain name.

Read the rest of this post

Source: All Things Digital | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:00 am

CrunchGear Week in Review: Caged Wisdom Edition

CES 2009: BeerTubes.com beer tube video review
Shapeways easy fabrication’s fabulous little objects
Palm announces Palm Pre at CES 2009
Pet collar cameras reveal the exciting lives of pets
Spyball: Capture the face of God
iFrogz’ new headphones - plus a contest (still going)

Source: CrunchGear | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:00 am

Micrel and Cyan Announce Technology and Business Partnership

CAMBRIDGE, England and SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:00 am

Waters Introduces the Xevo QTof MS and Once Again Redefines Mass Spectrometry

MILFORD, Mass., Jan.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:00 am

Microsoft and Partners Demonstrate Commitment to Evolving Technology, Enabling Better Education Outcomes Worldwide

LONDON, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jan 2009 | 8:00 am

CES Highlight: ‘Big Bill’ Gates makes appearance at CES

Section: Trade Shows, CES

While Microsoft’s Robbie Bach was showing off the addition of game shows like 1 vs. 100 to Xbox Live Primetime, Microsoft founder Bill Gates made an appearance as a character in the game with the name “Big Bill”.  As you can imagine, the audience let off a big chuckle when he was first shown on the keynote stage screens.

And you thought Bill Gates wasn’t coming to CES this year…silly you.

Via [Steve Ballmer Keynote]

Full Story » | Written by Doug Berger for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

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Source: Gadgetell | 12 Jan 2009 | 7:32 am

Skull Dog

Step back a bit from your computer and see if this dog's snout doesn't appear to be otherworldly.

Cool, huh? (Thanks, Claire!)

(Shawn Connally and Bruce Stewart are guest bloggers)

Source: Boing Boing | 12 Jan 2009 | 7:11 am

Appletell reviews WiFinder for iPhone

FROM APPLETELL - WiFinder does exactly what it’s name implies. It finds WiFi networks for your device to connect to. MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

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Source: Gadgetell | 12 Jan 2009 | 7:08 am

Verizon Business Listed in Industry Analyst Firm's Leaders Quadrant for Pan-European Network Service Providers 2008

Assessment Based on Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute READING, England, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading industry analyst firm Gartner Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jan 2009 | 7:00 am

Princess Bride DVD ambigram

Justin Watt sez, "the latest cover of the Princess Bride DVD has an amazing ambigram." Indeed it does -- a suitably awesome cover for one of the finest movies ever made.

Do you know what an ambigram is?, Princess Bride DVD (Thanks, Justin!)

Source: Boing Boing | 12 Jan 2009 | 6:15 am

Video: Intel shows off Minority Report-like glass touch screen at CES

Section: Computers, Hardware, Peripherals, Displays/Projectors, Trade Shows, CES

Ever since the movie Minority Report came out in 2002, large touch screens have been compared to the infamous one in the movie.  This year at CES, Intel showed off a rough prototype touch screen that involved projecting an image from the rear onto a piece of glass.  We don’t have many details other than what we saw with our own eyes, but it seemed that the piece of glass was rigged with some capacitive sensors between two pieces of glass, and it was powered by Intel’s new Core i7 chip.

The prototype showcased the products on display in the company’s booth and allowed us to drag around a 3D image of their booth.  Once we found something we were interested in, we clicked on it on the 3D model and it took us to more information about our selection.

It took us some messing around to figure this out, but unfortunately the prototype technology only allowed us to drag around with one finger at a time - unlike the Microsoft Surface’s multi-touch support, for example [see video below].  As you can see below, there’s a bit of a delay when you’re trying to drag the model around, but it was good enough to get their point across.  The prototype wasn’t perfect - with it being a prototype and all - but I’m sure we’ll seeing some great new products stemming from Intel’s research in the near future.

Full Story » | Written by Doug Berger for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

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Source: Gadgetell | 12 Jan 2009 | 6:13 am

Pneumatic tube-based postal systems of the late 19th century

Molly Steenson gives us a glimpse of her forthcoming thesis on "postal services and pneumatic tube systems in the late 19th and early 20th century, especially in Paris" -- the original, fascinating series of tubes:

Fueling communication through pipes that ran under cities at speeds of up to 50 km per hour, the pneumatic post served as an urban subterranean communication network from the 1850s into the early 21st century, first in Europe, then the United States, and by the early 20th century, South America and Australia. Depending on the city, pneumatic tubes shuttled telegrams or letters and packages, both commercial and personal, as an antidote to increasing urban congestion and traffic on the streets above. Messages delivered by pneumatic dispatch surfaced in post offices and train stations, where messengers carried them by bicycle (or later, motorcycle or truck) from the post or telegraph branch to their final destinations. For commercial buildings, pneumatic tubes offered ready communication systems between and within any enterprises that required the movement of receipts and paper. At once buried and tangled, emerging into the interiors of buildings and offering varied interfaces for its users, the pneumatic tube presents an enigmatic image of modernity--the merger of construction and communication.

Pneumatic networks preceded electrification, first powered by steam and only by electricity in the early 20th century. They enjoyed a long lifespan. Implemented first in London in 1853 as an information conduit between the London Stock Exchange and the Central Post Office, the technology quickly transferred to other cities. Berlin began its Rohrpost in 1865; Paris built its first pneumatic networks in 1866 and began public Poste Pneumatique in 1879; Philadelphia followed suit for first class post in 1893 and New York in 1897. Urban tube networks existed for a surprisingly long time, remaining in operation until 1953 in New York, 1984 in Paris and 2002 in Prague (where it was only taken out of service by a flood that destroyed much of the tube infrastructure).

Postal services and pneumatic tubes (via Beyond the Beyond)

Source: Boing Boing | 12 Jan 2009 | 5:49 am

Reaction Engines To Fly Reusable Spaceplane

RobGoldsmith writes "Reaction Engines have designed a 'reusable spaceplane' to provide inexpensive and reliable access to space. The Star Wars-looking 'Skylon' reusable spaceplane has already been designed and the team are well into engine testing. They have taken some time out from building spaceships to talk about their background, their goals, and their recent engine tests. This article shows new images of their STERN Engine, an experimental rocket motor which explores the flow in Expansion Deflection (ED) nozzles. They also discuss their Sabre air-breathing engine technology. View the Skylon Spaceplane concept, The STERN Engine and much more in this in-depth interview with the team."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 12 Jan 2009 | 5:46 am

Vivid fried egg tee

Nixon's "Sunny Side Up" tees have a trompe l'oeil effect that will proudly declare your allegiance to unfertilized dinosaur ova to all and sundry. Plus, no one will be able to tell if you get egg on your shirt.

SUNNY SIDE UP (via Geisha Asobi)

Source: Boing Boing | 12 Jan 2009 | 5:38 am

Another London photographer arrested for "terrorism" (i.e. "taking a picture of a public building")

A photographer who spent his whole life photographing and painting around his home neighbourhood of Elephant and Castle in London was arrested under anti-terror laws and jailed, his DNA and fingerprints taken. He was released after five hours, once his Member of Parliament intervened. Under current policies, his DNA will remain on file forever -- though the EU has ordered Britain to cease this practice.

With a studio near the 1960s shopping centre at the heart of this area in south London, he is a familiar figure and is regularly seen snapping and sketching the people and buildings around his home – currently the site of Europe's largest regeneration project. But to the police officers who arrested him last week his photographing of the old HMSO print works close to the local police station posed an unacceptable security risk.

"The car skidded to a halt like something out of Starsky & Hutch and this officer jumped out very dramatically and said 'what are you doing?' I told him I was photographing the building and he said he was going to search me under the Anti-Terrorism Act," he recalled.

Photographers criminalised as police 'abuse' anti-terror laws (Thanks, Marilyn!)

Source: Boing Boing | 12 Jan 2009 | 5:34 am

Pigment ink prints of a 'Jan Steen Household'

Julie Blackmon's series of luscious pigment ink prints, entitled "Domestic Vacations," are comic and antic photos of a home in glorious chaos. They're apparently inspired by the 17th century Dutch painter Jan Steen. As Nag on the Lake notes, "The Dutch proverb 'a Jan Steen household' originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. The paintings of Steen, along with those of other Dutch and Flemish genre painters, helped inspire this body of work."

Domestic Vacations (Thanks, Marilyn!)

Source: Boing Boing | 12 Jan 2009 | 5:28 am

Jan. 12, 1992 or 1997: HAL of a Computer

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen or read 2001: A Space Odyssey, this article contains details that reveal important plot developments. So, if you like to be a tabula rasa when you view a film or read a novel, stop here.

1992, or maybe 1997: HAL 9000, the master computer aboard the Discovery spaceship in the fictional film and novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, becomes operational. He will inspire millions of dreams — and some nightmares — of artificial intelligence.

First, the year: When astronaut Dave Bowman is removing the hardware modules that govern the computer's higher cognitive functions, HAL regresses to his infancy and begins an eerie recitation of bits of his earliest knowledge: "I am a HAL 9000 Computer Production No. 3. I became operational at the H—A—L plant in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January, 1992."

At least that what HAL says in the 1968 film. Director Stanley Kubrick and author Arthur C. Clarke co-wrote the screenplay, inspired by Clarke's 1950 short story "The Sentinel." The film was not based on a novel, but Clarke soloed the novelized version of the screenplay, and he changed HAL's birth year to 1997.

Now, the name: Chapter 16 of the novel clearly states that HAL stands for "Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer." Many film viewers, however, thought HAL was a one-letter-ahead cypher for IBM. In his book The Lost Worlds of 2001 Clarke dismissed that idea as embarrassing, given all the help IBM had given to the film: "We ... would have changed the name had we spotted the coincidence."

In fact, HAL's original name was Athena, goddess of war, wisdom and fertlity, but Kubrick decided a male personality and voice would be better for a menacing supercomputer. Martin Balsam was cast first for the role, but was dropped because his voice was too emotional. Canadian Shakespearean actor Douglas Rain won the role with neutral, unctuous tones.

The place: Urbana, Illinois is home to the University of Illinois and — since 1986 — the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, which developed the first web browser, Mosaic. HAL's lobotomy monologue in the book mentions his first instructor, Dr. Chandra. In fact, the only Chandra at UI in 1968, at least, was a Mr. Shasti Chandra. He was writing his thesis on spacecraft attitude control, but told a reporter he had nothing to do with making the film.

The movie, which cost $10.5 million ($64 million in today's money), premiered in New York City on April 3, 1968. The dazzling special effects did not impress all the critics: The New York Times described 2001 as "somewhere between hypnotic and immensely boring," while Pauline Kael deemed it "monumentally unimaginative." Kubrick promptly cut 19 minutes from the film, and the final cut debuted three days later.

HAL also appears in three sequels: 2010: The Year We Make Contact (aka 2010: Odyssey Two), 2061: Odyssey Three and 3001: The Final Odyssey. In 2010, Dr. Chandra further pooh-poohs the IBM-HAL name theory.

Source: The Making of Kubrick's 2001, ed. Jerome Agel, Signet, 1970

Source: Wired Top Stories | 12 Jan 2009 | 5:00 am

Mazda Mini-Minivan Hauls Kids and Parks Tight

Dual sliding doors and a hatchback make it easy to stow your cargo (whether kids or gear) in this tidy minivan. It rides more like a sedan than a truck, and fits in tight parking spaces.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 12 Jan 2009 | 5:00 am

A 42-mpg VW Diesel Roadster As Sexy As It Is Efficient

Diesels are fuel efficient and practical, but they're dogged by a reputation for being about as much fun as a tax audit. VW's worked hard to change that perception with cars like the Jetta TDI, but it might be the sweet Concept BlueSport roadster that finally convinces Americans diesels are cool.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 12 Jan 2009 | 5:00 am

Mazda Mini-Minivan Hauls Kids and Parks Tight

Dual sliding doors and a hatchback make it easy to stow your cargo (whether kids or gear) in this tidy minivan. It rides more like a sedan than a truck, and fits in tight parking spaces.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 12 Jan 2009 | 5:00 am

Scott Brown Leads a Guided Tour of the Most Awesome Depression Ever

Another Great Depression! Hardly are those words out when vast images straight out of Walker Evans trouble my sight: Hoboes! Okies! Hoovervilles! Women who resemble Harry Dean Stanton! It's all so very... 75 years ago. Our go-to icons of abject, debilitating American poverty are so nostalgic, so sentimental, so analog. Our recurrent national nightmare deserves an upgrade. Let's face it: Flat broke and rattling a mug full of pencils, we'll still be the same wiki-addicted, diversion-craving exhibitionists we are now. Of course, I'm no futurist. Just a hysteria-prone pessimist. But I don't want to live through another Great Depression. I want to experience the Awesome Depression: classic destitution with a whole new interface. I believe the Children of the Petabyte are perfectly capable of reviving classic Depression-era pastimes—train-hopping, bread-lining—while making them uniquely our own. So climb aboard as I, your neo-hobo guide, unfold a day in the life of the future unfortunate.

It's a typical morning in 2011: I start my day by bumming a few joules off a pal's bicycle generator to power up my BlackBerry and surf over to FoodTube, where starving viewers like myself salivate over clips of the "carbo-rati" noshing on hoarded snacks. (I try not to read the comments: "omg she is such a ho for eating that Combo!" "shup azz! u go girl! eat dat Combo!") One stray click and I'm rickrolled, prankishly diverted to the now-familiar footage of Rick Astley being devoured by a pack of London cannibals.

I decide to use my remaining juice to log onto Facebook, which has been looking frightfully gaunt since the Identity Panic of '09. (Friends? Who can afford friends now anyway?) Millions of "Favorite Albert Brooks Movies" lists and "Hero Abilities" requests were decimated, and we were left scrambling for whatever chums were left on Orkut. (This was before the Linden dollar crashed and Second Life avatars started jumping out of windows—and not flying.) I'd check my email, but browser-based email is a thing of the past: Vagabond freeconomic refugees now communicate by personal ad, and sex acts are routinely traded for, say, maki rolls and Pilates classes. (Craigslist, it turns out, is largely unaffected by the Awesome Depression.)

Dejected, I head downtown, a busted Guitar Hero ax slung over my shoulder. On the corner, a pack of surly former programmers dressed in surplus CES hoodies are warming their carpals around a single dingy Dell. I give them a wide berth. Farther on, a ramshackle Cubeville has sprung up in the parking lot of a burned-out Ikea. Delirious drones sit at cardboard desks and pretend they still have office jobs to complain about, tapping out "IMs" on their "keyboards"—old pizza boxes.

I nod and push on. I'm hoping for a handout at the Bloggers Assistance Administration. Alas, when I arrive at the decaying loft space, the cupboard is bare: The BAA can't keep up with the sheer numbers of jobless Americans whose only skill is chronicling the minutiae of their own lives. (At least when they whine about how existentially awful their lives are now, it's probably true.)

I sink into a trashed Aeron chair, pull out my trusty ax, and click out "In the Great Big Google Mountain," a rueful utopian ditty about a fanciful wonderworld in which "aquacultured catfish feed the masses," and "electric cars cut greenhouses gasses," and "more transparent global markets function semi-rational-la-la-la-ly." The song brings tears to my eyes. Sure, it could be from drinking far too much bathtub Red Bull. Or maybe I'm weeping because this guitar is just so awesomely depressing to play when it's not actually hooked up to an Xbox.

Email scott_brown@wired.com.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 12 Jan 2009 | 5:00 am

Senior Marketing Appointment at WealthCraft

HONG KONG, Jan.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 12 Jan 2009 | 4:35 am

China Mobile says it plans to pump 8.6 bln dlrs into 3G during 2009 (AFP)

AFP - China Mobile, the country's top telecom operator, has announced a plan to invest 58.8 billion yuan (8.6 billion dollars) this year to develop third-generation network.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 12 Jan 2009 | 4:18 am

Read Macworld, Playboy free on iPhone

FROM APPLETELL - The virtual newsstand Zinio is offer some of its content for free on the iPhone and iPod touch. Magazines offered through the service include Macworld, Playboy, Esquire and NME. MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

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Source: Gadgetell | 12 Jan 2009 | 4:09 am

20+ Companies Sued Over OS Permissions Patent

freemywrld writes "According to the article on Ars Technica, Microsoft, Symantec and 20 other companies are being sued over patents covering 'systems for governing application and data permissions, as well as ensuring application integrity.' The patents were granted in the 90's to the Information Protection and Authentication of Texas (IPAT). From the article: 'A response from any of the defendants is still forthcoming, and it is unclear whether the authentication and permissions systems that IPAT's patent describes are precluded by prior art. Even if IPAT has a leg to stand on in court, however, it certainly didn't take the easy route to recovering any damages by suing 22 companies.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 12 Jan 2009 | 3:07 am

Pandora 2.0 released to iPhone and iPod Touch

FROM APPLETELL - The Pandora app for iPhone, which allows for music streaming over Edge, 3G and WiFi, has been updated to make the experience more like using the actual iPhone iPod application. MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

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Source: Gadgetell | 12 Jan 2009 | 3:05 am

Stuff Journalists Like

Most everyone I know loves a good inside joke. You know, the kind that makes fun of some stereotypical characteristic of some subset of human beings, yet applauds the lifestyle at the same time. I am no exception to this rule and have thoroughly enjoyed laughing at myself while reading Stuff White People Like.

I’ve recently discovered that I can enjoy the insider jokes of an even smaller subset of humanity, journalists. Journalists have a penchant for smugness, really reveling in the usage of large, unpronounceable words, and highlighting the great breadth of knowledge that is crammed into every square inch of their do-good, I'm-an-outsider mentality. I know this because I'm one of the often snide guilty parties.

Having previously worked in a newspaper newsroom for almost a decade, I especially take delight in the entries that editors Christopher Ortiz and David Young have posted about coffee, press passes, and free food. Here’s a snippet about the fact that journalists like to date other journalists:

Journalists like dating each other because only fellow journalists understand the phrase: “Not tonight dear, I’m on deadline.”

Attempts to date people outside of the newsroom who cannot name gubernatorial candidates, have a limited vocabulary and who don’t know who Hunter S. Thompson is will only lead to a return to dating journalists.

Bruce has warned me that this may all be a little too obscure for some people to see the humor in, but I have high hopes for people’s ability to enjoy making fun of reporters.

--Shawn

Stuff Journalists Like

(Shawn Connally and Bruce Stewart are guest bloggers)

Source: Boing Boing | 12 Jan 2009 | 2:40 am

Iomega makes home media networking the easiest I have ever seen

Section: Video, Accessories, Peripherals, Storage, Trade Shows, CES

Click for a larger image.

As you can image, we are prone to hearing about ever single new home media networking hard drive and back-up solution that is released onto the market. But what I saw at Iomega really impressed me (and Doug). The new Home Media Network Hard Drive provides a super easy-to-use network storage for your home. To get going all you need to do is plug in the devise to a power adaptor and a ethernet cord (which should be connected to your router). You then go through a very basic install wizard on your computer and you can begin playing back your pictures, videos and music from almost any other device, including game consoles (Xbox 360 and PS3), digital picture frames or networked TVs. There is also a USB slot on the back so you can share a printer over your home network as well. Plus, the unit backups your computer (PC or Mac) automatically—it can even be synced with two computers. Seriously, this could not get any easier. They plan to add a bunch of features in the coming months such as remote access over the net. It is available now in 500GB ($179) and 1TB ($249) options.

Besides that, Iomgea was also showing off their Helium portable drive (designed to match Apple notebooks), eGo encrypted hard drive, the ScreenPlay HD, and more.

Enjoy the look at some of these new products and look for our reviews in the coming weeks.

Source: Gizmodo | 12 Jan 2009 | 2:00 am

HAL's Pals: Top 10 Evil Computers

To celebrate the 2001 supercomputer's birthday, Wired.com opens the pod bay doors to reveal Hollywood's most malevolent thinking machines.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 12 Jan 2009 | 2:00 am

Whoagasm: Rock Band, but in a truck!

Long day at work? Rock Band in a truck. Pre-wedding jitters? Rock Band in a truck. Hanging out in a big open field before a Phish concert? Rock Band in a truck + grilled cheese sandwiches.

Want to get people to your CES booth? Rock Band in a truck. That’s what audio gear company Maxxsonics had going on with this gigantic rig outfitted with multiple speakers, LCD monitors, and flashing lights that seemed to scream, “You there! Attention! We’re playing Rock Band!”

Source: CrunchGear | 12 Jan 2009 | 1:30 am

Shuttle's Eee Top Rival to Debut in April for US$599 (PC World)

PC World - Taiwanese PC maker Shuttle plans to start selling its Eee Top-rival, the X50 all-in-one touchscreen desktop PC, in the U.S. in early April for around US$599 with Microsoft Windows XP installed, company representatives said Sunday.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 12 Jan 2009 | 1:11 am

Hands on with the LG X120 netbook

Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops, Trade Shows, CES

There is not any shortage of netbooks on the market, and one of the latest is the model from LG—the X120.  The specs on this model are the standard that we see on most models, it includes a 10-inch WSVGA display, an Intel Atom N270 processor at 1.6GHz, 1GB RAM and a 160GB hard drive.  Additionally, and this is what is making it a little special, it also includes instant on which is powered by Splashtop.  The X120 also has embedded 3G support.  After checking this out for a few minutes and judging from the specs, this could be a decent competitor in the netbook market, that is, if the price is right.

Source: Gizmodo | 12 Jan 2009 | 1:00 am

Ancient Pyramids in Bosnia?

One of the most fun gigs I have right now (next to getting to be a guest blogger on BB!) is working with the good people at Coverleaf, who produce digital editions of magazines. As part of my role there I get to read many magazine articles that I might not otherwise take the time to seek out, like this fascinating piece from the latest issue of Discover about a controversial archaeologist who says he's discovered massive ancient pyramids buried in some Bosnian hills. The image above is of one of these pyramid-shaped hills outside the small city of Visoko.

Pyramid Scheme by John Bohannon has a clearly skeptical take on Sam Osmanagich's bold claims that he has discovered the first-ever ancient pyramid in Europe and the largest valley of pyramids in existence. But Osmanagich is portrayed as a sort of national hero in Bosnia, and has apparently secured a great deal of government financing for his pyramid excavation project. Bohannon repeatedly tries to interview Osmanagich, including about his published claims of supernatural phenomena associated with the pyramids, but never is able to really pin him down. Osmanagich has been pursuing his excavation project and visions of national archaeological parks for several years, and it sounds like he has a significant following in Bosnia, but this is the first I had ever heard of any of this.

One crucial question seems to be whether flat plates of rock found at the dig site are handmade evidence of past civilizations or simply the natural remains of a 7-million-year-old lake bed. Wikipedia's not buying it, and frankly it all sounds pretty sketchy to me too. But clearly Osmanagich has convinced a lot of people that there's something to his pyramid theory.

There's some interesting clips on YouTube, like Osmanagich reflecting on the project, an enthusiastic ABC news story from 2007, what looks like a pretty large festival celebrating the start of last year's archaeological season at Visoko, and even a rap video of the "Bosnian Pyramid Community on the road."

The discussions I've read online about this seem to have fairly equal amounts of pyramid-believers and skeptics. I've been very impressed at the expertise that crops up in the comments section here, so I'm betting there are Boingers out there who can help me sort this one out. Is Osmanagich a rogue archaeologist who's seen a few too many Indiana Jones movies, or he is on to something with these pointy hills?

Pyramid Scheme

--Bruce

(Disclosure: I work on Coverleaf, the service that provides the digital edition of Discover and many other magazines.)

(Shawn Connally and Bruce Stewart are guest bloggers)

Source: Boing Boing | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:57 am

Europe turns crosshairs on energy inefficient TVs (read: plasmas)

Ha! The green-crazy European Union is looking to ban energy inefficient TVs, including large plasmas, in the interest of saving Mother Earth. Nope, not joking.

New regulations, which are set to be agreed upon this spring, would set minimum standards of energy efficiency. As we found out last week, plasma TVs aren’t exactly models of energy efficiency: a 42-inch plasma uses 822 kilowatts of electricity per year, while a 42-inch LCD uses only 350. A 32-inch CRT, not that anyone wants a CRT anymore, uses still less, at 322 kilowatts per year.

What does this all mean? Simply, that TVs that go over the EU’s limit on acceptable electricity use wouldn’t be allowed in Euroland. (It’s not that the regulations target plasmas specifically, rather that plasmas are the least energy efficient, hence more likely to get the banhammer.)

Gotta keep the Eurocrats busy, I suppose.

Source: CrunchGear | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:52 am

New Google Favicon Deja Vu All Over Again?

theodp writes "Last June, Google rolled out a new favicon, the small branding icon that graces your URL bar when you visit Google. Which, as it turned out, bore a striking similarity to Garth Brooks' Circle-G logo. Well, Google went back to the drawing board and has come back with a new favicon, which it says was inspired by — not copied from, mind you — its users' submitted ideas. Some are also seeing inspiration elsewhere for the new favicon, which consists of white 'g' on a background of four color swatches. Take the AVG antivirus icon, for instance. Or everybody's favorite memory toy, Simon. Or — in perhaps the unkindest cut of all — the four-color Microsoft Windows logo, shown here with a superimposed white '7'. Anything else come to mind?" What comes to mind for me is just how obsessed many people are with the Google favicon.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:52 am

Apple ditches Macworld, latches onto CES in 2010

Section: Tech News, Apple, Trade Shows, CES, MacWorld

The CEA (Consumer Electronics Association), group that puts on CES each year, have confirmed that CES 2010 will have a dedicated Apple section. While out at Macworld, IGD held a town hall to start the discussion on the future of Macworld, figuring out how they will move ahead without Apple’s presence.

With this announcement, many have begun to rumor that Apple may too join the party in Vegas, but that seems a bit unlikely. It does make sense to have a dedicated Apple section at the show, but should more appropriately be called “Apple Accessories”. To be honest, it seems that they could almost fill an entire wing of the convention center with iPod docks, iPhone cases, matching portable hard drives, and more. I would certainly appreciate if these were sectioned out, though it may be tough now that almost everyone company has some Apple accessory or another. But the likelihood of Apple actually joining the party seems extremely unrealistic. If they are not going to do Macworld, why would they do CES—Apple has never been the company that plays well with other’s rules.

That being said, it would be very interesting if Steve Jobs can the opening CES keynote.

Read [Cnet]

Source: Gizmodo | 12 Jan 2009 | 12:00 am

Stand-Up Comic Makes Science Funny

Hugh Pickens writes "The San Fransisco Chronicle is running a story about Brian Malow, a stand-up comedian who has showcased his science-centric stand-up humor for more than a decade in comedy clubs, at conventions and for corporate clients across the country. Fortunately, club patrons don't need a degree in quantum mechanics to appreciate one-liners like 'I used to be an astronomer, but I got stuck on the day shift,' 'I just started reading, "The Origin of Species." Don't tell me how it ends!' or that he 'attended a magnet school for bipolar students.' While his show is very rational and based on hard science, Malow cleverly infuses it with an abstract or surreal comic twist."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 11 Jan 2009 | 11:30 pm

From video games to movies, 3D is on the march

Source: Gizmodo | 11 Jan 2009 | 11:00 pm

The Environmental Impact of Google Searches

paleshadows writes "The Times Online reports that researchers claim that each query submitted to Google has a quantifiable impact. Specifically, two queries performed through a desktop computer generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a cup of tea. From the article: 'While millions of people tap into Google without considering the environment, a typical search generates about 7g of CO2 [whereas] boiling a kettle generates about 15g [...] Google is secretive about its energy consumption and carbon footprint. It also refuses to divulge the locations of its data centers. However, with more than 200m Internet searches estimated daily, the electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions caused by computers and the Internet is provoking concern. A recent report [argues that] the global IT industry generate[s] as much greenhouse gas as the world's airlines — about 2% of global CO2 emissions.'" Google makes an interesting focus for such claims, but similar extrapolations have been done before about, for instance, the energy costs of sending a short email.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Gizmodo | 11 Jan 2009 | 10:00 pm

Folk song containing vital wisdom for Internet users

Jonathan sez, "I've been writing a song every day in the month of January, for the Fun-A-Day-In-The-Bay Art project. My 10th song is about the internet. It contains the line: 'The internet is a less than physical space containing a multitude of varying opinions on a wide variety of topics written by monkeys.' Enjoy!"

That's some serious goddamn wisdom.

Song # 10! “3 Rules of the Internet”

Source: Boing Boing | 11 Jan 2009 | 9:52 pm

Are We Killing The Planet One Google Search At A Time?

Right now the top stories on Techmeme revolve around a new piece in The Times of London that focuses on The Environmental Impact of Google Searches. In it, physicist Alex Wissner-Gross (a star MIT graduate who is now at Harvard) posits that a single Google search generates 7g of CO2, versus around 15g for a tea kettle - something he calls a “definite environmental impact.”

That sounds bad, right?

There’s no doubt that Google consumes a massive amount of energy, with hundreds of millions of searches conducted every day and data centers scattered across the globe. But let’s try to shed a little perspective on things.

A single book runs around 2,500 grams of CO2, or more than 350 times a Google search. By some estimates, a single cheeseburger has a carbon footprint of around 3,600 grams - over 500 times larger than a Google search. Granted, meat in general has a notoriously large carbon footprint, but if you’re genuinely concerned about your environmental impact then try cutting a burger from your diet every week and search guilt-free (you may even lose a few pounds).

And isn’t it possible that Google may actually be helping the environment in some ways? I can’t count how many times I’ve been able to use Google in lieu of driving to the library to look up a fact (each car trip would have had carbon costs orders of magnitude larger than that Google search). I’ve used Google Transit dozens of times to figure out train and bus schedules so that I wouldn’t have to drive my car. And surely the search engine has helped countless green-minded folk find a website where they could purchase carbon credits.

My issue with the article isn’t that it is factually incorrect - it’s that it paints Google as a malevolent force shrouded in secrecy, and that every time you use it (or one of the other mentioned companies like Twitter), you’re adding to the problem. In a word, it’s alarmist. Google could probably become more energy efficient, but I fear that articles like this will lead people to shy away from the Internet. Unlike gas guzzling SUVs, the web helps connect and enrich humanity. By all means encourage web companies to become as carbon neutral as possible, but don’t make energy-conscious consumers afraid of their browsers.

And finally, one last bit that is more concerned with the journalistic practices of The Times than Google. Alex Wissner-Gross co-founded an interesting startup called CO2Stats that we’ve covered a few times in the past (it was also a finalist in The Crunchies). The site helps websites stay as green as possible by offering carbon credits as well as badges to help promote the cause. The Times article only mentions the site in passing, and fails to acknowledge that CO2Stats is a company that earns money, not just an informative website. I sincerely doubt there is anything sinister going on, but such a major potential source of bias seems worthy of more than just a mention.

Update: Google has responded to The Times article, stating that a single search is actually equivalent to a mere 0.2 grams of CO2. The blog post also details some of Google’s efforts to further green technology as well as the energy efficiency of its own data centers.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Source: TechCrunch | 11 Jan 2009 | 9:30 pm

How Will Recent Financial Downturns Affect IT Jobs?

An anonymous reader writes "So, with the financial crisis and loss of jobs everywhere, what are the chances of getting a good IT job? I'm going to graduate this year with a BS in Software Engineering majoring in Network Security. I'll be looking for a job as a penetration tester eventually, but I hear that is hard to get right out of college so I'll be looking for a job as a Junior Network Admin or similar type of job to start off in. Is there a lack of jobs in this field? I figure computers always need fixing so they have to have some sort of IT personnel on staff to maintain the core of their business. Anyone have a good insight on this issue?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 11 Jan 2009 | 9:30 pm

Tesla debuts zippier Roadster Sport

Source: Gizmodo | 11 Jan 2009 | 9:00 pm

Storm Worm Botnet "Cracked Wide Open"

Heise Security reports that a 'team of researchers from Bonn University and RWTH Aachen University have analysed the notorious Storm Worm botnet, and concluded it certainly isn't as invulnerable as it once seemed. Quite the reverse, for in theory it can be rapidly eliminated using software developed and at least partially disclosed by Georg Wicherski, Tillmann Werner, Felix Leder and Mark Schlösser. However it seems in practice the elimination process would fall foul of the law.'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 11 Jan 2009 | 8:26 pm

Hot gadgets at CES: Browser cam, LED TV, new Palm (AP)

AP - Although the International Consumer Electronics Show was smaller than it was last year because of the economic doldrums, there were still interesting new gadgets on display before the exhibition wound down Sunday. Here are some of the most attention-grabbing:

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jan 2009 | 8:12 pm

TV makers seek depth, adding a third dimension (AP)

AP - This year, superficial was out at the nation's largest electronics gala. Every exhibitor at the International Consumer Electronics Show, it seemed, wanted to show some depth. Depth as in 3-D, that is.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jan 2009 | 8:04 pm

A jolt brings Corning back to its research roots (AP)

AP - These rigorous tests will take years. But by night, Gadkaree dreams that this filter — which is designed to neutralize the poisonous mercury spewed by the world's coal-fired power plants — will be the next big hit for a nearly 160-year-old company that recently survived a brush with extinction.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jan 2009 | 7:57 pm

The Carbon Footprint Of Google Searches Revealed

A Harvard University physicist has determined a way to measure the carbon footprint of performing a search on Google. “A Google search has a definite environmental impact,” said Alex Wissner-Gross, who conducted research on how much power is demanded by a typical search.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jan 2009 | 7:15 pm

Free antibiotics popular with customers

Stores in New Jersey offering free antibiotics say they're not concerned the program could be abused by people who don't need the medication. Stop & Shop, Wegman's and Shoprite stores this month began giving away antibiotics to customers with a prescription, The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Sunday. People are coming from everywhere, said Shilvanti Patel, a pharmacist at Stop & Shop.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jan 2009 | 7:12 pm

More numbers show that Apple sold a whole bunch of iPod touches during the holidays

Numbers from two online firms show that iPod touch usage “exploded” on Christmas day. That’s a roundabout way of saying that Apple must have sold a ton of the things during the holidays.

The two firms, Net Applications and AdMob, track things like online ad hits and general Web usage. No, they’re not the most accurate ways of measuring usage, but they’re all we’ve got for now; wait till Apple’s next quarterly report for concrete numbers.

Basically, once Christmas day hit, these two companies saw iPod touch use increase “like whoa.” From November to December alone ad requests went up by 3.4 times. Extending the time frame to July (before the new iPod touch debuted) is even more impressive: ad requests went up by 16 times, from 18 million to 292 million. Couple that with Apple’s own App Store numbers, why don’t ya?

So there: a lot more of you are listening to DRM-free music—one way or another—on the iPod touch. Also, Manchester United stinks.

Source: CrunchGear | 11 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm

Weekend Update 1.11.09 [Digital Daily]

There’s got to be a joke somewhere in the fact that Macworld, CES and the AVN Awards (the “Pornies”) all happen during the same week. Maybe even one that hasn’t been played out ten times over. All Things Digital was too busy covering almost all of them this week to think of one.

Digital Daily was on hand at Macworld ‘09 Monday. Despite the flurry of wonky reporting about the health and/or “imminent death” of Steve Jobs–put into perspective here by BoomTown–nothing too remarkable happened during Apple’s (AAPL) last appearance at the annual event. Phil Schiller did a solid job delivering the keynote in Jobs’ place, introducing a new 17-inch MacBook Pro with an eight-hour internal battery and some innovative updates to iWork and iLife. Schiller ended his keynote with the announcement of changes in pricing and digital rights management for iTunes, punctuated by the surprise appearance of crooner Tony Bennett. Apparently the best is yet to come. Crack photojournalist Adam Tow was on hand to capture the keynote in its entirety–All Things Digital’s photo coverage can be found here.

MediaMemo reported from CES about the pervasive 3D theme of the conference and wondered whether people would pay cash to see a football game in 3D at a theater instead of just staying home. There was the ongoing litany of the casualties of the econalypse: “Semantic” ad network Peer39 shut down its ad operation this week, Hearst is about to pull the plug on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Forbes announced layoffs and Sir Howard Stringer announced the elimination of thousands of jobs at Sony (SNE). MediaMemo also caught the much-anticipated introduction of the Palm Pre (PALM) and its new Web OS, the product that Palm itself deems superior to the iPhone and that many others consider to be Palm’s last chance for survival. The product’s success or failure will have a lot to do with its pricing, about which there’s much disbelief.

BoomTown had the lowdown this week on an amusing rumor about a Microsoft-backed (MSFT) run at Yahoo (YHOO), the emergence of Carol Bartz as the top prospect for Yahoo CEO and Microsoft’s deal with Verizon (VZ) and Dell (DELL) to distribute search. Jerry Yang submitted to the all-seeing eye of BoomTown’s Flip camera along with Sue Decker to talk about Yahoo’s new product, Connected TV. The camera also caught some chatty attendees and a few demos, including one of a new Disney (DIS) music product given by a guy who looked like a member of ZZ Top.

Speaking of ZZ Top, catch gadget godfather Walt Mossberg trying out some 3D glasses on his annual odyssey around the convention floor. All he needs is a beard and a ‘32 Ford and he could be a band member, too. Walt and Katie Boehret caught many of the more interesting gadgets on video, and Walt previewed some more for FOX News.

More next week.

Source: All Things Digital | 11 Jan 2009 | 7:00 pm

Tests Find Algae-Toxin May Have Sickened Pelicans

Wildlife experts reported Friday that a toxic chemical produced by algae has been found in some sick California brown pelicans.  The birds have been found in record numbers along the West Coast in recent weeks.Preliminary laboratory results from the University of Southern California found that half of the blood samples obtained from ailing pelicans tested positive for domoic acid.  Meanwhile, five of 14 water samples taken from waters off the Southern California coast also suggested low concentrations of domoic acid in the phytoplankton."We believe these results are significant but do not explain all the signs we are seeing in the pelicans," Dr.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jan 2009 | 6:50 pm

Doctors study damaged brains of athletes

A former pro wrestler has joined with doctors in Massachusetts to build a bank of brain tissue from athletes who suffered concussions. Chris Nowinski, 30, a Harvard-educated sociologist, was named Newcomer of the Year in 2001 by World Wrestling Entertainment.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jan 2009 | 6:06 pm

Flying Car Ready For Take-Off

The world’s first flying automobile is scheduled to take to the skies next month.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jan 2009 | 6:05 pm

So how’s that Windows 7 beta treating you?

So how’s that Windows 7 beta treating you? Even if you’ve had issues—and we know that some of you have—you should know that Microsoft is trying to make this whole experience work as smoothly as possible.

Gone is the 2.5 million-download limit. Since the beta has proven to be so popular, Microsoft has decided that, for the next two weeks, if you download the beta you’ll get a key. (No having to resort to BitTorrent, then.) This “offer,” if you can call it that, goes through January 24.

Good to see Microsoft trying to make good here.

Source: CrunchGear | 11 Jan 2009 | 5:44 pm

FCC chairman: DTV delay could cause confusion (AP)

AP - Postponing the turnoff of analog TV broadcasts beyond the scheduled date, Feb. 17, could confuse consumers, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission warned Saturday.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 11 Jan 2009 | 3:33 pm

New Board of Directors Appointed at Satyam

HYDERABAD, India, Jan.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 11 Jan 2009 | 2:00 pm

New Honda Hybrid Contender Challenges Champ Prius

The new Honda Insight hybrid promises to revolutionize the hybrid market by making gas-electric cars affordable. But the five-door hatchback with a rock-bottom price isn't the Prius killer Honda might have hoped for.

Honda isn't saying exactly what the car unveiled today at the Detroit auto show will cost when it rolls into showrooms on April 22 (Earth Day) but it will undercut the Toyota Prius by several thousand dollars. That won't be enough to knock a car that's synonymous with hybrid technology from its pedestal, but the 2010 Insight poses the first credible threat to Toyota's dominance of the hybrid market.

It's widely expected to cost no more than $20,000, and Honda almost certainly will sell every one of the 100,000 Insights destined for North America this year. Analysts say as many as half those sales could be siphoned away from Toyota. The next-generation Prius will debut during the show.

"The Insight has the potential to put the Prius in a world of hurt," says George Peterson, president of industry analysis firm AutoPacific.

But the Insight has more than a great price going for it. With its stellar fuel economy, snappy acceleration and clever interactive dashboard designed to help drivers maximize efficiency, the Insight is the world's first fun hybrid.

Honda spent more than two years developing the car, which draws its name from the funky two-seater Insight hybrid that was the first gas-electric vehicle sold in America when it was introduced in 1999. The car never quite caught on, and Honda could only watch as the Prius outsold Honda's hybrids by four to one. Honda discontinued the Insight in 2006 and pulled the plug on the Accord hybrid the following year.

Tired of watching from the sidelines as Toyota dominated the field, the company decided the best way to close the gap was to make hybrids as cheap as they are efficient. "We want to open up the market to consumers who might not have considered hybrids in the past because of price considerations," says company spokesman Sage Marie, noting that although the Prius starts at $22,000, they often go for several thousand more than that when you can find one.

The new Insight builds on the Integrated Motor Assist technology underpinning the Civic hybrid, which remains in Honda's lineup and is slightly larger than the Insight. It sandwiches a 13-horsepower electric motor between the 88-horsepower four-cylinder engine and the continuously variable transmission. The combination delivers 98 horsepower and enough torque to let you accelerate away from a traffic light with a grin.

Honda's system isn't quite as fuel efficient as Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive, but with an estimated 40 mpg in the city and 43 on the highway, it's pretty close to the EPA's figures for the 2009 Prius. The compact size and lower cost of Honda's technology offers other advantages though. While smaller than the Prius, the Insight offers almost as much interior room and actually has more cargo room, thanks to a smaller electronic control unit and more efficient 5.75-amphere-hour, 100-volt, nickel-metal hydride battery under the rear seat.

The interior has lots of clever touches -- an iPod holder, storage compartments that can be reconfigured about a bazillion ways and, in a stroke of genius, a storage slot under the cargo floor for the retractable cargo cover. Options include a navi system, Bluetooth and iPod integration, though including those will probably bump the price above 20 grand. But the coolest gadget comes standard in every model -- the interactive Ecological Drive Assist System.

Eco Assist uses a dashboard display and speedometer backlighting that effectively turn hypermiling -- the fine art of maximizing fuel efficiency -- into a videogame that coaches you on your driving style. There's also an Econ Mode that decreases throttle sensitivity, reduces air-conditioning demand and pulls a few other under-hood tricks to maximize fuel efficiency.

During a day behind the wheel last month, we managed an impressive 42.4 mpg without even trying. When we pushed the Econ Mode button and used Eco Assist to mind our hypermiling P's and Q's, the Insight returned an amazing 65.6 mpg. That's on par with the best figures we've seen from the Prius.

The irony is the Insight is the first hybrid with the driving dynamics that might encourage you to ignore your inner environmentalist and just have fun. While we didn't drag race a Prius, our seat-of-the-pants impression is the Insight has snappier acceleration, not to mention more responsive steering, better brakes and superior handling. The fully loaded EX version even offers shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel. The Insight isn't as sporty as, say, a Civic Si, but it's by no means a dull car.

Honda has packed a lot into the Insight's small and inexpensive package, and industry analysts say it may well usher in the "new era of affordability" for hybrids that company Takeo Fukui promised last fall. Toyota and Hyundai already have plans to offer gas-electric models in the Insight's price range, industry watchers say, and it's only a matter of time before other automakers follow suit.

"Honda may set a new benchmark for others to shoot for with regard to cost, packaging and content," says Joe Langley, an auto industry analyst with CSM Worldwide. "We should start to see prices come down. This is the first step."

Source: Wired Top Stories | 11 Jan 2009 | 2:00 pm

Tiny Bird Makes Initial Trip Across US Border

Birdwatchers with cameras and binoculars are being drawn to a remote state park in Texas, hoping to spot a tiny yellow-chested bird that reportedly left its high-mountain habitat to the south and crossed the U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jan 2009 | 12:05 pm

'Green' Billboard Ready For Times Square

A new "Eco-board" that relies upon only wind and solar power is ready to make its debut in New York’s Time Square.  The giant billboard, the first of its kind anywhere in the world, weighs 35,000 pounds and will be powered by 64 solar panels and 16 custom built vertical wind turbines.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 11 Jan 2009 | 11:50 am