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First Look: 2010 GMC Terrain From Torrent to Terrain - MotorTrend Magazine
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 5 Apr 2009 | 3:07 pm Hot gaming news for the week of 3-29-2009Section:  No need to scour the interwebs for hot gaming news, Gamertell‘s already done that for you! Here’s a look at this week’s top stories…
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 5 Apr 2009 | 2:42 pm Is the Apple press falling into Microsoft’s trap? - CNNMoney.com
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 5 Apr 2009 | 2:41 pm Google Loses A Round In Sponsored Search Litigation
Google has lost the most recent round of litigation over alleged abuse of sponsored search, the sale of keywords based on corporate trademarks, and misdirection. No, this decision does not change anything in Google’s business practices. It does not prove that Google did anything wrong. And it does not create financial liability for Google. It merely sends one case back to court for another trial. It should not send Google stock plummeting. But it does require that we in the online tech community think carefully and debate carefully about Google’s business model. Some readers, and indeed some fellow bloggers, have complained that my calling sponsored search misdirection rather than advertising was outrageous, and that they have never heard anyone but me complain about it. The jury is, quite literally, still out on this one, but a recent appellate court ruling against Google suggests that the issue is still hotly debated in the courts, even if not quite as hotly as in the blogosphere. MediaPost reports the details:
The case (Rescuecom V. Google) has been public since the initial decision was reached in 2006 but it does not appear to have entered into our collective consciousness. Google is innocent until proven guilty and this latest decision does not prove it guilty of anything; it merely remands the case back to the lower court for reconsideration. But again, we in the online tech community need to understand how businesses are affected, positively and negatively, by Google and its use of its very considerable market power. The Electronic Frontier Foundation believes that there are freedom of speech issues, and others believe that sponsored search increases consumer choice by counter-balancing the power of the largest corporations. The issues surely are complex enough to demand our attention. The ruling is embedded below: Rescuecom v Google 04-03-09 Rescuecom v Google 04-03-09 Legal Writer Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0 Source: TechCrunch | 5 Apr 2009 | 2:27 pm Google Loses A Round In Sponsored Search LitigationGoogle has lost the most recent round of litigation over alleged abuse of sponsored search, the sale of keywords based on corporate trademarks, and misdirection. No, this decision does not change anything...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 2:27 pm Linux Foundation To Host Intel's Moblin Projectgustavopuy writes with news that Intel will be transferring control of Moblin, its Linux-based OS for mobile devices, to the Linux Foundation. Quoting Ars Technica: "We spoke with Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin, who told us that the Linux Foundation offers a vendor-neutral setting for advancing the Moblin project. He believes that such an environment will help stimulate third-party involvement in the process of building the platform and could also encourage broader adoption. ... Zemlin explained that the Linux Foundation's stewardship of the project will empower third-party contributors to expand the platform beyond its Intel-specific roots. He assures me that Intel sees value in making Moblin open to everyone — including companies that are leveraging Linux on competing processors, such as those based on the ARM architecture."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Gizmodo | 5 Apr 2009 | 2:00 pm Man detained, threatened and abused by TSA for flying with $4700 in cashHere's a recording of Steve Bierfeldt, a US citizen who tried to board a domestic airplane while carrying $4700 in cash, and was detained by the TSA and subjected to abusive language and threats when he said that he would only answer the TSA's inquiries ("Where do you work?" "Why are you carrying cash?") if he was required to by law. The TSA agents threatened to turn him over to the DEA. <> He was returning from a Ron Paul event in St Louis, MO, and worked for the campaign. The cash on his person arose from sales of t-shirts and stickers at the event. The transport cops in the audio recording of his interrogation actually tell him if he's not guilty he has nothing to fear. Exactly what security threat does cash pose to an airplane? Are suicide bombers wont to carry a lot of liquid capital in case they flub it and need to bribe their way out? Cue clueless commenter who says, "Well what did he expect when he told the law enforcement person that he expected to be informed of his rights and legal obligations before he would answer his questions?" After all, constitutional liberties are only there to be admired, not exercised. In 3...2...1.
Man detained and harassed at airport for carrying CASH!
(via Dispatches from the Culture Wars) Man detained, threatened and abused by TSA for flying with $4700 in cashHere's a recording of Steve Bierfeldt, a US citizen who tried to board a domestic airplane while carrying $4700 in cash, and was detained by the TSA and subjected to abusive language and threats when...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 1:53 pm Microsoft to drop mainstream support for Office 2003 April 14thSection: Computers, Software / Applications
April 14th is also the day Windows XP will begin its foray into retirement. The 7 year old OS is the most popular version of Windows to date and has enjoyed a rebirth thanks to the huge sales of netbooks, most of which come with it preinstalled. It was the netbook craze that kept XP going this long. Microsoft actually extended its 5 year mainstream support to 7 years just for netbook makers and users. If you own a netbook, fear not. XP’s retirement should have little effect on you. You’ll still get security patches when needed, and chances of any non-security issues popping up are quite slim thanks to its 3 Service Packs. Microsoft says primary support for XP versions running on netbooks is the responsibility of the OEM anyway, not them. Read [PCWorld] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 5 Apr 2009 | 1:17 pm Designer Accused of Copying His Own Work By Stock Art Websitethe_harlequin writes "A successful designer, who has a showcase of his own work available online, has had a stock image site accuse him of copyright infringement over his own illustrations, citing damages of $18,000. The story doesn't end there; the stock photo site hired lawyers, who have contacted the original designer's clients. The lawyers told them the designer is being investigated for copyright infringement and their logos might be copied, thus damaging his reputation. 'My theory is that someone copied my artwork, separated them from any typography and then posted them for sale on the stock site. Someone working for the site either saw my [LogoPond] showcase or was alerted to the similarities. They then prepared the bill and sent it to me. The good thing is that the bill gives me a record of every single image they took from me. That helps me gather dates, sketches, emails, etc. to help me prove my case. The bad thing is that despite my explanations and proof, they will not let this go.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 5 Apr 2009 | 1:04 pm Rock-Breaking Denim - Beso de Loco Showcases Their Kick-Ass Jeans (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) These ads for clothing and footwear brand Beso de Loco promote the strength of their denim products by showing it can break rocks and stones. The copy MADe IN YOUR HEAD evokes the...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 12:59 pm Naughty Vegas Scenarios for Charity - Tap Project Keep It Clean Campaign (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) The UNICEF Tap Project recently released these ads that promote Las Vegas participation in World Water Week, which takes place between March 22-28. With a slogan of For one week, Vegas...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 12:39 pm Michigan Wolves Under Threat From InbreedingNearly thirty gray wolves living on an island chain in northwestern Lake Superior have backbone malformations as a result of genetic inbreeding, presenting yet another hurdle for the wolves’ long-term survival, wildlife experts say.Although only confirmed recently, the problem has seemingly been in existence or decades in the tiny, isolated wolf packs in Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.The abnormalities are also found in some domestic dogs, and can cause pain, partial paralysis and can limit the critical range of motion needed by these wild predators.The discovery presents the ethically ambiguous question of whether biologists should seek to dilute the gene pool by introducing wolves from other places, said researchers at Michigan Tech University in Houghton.The University hosts a 51-year-old study of the park’s wolves and moose that is one of the world’s longest continuing observations of the symbiotic relationship between predator and prey species and their environment.Biologists have historically taken a hands-off approach as wolf and moose numbers have risen and fallen over the years, choosing instead to let nature take its course --even if that meant extinction of the species. However, there are strong arguments to support intervening as well, according to project leaders."This is not a decision just for scientists to make any more," Rolf Peterson, who has been involved in the study since 1970, told the AP.Although formally part of Michigan, Isle Royale is actually closer to Minnesota and Ontario. Scientists believe moose likely found their way to the island by swimming the 15 miles from Canada around 1900. And a few arrived during the late 1940s, crossing a rare ice bridge from the mainland.The two species’ populations have fluctuated over the years as a result of disease, weather, food availability and other factors. But the wolves’ most dangerous period was during the 1980s, when their numbers dropped to just 12 due to a parvovirus outbreak.This winter, their population stood at 24, a number roughly equal to the long-term average. The wolves were divided into four packs.Researchers had long looked for signs of potential problems from inbreeding, such as poor survival rates for pups.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 Apr 2009 | 12:20 pm Sweet Sensual Jewelry - Wellendorff Chocolate Collection is Decadent and Calorie-Free (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) At the BASELWORLD 2009 jewelry show, German jeweler Wellendorff exhibited their latest collection, Chocolate. The pieces within the collection are all named after decadent sweet treats...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 12:19 pm Murdoch Says Newspapers Must Charge For Online ContentNews Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch said U.S.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 5 Apr 2009 | 12:10 pm The Most Sought After Money in the Stimulus BillMost of the money coming to states under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka ARRA aka the stimulus bill) is for very specific purposes and must go to very specific programs. Usually, but not...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 12:02 pm The NYT Compares Broadband Upgrade Costs in US, Japanzxjio writes with this excerpt from a New York Times article about just how much networking infrastructure costs vary between the US and Japan: "Pretty much the fastest consumer broadband in the world is the 160-megabit-per-second service offered by J:Com, the largest cable company in Japan. Here's how much the company had to invest to upgrade its network to provide that speed: $20 per home passed. ... Verizon is spending an average of $817 per home passed to wire neighborhoods for its FiOS fiber optic network and another $716 for equipment and labor in each home that subscribes, according to Sanford C. Bernstein & Company. ... The experience in Japan suggests that the major cable systems in the United States might be able to increase the speed of their broadband service by five to 10 times right away. They might not need to charge much more for it than they do now and they would still make as much money."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 5 Apr 2009 | 11:50 am Review: Nintendo's New DSi -- A Quantum Leap Forward - FOXNews
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 5 Apr 2009 | 11:41 am Dream Interpretation Art - Mexican Collective Explores the Manifestations of the Subconscious (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) I don't know about you, but I have some pretty crazy dreams, and Mexican art collective DSR has interpreted their dreams into a series of art pieces. DSR is comprised of 7 street artists,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 11:39 am iPhone Document Scanners - ScanDock Lets You Capture Information Perfectly (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) The ScanDock for iPhone is a simple corrugated cardboard rig designed to make it easy to scan documents with your iPhone. If youve ever attempted to scan a document by just holding...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 11:19 am Giant Crystal Horses - Swarovski 'Lucky Spot' Sculpture by Stella McCartney Rings in Easter (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) 'Lucky Spot' is a giant shimmering sculpture of a horse made out of Swarovski crystals by Stella McCartney for Belsay Hall Castle & Gardens. The art piece was originally created...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 10:59 am Mocking Microblogging - With 26 Character Updates, Flutter is Twitters Mini Me (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) Now that Twitters popularity has reached critical mass, parodies and mock businesses like Flutter will start to lampoon the ubiquitous microblogging site. Flutter is Slate Magazines...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 10:39 am Grok This: Forget The Business Books, Go Sci-Fi To Stoke Your Imagination
There are exceptions, of course, and we’ll occasionally review a business book here on TechCrunch either because it is exceptional or because it provides unique historical insights. But my advice for most entrepreneurs is to ignore most business books. Reading too many of them will only confuse you anyway, since so many of them have conflicting advice on how to grow your company, or how to be a better manager, or how to get more done by working less. Most of the really successful people I’ve met certainly don’t read them - they’ve forged their own path to winning. If you really want to stoke your imagination, spend all those hours reading science fiction instead. Every good entrepreneur needs a certain amount of imagination to envision the future. Science fiction books tend to keep the imaginative juices flowing. And the better ones have moral or other life lessons that are a lot more fun to read entwined with the drama of an unfolding story that involves spaceships, time travel or other worlds. Here are a few of my favorite science fiction books, and what I learned from them (they are roughly in my favorite order):
There are, of course, many other great science fiction novels - these are just a few of my favorites. The point I want to make is that time spent reading books that make you think about what could be isn’t necessarily leisure - you may just get the juices flowing enough to come up with the next great product that just yesterday would have been considered science fiction itself. So get to work, people. And let me know what your favorites are, too. Author’s note: If I do ever write a business book, and I may, don’t go pointing back to this post and criticizing me. I promise to make it as entertaining as possible. Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0 Source: TechCrunch | 5 Apr 2009 | 10:22 am The Next Web Is Just Around The Corner (The Conference, That Is)
Speakers this year include Jeff Jarvis, Matt Mullenweg (Automattic), Bradley Horowitz (Google), Chris Sacca and author Andrew Keen. The full list can be found here. A web conference would be nothing without a good old startup competition, and today the organizing team of the event have announced the 19 finalists that will be pitching the audience on stage. I’m one of the jury members that will be deciding which European startup takes home the prize, so I’m looking forward to seeing what these have in store:
The startups above were selected out of total of 200 companies that submitted their profile for consideration. Each of them will get 5 minutes of stage time to impress the audience and the jury. We’ll let you know which ones kicked ass. Hope to see you in Amsterdam! Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware. Source: TechCrunch | 5 Apr 2009 | 10:12 am Quadrophenia: "New" 4-channel versions of classic rock albumsRichard Metzger is the current Boing Boing guest blogger
The last time I was guest blogger here at Boing Boing, I innocently waded into a war of the words by doing a post on audiophile SACDs and DVD-A surround sound mixes of classic albums. But for those of you who care --not you haters-- I recently --not so innocently-- noticed that certain lovely people were putting up their own homemade DVD-A versions of four channel rips made from 70s quadraphonic 8-tracks, reel to reels and in rare cases, LPs on the various torrent trackers. Most of these mixes haven't been heard for years, by anyone and they're awesome!
It's a quadraphonic treasure trove out there, I tell you: Joni Mitchell's "Court and Spark," and "Hissing of the Summer Lawns." Kraftwerk's "Autobahn"(!), "The Worst of the Jefferson Airplane" and "Volunteers" (which uses totally different takes from the stereo LP), Jeff Beck's "Wired." Black Sabbath's "Paranoid." "Band on the Run," "Venus and Mars Rock Show" and "Wall and Bridges" (mixed in quad, I am assuming, by Phil Spector --what would "#9 Dream" sound like in Quad? Heaven?). "Bitches Brew." "Aqualung." "Atom Heart Mother" and "Wish You Were Here." "Music from the Big Pink" and a King Biscuit Flower Hour recording of the Rolling Stones in 1973 in full glorious 4-channel surround with the audience in the rear speakers.
Here's a review of Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" in quadraphonic sound. It's amazing to hear the way they mixed the automobile sounds pinging from speaker to speaker. You really feel like you're in traffic!
Source: Boing Boing | 5 Apr 2009 | 9:18 am iPhone 4G IV could support 802.11n
The next iPhone will have a Broadcom BCM4329 chip inside it, a low-power chip that supports 5GHz 802.11n networks. Basically, some dudes at AppleInsider (HA!) found resource files that point to drivers for the new chip is reserved for the next gen Touch and iPhone and should be able to offer higher quality of service.
Source: CrunchGear | 5 Apr 2009 | 9:11 am Tuxedomoon: No Tears for the Creatures of the NightRichard Metzger is the current Boing Boing guest blogger
While the Sex Pistols were regurgitating old Who and Chuck Berry riffs in London, and the Ramones were dumbing down the Beach Boys' sound in New York City, something truly weird was going on in San Francisco. Formed in 1977 by multi-instrumentalists, Blaine L. Reininger and Steven Brown (and later joined by Peter Principle and puppeteer/weirdo, Winston Tong) Tuxedomoon are a group that, like their singular Ralph Records label-mates, The Residents, fall into exactly one category, the category of Tuxedomoon. With a sonic aesthetic difficult to describe (electronic, erudite, evil, with lots of strings and a sleazy sax, if that helps) but once called the sound of "ectoplasmic formation" (any better?), Tuxedomoon never fit into the San Francisco punk scene, they were viewed as "too European." Not surprisingly, the band decamped to Rotterdam, then Brussels in the early 1980s where they were more warmly received. Since then, Tuxedomoon have rarely played in America --just five concerts-- and I can count myself as lucky enough to have attended one of them. Tuxedomoon celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2007 with a box set, "77-o-7" consisting of a new album (Vapour Trails), a CD of the new album played live, a rarities disc and a nearly three-hour long DVD of their multi-media film works and performance documentation. A friend gave me this box set not that long ago and it absolutely floored me. I played it for weeks on end and the video material was a joy for a longtime fan to behold. There's also been a definitive 450-page book book written on the group titled "Music For Vagabonds: The Tuxedomoon Chronicles" by Isabelle Corbisier, that looks really great. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. Official Tuxedomoon website Tuxedomoon on MySpace "No Tears" video Tuxedomoon on Glenn O'Brien's TV Party (note Debbie Harry cameo) "Jinx" music video directed by Graeme Whifler "Special Treatment for the Family Man" (about Harvey Milk's killer, Dan White) "59 to 1" music video "Desire" (with Jean-Michel Basquiat on spray-paint) from "Downtown '81" "Jinx" live, 1979 "Nervous Guy" on TV Party "Found Films" trailer "Victims of the Dance" (a loft jam) "The Stranger" (with Winston Tong) Totally Wired: Simon Reynold's extensive email interview with Tuxedomoon's Steven Brown Thanks Frank Alongi from Ryko! Source: Boing Boing | 5 Apr 2009 | 9:08 am DSi is for “kids” while the PSP is for mature, intelligent consumers with taste
Sony has fired a peremptory strike against the Nintendo DSi, launching tomorrow. In a harshly worded letter they wrote:
WHOMP! Take a look at one line in there: “there continues to be limited opportunities for games from external publishers to do well on the DSi.” What Sony is really saying is that “hey, we’re not as harsh as Nintendo when it comes to what can pop up on the DSi and what can’t! Bring us your Custer’s Revenge or Dead Rising clone with more cursing and boobs! We’ll put it in a brown box and sell the heck out of it.” Obviously the DS is outselling the PSP 2-to-1 and Sony needs a win on the next iteration. However, it might as well push the PSP dingy out into the water to sink on her own. I doubt there will be a single game on par with anything the DSi has to offer in terms of sheer hype and popularity, even given that the DSi is for “kids.” Source: CrunchGear | 5 Apr 2009 | 9:07 am Open Source Shooter Nexuiz 2.5 ReleasedMichael writes "A new version of Nexuiz, a GPL-licensed, first-person shooter, has been released. There are over 3,000 changes in Nexuiz 2.5, including new maps, new game-modes, enhanced graphics, new audio, and other major changes. Phoronix has posted a preview of this Nexuiz 2.5 release, with screenshots showing the impressive graphics and how it has raised the bar for open-source gaming. Details about the Nexuiz project are available at SourceForge."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 5 Apr 2009 | 8:41 am Dangerous Minds w/ Charles Hugh SmithRichard Metzger is the current Boing Boing guest blogger And now for my promised video interview with Charles Hugh Smith, author of the new e-book, "Survival+." Part 1: We discuss "Survival+" and the current economic crisis. Part 2: We discuss why socialism in the USA is inevitable (and why this is a good thing), Karl Marx and more. Part 3: More on socialism in America and Niall Ferguson calling for America to repudiate its debt in the pages of TIME magazine. Part 4: Charles and I discuss Cory's BB post about squatters on his block and why it's important for culturally influential people to create feedback loops for humane and dignified solutions to the economic crisis. Produced by Bradley Novicoff and Tara McGinley I'd like to give a way huge, massive thank you to my longtime friend Jason Calacanis, the CEO of Mahalo and the hardest working person I have ever met in my entire life. He's a 5000 watt bulb, let me tell you people. It was Jason's kind offer of his brand new studio --it was actually more like a challenge than an offer, he dared me to do it!-- that allowed this to happen. The studio's newest toy, the fantastic Tri-caster, was still being set-up the day we recorded and we just winged it --next time I'll have a teleprompter!-- but I think it turned out pretty well and I'm happy to be able to give my good friend Charles Hugh Smith the kind of wide exposure that Boing Boing offers. I think it's important that people hear what he has to say. I'd also like to thank Jason Krute, Mahalo's studio manager, Tyler Crowley from Mahalo, Ryan Scott from Causecast and Kenny Chen, who edited the piece and who was such a big help in several ways. Thanks also to Charles' wife's cousin for the use of her Skype account and laptop!Source: Boing Boing | 5 Apr 2009 | 8:39 am Cellcom Israel Announces Filing of Supplemental Shelf Offering Report in IsraelNETANYA, Israel, April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE: CEL) (TASE: CEL) (hereinafter: the "Company") announced that, following the Company's...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 7:27 am Cellcom Israel Announces Filing of Supplemental Shelf Offering Report in IsraelNETANYA, Israel, April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cellcom Israel Ltd.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 5 Apr 2009 | 7:27 am Ice bridge ruptures in Antarctic - BBC News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 5 Apr 2009 | 7:17 am AT&T and union talks continue past deadline (AP)AP - AT&T and unions for its landline workers were working past a strike deadline early Sunday to try to reach agreement on a new contract.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 5 Apr 2009 | 7:15 am Help save Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic from US immigration hell!Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic have run into a little trouble with the US immigration people. Because they are "internet people," their marriage has not left the kind of paper-trail that the authorities like to see, and now Jasmina is under threat of deportation. But there's a solution: if you've spent any time with Bruce and Jasmina since their marriage, you can swear out an affidavit to that effect and send it to Bruce before April 15, and save their asses. Bruce doesn't mention it, but other friends of mine who've been through the same thing have benefited from the production of photos of them together, like these two that I took, so you might send those on to Bruce, too.
Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic Request Your Moral Support
Our Immigration Lawyer Suggests This Template Observatory celebrates Astronomy Day - Staunton News Leader
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 5 Apr 2009 | 6:47 am Pneumatic tube-based systems -- the real series of tubesMolly Wright Steenson continues her trailblazing research project into the secret history of the lost pneumatic "series of tubes" that presaged packet switching in many contexts, in this fascinating video'd presentation. Molly Wright Steenson - A Series of Tubesvia Beyond the Beyond) Source: Boing Boing | 5 Apr 2009 | 6:44 am Berlusconi declares war on the pressAn anonymous reader writes,This Italian news piece reports the latest uncostitutional boutade of PM Silvio Berlusconi, who actually declared "I am tempted to direct and strong actions against the media because of their disinformation about me". Translated from mafiaspeak (his ties with that organization have been widely documented in several trials, so this is no slander), this means: "I am going to sue the hell out of anybody not incensing me, and order their immediate firing just like I did a few years ago with journalistic legends like Indro Montanelli, Eugenio Scalfari and others".Berlusconi furioso con la stampa italiana "Mi calunniano, tentato da azioni dure" Source: Boing Boing | 5 Apr 2009 | 6:40 am Upgrades!
It's upgrade time, mutants, which means that the system won't be publishing new comments for at least a few hours. Note that these are unsexy upgrades: if nothing outwardly changes, that means it worked!
Source: Boing Boing | 5 Apr 2009 | 6:38 am Edifecs, CAQH and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Will Examine CORE Phase II Testing Outcomes and Lessons Learned at HIMSS09 Interoperability ShowcaseHarvard Pilgrim achieves CORE Phase II Testing Certification with Edifecs CORE Testing Service - includes compliance with rules that are now required in X12 Version 5010 ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 6:01 am North Korea Launches "Communication Satellite" RocketMad Ivan writes "The BBC has just reported that North Korea has launched a long-range rocket, which they say is a communications satellite, but that the US and Japan fear may actually be a ballistic missile. Details are still arriving; the rocket passed over northern Japan on its way up."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 5 Apr 2009 | 5:33 am Opposition to Google's book deal: Just Microsoft? - ZDNet
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 5 Apr 2009 | 4:53 am Review: Nintendo DSi
The question on everyone’s mind since October 2, 2008, has been whether it will be worth upgrading to the DSi from the DS Lite, right? We’ve all seen the countless videos coming out of Japan about the DSi’s new features and I’m sure most of you have already made up your mind by now, but if you’re on the fence then I hope this review helps. Nintendo was all abuzz during the original announcement of the DSi because of the two VGA cameras that were added in this iteration. With a slogan like, “What will you and “i” do?,” it’s fairly obvious what Nintendo’s goal is for the DSi. They’re hoping to make the handheld device just as social as the Wii. The first US DSi commercial is evidence of that. Either bumper activates the internal camera from the main menu, which you can switch to the external after launch. It may not be Nintendo’s intention to eliminate your camera, but both VGA cameras aren’t that bad. Considering Japan’s obsession with sticker picture booths it comes as no surprise that the picture editing software lets you edit images to add borders, cat ears or Mac-like Photo Booth effects. If you haven’t seen the first US commercial then check it out to see some of the editing software’s abilities. I was never quite satisfied with the DS Lite’s speakers and I’m happy to report that the DSi’s speakers are loud and clear. They’re also much more conspicuous. By adding an SD card slot, you can now ditch your MP3 player if you’re looking to travel light. DSi Sound allows you to manipulate your music by adding sound effects, changing pitch or overlaying your own recorded snippets. Other effects include filters, like, radio, instrumental, echo and 8-bit game. Visual effects are played on the top screen that include playable Super Mario and other visual treats. The parakeet that lives inside offers tips and repeats your recorded tracks, which is a bit creepy. The Opera powered DSi browser works just as you’d expect. You can check out the video I took the other day if you’re wondering how both screens work for browsing. However, I’ve been notified that my device memory is too low to display certain pages even though I’ve only been to one or two sites. Let’s be honest, the DSi Shop is totally worth the $170, but Nintendo decided to ditch the GBA slot, which is a bummer for anyone that has an archive of GBA games or newer games like Guitar Hero: On Tour that uses the GBA slot for the accompanying grip. However, I’m hoping the rumors of a Virtual Console for the DSi are true. Download speeds will depend on your Internet connection, but all my downloads averaged a minute or less. And each game or app can be stored on the DSi or SD card. And don’t forget that you’ll receive 1000 free DSi Points by purchasing on or before October 5th of this year. Of the five DSiWare titles available, I’ve downloaded all but Master of Illusion Expres: Funny Face. I’m not that enthusiastic about the games that utilize the camera, but the WarioWare title seemed like a must have to show others what the new handheld and software is capable of. Let’s hope Nintendo pushes out some more titles and apps in the next month because the existing lineup isn’t appealing to everyone, but Bird and Beans and Art Style: AQUIA are my favorites of the bunch. My review thus far probably sounds like a big endorsement for the DSi, but it’s not perfect. Battery life is considerably shorter than the previous generation by a few hours and nixing the GBA slot eliminates the use of all previous accessories that one might have purchased. The battery is user replaceable and I’m positive that larger capacity batteries will hit the market soon. But I can honestly say that those are the only two issues that I have with the DSi. As cheesy as the photo editing and audio software are, they’re neat to have and use. The Web browser is now included, which eliminates the need to spend another $30 or so unless you’re the homebrew type. The DSi Shop has the potential to be huge, but only time will tell what Nintendo has in store for us. If you currently own a DS Lite, then I suggest you wait around for a bit to see what happens with the DSi Shop. If you have an older model or you don’t own one at all, then, by all means, go out and purchase one immediately. Source: CrunchGear | 5 Apr 2009 | 3:30 am Shell's Sarnia refinery maintenance to start Apr 15TORONTO, April 4 (Reuters) - Scheduled maintenance at Royal Dutch Shell Sarnia refinery will start on April 15, the Sarnia Observer said on Saturday, citing a letter sent to local residents.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 5 Apr 2009 | 3:02 am ARM — Heretic In the Church of Intel, Moore's Lawericatcw writes "For 30+ years, the PC industry has been as obsessed with under-the-hood performance: MIPs, MHz, transistors per chip. Blame Moore's Law, which effectively laid down the Gospel of marketing PCs like sports cars. But with mobile PCs and green computing coming to the fore, enter ARM, which is challenging the Gospel according to Moore with chips that are low-powered in both senses of the word. Some of its most popular CPUs have 100,000 transistors, fewer than a 12 MHz Intel 286 CPU from 1982 (download PDF). But they also consume as little as a quarter of a watt, which is why netbook makers are embracing them. It's 'megahertz per milli-watt,' that counts, according to ARM exec Ian Drew, who predicts that 6-10 ARM-based netbooks running Linux and costing just around $200 should arrive this year starting in July."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 5 Apr 2009 | 2:20 am Uprades!
In the meantime, here's an embedded comment thread from Disqus at the front page. Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 5 Apr 2009 | 1:47 am Microsoft allows HP to wipe Windows 7 with XP through 2010 - Apple Insider
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 5 Apr 2009 | 1:27 am Crocodile dies 2 weeks after surgeryAn unprecedented operation has failed to save the life of an American crocodile that was hit by a car three months ago in the Florida Keys.Source: Gizmodo | 5 Apr 2009 | 12:15 am Chrome EULA Reserves the Right To Filter Your WebAn anonymous reader writes "Recently, I decided to try out Google Chrome. With my usual mistrust of Google, I decided to carefully read the EULA before installing the software. I paused when I stumbled upon this section: '7.3 Google reserves the right (but shall have no obligation) to pre-screen, review, flag, filter, modify, refuse or remove any or all Content from any Service. For some of the Services, Google may provide tools to filter out explicit sexual content. These tools include the SafeSearch preference settings (see google.com/help/customize.html#safe). In addition, there are commercially available services and software to limit access to material that you may find objectionable.' Does this mean that Google reserves the right to filter my web browsing experience in Chrome (without my consent to boot)? Is this a carry-over from the EULAs of Google's other services (gmail, blogger etc), or is this something more significant? One would think that after the previous EULA affair with Chrome, Google would try to sound a little less draconian."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Gizmodo | 4 Apr 2009 | 10:45 pm No More OpenMoko PhoneTuxMobil writes "Bad news for FreeRunner fans: development of the first Open Source smartphone will be discontinued. (English translation via Google) OpenMoko executive director Sean Moss-Pulz said at OpenExpo in Bern (Switzerland) that the number of staffers will be reduced to be able to stay in business. OpenMoko had high intentions: the offspring from Taiwanese electronic manufacturer First International Computer (FIC) wanted to produce an Open Source smartphone. Not only with Open Source software pre-installed, but with free drivers and open specifications of the hardware components. This would give programmers as well as users complete freedom. Up to now the manufacturer has produced two models, the first has sold 3,000 units and the second one 10,000. Both models were targeted primarily to developers. From the beginning, OpenMoko had to fight with different problems. The smartphones came onto the market after a huge delay. Some phones came with construction defects. Also, changes in the team slowed down the development. Software development for the current smartphone will be continued but with fewer resources, Moss-Pultz said. He still hopes the community will support the FreeRunner."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 4 Apr 2009 | 10:37 pm The Thurm Glupston ShowAn appreciation website is here. Snip from the show description: This Thurm Glupston Show was recorded and cablecast live on Cablevision (of Greater Johnstown, Pennsylvania) Community Television (CCTV) in 1988. In this episode, Thurm Glupston interviews We'll Save You Man (in a surprise appearance); Woody B. Green, a man who can turn into a plant; Kitty Cologne, a cosmetologist/astrologist; and Russ Fink, a professional talk show filler. Fake commercials include: We'll Save You Supermarkets, Powerflex Bodybuilding Shampoo, and Memorial Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.As with so many of the really good public access cable video clips I've blogged before, this find comes from the legendary curator of mutant talent, John Andrew Walsh. Source: Gizmodo | 4 Apr 2009 | 10:00 pm Cable TV: Pushing to Become More Web-like - BusinessWeek
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Apr 2009 | 9:54 pm Hemp for Victory: 1940s US Gov. Film Urging Folks to Grow Tons of WeedAbove, Hemp for Victory, a 13-minute film produced by the US government in the 1940s which urged citizens to grow hemp during the war. During this earlier era of American crisis, farmers and 4-H clubs were encouraged to cultivate industrial hemp, the non-intoxicating cousin of what I like to call cannabis gettabis stonerus. And now, during our current American crisis, this same "non-drug" cannabis strain is the subject of a new bill put forth by Congressmen Ron Paul (R-TX) and Barney Frank (D-MA). They and eight cosponsors, both Republican and Democrat, hope to legalize the plant so American farmers can begin supplying fibers for a wide array of products, with the overreaching goal of opening a new sector in American agriculture.Anyway, back to the propaganda film. I think the world needs a post-econopocalyptic remix with a totally baked-out Cheech and Chong VO. (Via Ned's List) Source: Boing Boing | 4 Apr 2009 | 9:53 pm CrunchGear Visits Gadget Maker Thanko in Tokyo
For a geek, living in Tokyo has many advantages. Being tempted to go check if infamous crap gadget vendor and USB specialist Thanko is for real, isn't one of them. But I finally went to Akihabara, the world's geek heaven in the center of Tokyo to find answers. And the rumors are true, Thanko does exist.
Thanko is a manufacturer that attaches a USB cable to everything. Drink warmer? Check. Humping dog? Check. Cigarette? Check. Mouse containing a floating duck? Check. So when we discovered they were a real company, we were flabbergasted.
Source: TechCrunch | 4 Apr 2009 | 9:45 pm Video: New Microsoft Commercial Makes Giampaolo Happy For $1,500 I'm sensing a trend here. Microsoft is working with a formula for its new advertising campaign, dubbed Laptop Hunter. The gist: A good-looking yet accessible actor goes into a mall. They look around, decide Macs are too expensive/cool/exciting for their down-to-earth lifestyles, and then buy an HP, in this case an HP with bad battery life. While I'm totally down with attractive people being happy, I wonder what, exactly, Microsoft is selling here? Design? Laptop quality? Even HP? It's definitely not selling anything it makes.
First we saw the Seinfeld commercials. That hot mess took the PC totally out of the picture. It made Microsoft all about Bill Gates (much as Apple is about Steve Jobs) but because no one would want to drink beers with Bill they added Jerry for charm. Again, nothing about Windows.
Source: TechCrunch | 4 Apr 2009 | 9:42 pm Video: New Microsoft commercial makes Giampaolo happy for $1,500I’m sensing a trend here. Microsoft is working with a formula for its new advertising campaign, dubbed Laptop Hunter. The gist: A good-looking yet accessible actor goes into a mall. They look around, decide Macs are too expensive/cool/exciting for their down-to-earth lifestyles, and then buy an HP, in this case an HP with bad battery life. While I’m totally down with attractive people being happy, I wonder what, exactly, Microsoft is selling here? Design? Laptop quality? Even HP? It’s definitely not selling anything it makes. First we saw the Seinfeld commercials. That hot mess took the PC totally out of the picture. It made Microsoft all about Bill Gates (much as Apple is about Steve Jobs) but because no one would want to drink beers with Bill they added Jerry for charm. Again, nothing about Windows. Then they made people the PC. “I’m a PC” became the battle cry of a beleaguered majority of computer users who use Windows - well, a PC, really - because it happens to be in front of them. You could have put Linux on the box and they could have also said that they were PCs. No mention of Windows. Finally, they’ve stripped the product out of the equation entirely. Lauren and Giampaolo (“a recent college grad and engineer,” which suggests a real person this time) hit the shops for a bit of hardware shopping. The laptops they bought - both from HP - could have been running BeOS for all they cared. They were shopping based on price. As Harry McCracken points out, again: this isn’t about Windows. Maybe that’s the goal. With processing hitting the cloud, most of the apps that Windows users would fire up from the Start menu are now in their Bookmarks bar. Mail? On-line. Photo sharing? On-line. Gaming? On the XBox. The average Windows user doesn’t need to think about Windows - and should ignore Vista entirely - and maybe later Windows 7 will straighten things up. As Harry writes:
Price is obviously important. We’re in a recession. As Giampaolo says, he doesn’t want to pay for the brand, he wants to pay for the computer. But are we saying that HP isn’t a brand? That Microsoft isn’t a brand? That Giampaolo isn’t getting paid by Microsoft to pick a Windows machine? What, if anything, is MS trying to say here? Or perhaps we’re watching the rise of post-modern advertising, in which the point is that there is no point. Perhaps this is about reinforcement, especially considering most people bypass the Apple aisle anyway. Or maybe we’re watching Microsoft looking into itself, its mind scoured by madness, giving away thousands of its hard-earned dollars to handsome shills. We will never know, sadly. We’ll never know. Source: CrunchGear | 4 Apr 2009 | 9:36 pm Appeals Court Rules Against Google On Keyword AdsEric Goldman writes "The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Google in Rescuecom v. Google (PDF), a trademark infringement lawsuit over Google's keyword advertising practices. The court said: 'The Complaint's allegations that Google's recommendation and sale of Rescuecom's mark to Google's advertisers, so as to trigger the appearance of their advertisements and links in a manner likely to cause consumer confusion when a Google user launches a search of Rescuecom's trademark, properly alleges a claim under the Lanham Act.' While this result hampers Google's ability to end trademark lawsuits early, the case is still at an early stage and Google could still win."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Gizmodo | 4 Apr 2009 | 9:15 pm Actor Kevin Pollak Jumps Into Social Media, And Is Swimming Quite WellActor Kevin Pollak (A Few Good Men, Usual Suspects, etc.) met Mahalo’s Jason Calacanis at a poker game and learned all about Twitter - a few weeks later and he has over 160,000 followers (although he jokes “I just don’t know what that means”). Calacanis also talked him into hosting a video show as well, which is two weeks old and already has 1,000 or so people watching live every Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow he’ll have Tesla founder Elon Musk on the show at 5 pm. Mahalo basically duplicated the Charlie Rose set (all black, single round table) for a total cost, he says, of $20,000. He says he can create a HD show for $300/episode for an editor, makeup, etc. The show is good, and it’s fun to watch a professional actor begin to understand the power of social media, where you can gain a lot of devoted fans very quickly - with the only downside being that you have to listen to what they say back to you. Pollack is handling it well, talking about the chat feature on the video show and how bewildered he is by Twitter. And he also seems to like the fact that he can do literally anything on the show that he wants - swear, be silent, talk for as long as he likes, whatever. Between his talking about what it’s like for a professional actor to do whatever he likes without interference, he throws in a few good comedic bits as well. My favorite - a damned good impersonation of Jack Nicholson at about the 2:15 mark of this video: An email from Kevin:
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0 Source: TechCrunch | 4 Apr 2009 | 9:03 pm Finding The North Pole On Thin Ice - NPR
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Apr 2009 | 9:02 pm Appletell reviews Skype for iPhone, iPod touchFROM APPLETELL - Skype does what you’d expect it to on the iPhone; you can call other Skype accounts for free and general lines for a small fee, and iPhone and iPod users both can use it for instant messaging. But it as a way to go before it’ll truly please Skype users. Source: Gizmodo | 4 Apr 2009 | 8:30 pm Data Center Raid About Unpaid Telco Feescraig writes "CBS11 News reports that the raid on Core IP networks is in the result of an investigation into unpaid telco access fees paid by CLECs and VoIP carriers to terminate calls on their networks. They also report that this raid is linked to the March 12th raid on Crydon Technology's datacenter, which also hosted VOIP providers. Anyone in the telco business will tell you access fees to other carriers are a total mess and lots of carriers have unpaid balances out there. It gives you the feeling that the FBI is acting as a collection agency for AT&T and Verizon."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Gizmodo | 4 Apr 2009 | 7:45 pm Weekend Update, 4.04.09 [Digital Daily]
Welcome once more to Weekend Update! I’ll be filling in today for your regular host Beth Callaghan, who’s currently on vacation. And what sane person wouldn’t be, after the slew of Silicon Valley silliness inspired by April Fools’ Day this past week? Digital pranks was the name of the game and Google (GOOG) and others heaped so many tepid hoaxes upon us that we wanted to call April Fold so as to quickly end this round of gags. But no bag of tricks was needed for one website to April Fool itself into crying wolf about an imminent Google acquisition of Twitter, when a real story around the corner was Google turning Turbo Tax tweets into ads. Meanwhile, one of the biggest jokesters of them all, the Onion, won one of the biggest awards in journalism, a Peabody, meaning that the best sense of humor goes to that panel of judges. Them and Stephen Colbert, who was willing to entertain (for a while) Twitter spokesmodel Biz Stone’s biz-model-less thoughts in his interview on the Colbert Report. Also on BoomTown this week: Facebook’s former CFO Gideon Yu is out, as was a leaked memo from Mark Zuckerberg about Yu’s departure and the company’s situation. A sense of humor is certainly an invaluable feather to have in your cap these days. Digital Daily wrote about the most recent doom-and-gloom predictions and events to happen in this econalypse, like analysts’ prediction of YouTube losing $470 million in 2009, the barren IPO-less wasteland VCs are bemoaning and a major global slump in semiconductor sales. Other headlines weren’t quite so dreary: Google’s foray into VC land, the folks at BlackBerry HQ celebrating surprisingly good fourth-quarter results and the world’s worst-kept-secret, the anticipated IBM-Sun merger. There was a similar mix of dark clouds and silver linings over at MediaMemo. The National Collegiate Athletics Association forced Twitter and partners AT&T (T) and Federated Media to take down one of its first ad campaigns “March Tweetness”, crying copyright foul. Also running afoul with big companies in legal waters, free music website Seeqpod filed for bankruptcy. And video site Veoh laid off a significant amount of staff and kicked out its old CEO and focus, replacing them with founder Dmitry Shapiro and the “Video Compass” browser plugin, respectively. Online video is generally a turbulent space these, but the waiting is the hardest part for Hulu when it comes to the rumored Disney deal, where Disney seems to be playing the field. Other gems of the week were URL-shrinking web service bit.ly’s raising of $2 million in funds and media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s Kindle envy. Over on the Mossblog, Walt Mossberg gives us his first impressions of the BlackBerry App World store, in which Research in Motion (RIMM) takes a bold step into what was formerly the sole domain of Apple. In Personal Technology, Mossberg reviews a network hard drive from Western Digital that makes the technology gloriously simple for everyone. And in the Mossberg Solution, Katherine Boehret takes a look at several laptop trays, designed to protect the *ahem* family jewels and family members in general from laptops’ scorching undersides. Finally, our exciting Woz-watch, after many weeks, has come to a sad end: Steve Wozniak was voted off “Dancing with the Stars” this week after one misstep too many. Down, but not out, the Apple (AAPL) co-founder swore that the “geeks shall inherit the earth”… just not the dance floor, any time soon. Please. More next week. Source: All Things Digital | 4 Apr 2009 | 7:36 pm Alaska's Mount Redoubt has another large eruptionThe Mount Redoubt volcano in Alaska has had another large eruption after being relatively quiet for nearly a week. The Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage says the volcano about 100...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Apr 2009 | 7:17 pm What the Future Holds: Flexible OLED will change everythingSection: Video, Features, Originals, Columns, WTFH  Back at CES, Sony showed off a flexible 2.5-inch OLED screen. Sir Howard Stringer joked that Jay-Z isn’t the only one who could squeeze Beyonce as he flexed the display while it played a Beyonce music video. But what exactly is this technology for? It seems like a cool concept, but what practical applications do flexible OLED screens have? Let’s take a look into the future. Changing the way laptops are designedOne of the key design factors for mobile computers has been the display. It, along with the keyboard, dictate the form factor of the device. Flexible OLED could change the whole game for portable computers. Since OLEDs don’t require a backlight, they are already very thin. Flexibility pretty much ensures a scroll-like screen in-place of a hinged LCD on laptops. Lenovo has shown off its laptop with a secondary display. Think about how easy it would be to have roll-out OLEDs instead of a bulky LCD screen. Watches won’t be the sameThink of the geekiest watch out there. Are you thinking about the Brando mp4 watch? Good. The device is pretty bulky. I’ve got one, I should know. Most people would probably not go for such a device. However, with a flexible OLED display, that could change the form factor substantially. Additionally, more surface area could be screen instead of just wristband. Ever expanding phonesPhones have been changing rapidly from simple devices for calling people to texting and Internet machines. Imagine what a flexible OLED could do for your pocketable device. Watching video on a small screen is alright for short trips, but on longer trips, they just don’t do the job. Imagine just pulling out more screen to watch videos. This ought to take a whileThe tiny screen that was on display was probably very very expensive. It isn’t ready for prime time just yet. Regular OLED isn’t even ready for mass production, let alone flexible OLED. However, flexible OLED will definitely be the future of the display. By the way, I spoke this idea over with a friend during a flight. He explained lots of ideas and applications for this technology that appear in the article. Thanks, Kareem. Source: Gizmodo | 4 Apr 2009 | 7:00 pm INQ Will Feature Facebook Status On Their PhonesINQ Mobile, the handset arm of Hutchison Whampoa, promises to deliver status update messages from Facebook right to its phones' home screens.Co-founder and strategy director of the nascent phone maker, Jeff Taylor, said the feature would let INQ phone users communicate easily with their Facebook friends after the software upgrade, which will be available in "coming weeks."Many Facebook members constantly post status updates as a way to connect with large groups of people. Now, an INQ phone user will be able to read updates quickly, and can just click on an update to send a direct message to the Facebook member who posted it.Taylor said in an interview at the CTIA annual wireless showcase in Las Vegas, that INQ hopes that if consumers can use their phones to communicate more easily on popular Web sites, then they would be more likely to spend money on mobile data services."The phone is just screaming at you - use me more," he told Reuters on the sidelines of the show.INQ currently sells its product through Hutchison's 3 wireless service provider arms in the U.K., Ireland, Hong Kong and Australia. It hopes services like Facebook status updates will help it win supply deals with other operations this year."We're talking on every continent to tier one and tier two operators," Taylor said adding that INQ is "having some really good conversations" with the biggest U.S.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 Apr 2009 | 6:45 pm AT&T upgrading its network in anticipation of new iPhone
Looks like AT&T is working hard to upgrade its network in anticipation of the new iPhone. (Apparently it’s conventional wisdom that Apple will release a new iPhone this summer.) The primary benefit to you, the paying customer, is faster network speed—provided, of course, that you upgrade to the new iPhone. That’s how they get you. AT&T’s network currently taps out at 3.6Mbit/s, while the upgrade would raise that to anywhere from 14.4 to 20Mbit/s. That AT&T just ordered a bunch of high-capacity routers seems to confirm that AT&T is going for broke, as it were. And it’s not that AT&T is merely upgrading its network to take advantage of faster speeds, no sir. Apparently AT&T anticipates a boatload (that’s the technical term, boatload) of new subs for when the new iPhone rolls around. People who were nonplussed by the iPhone or iPhone 3G, but may now consider getting one. (I’m in that camp, though I lean more toward the Palm Pre.) You may also care to know that AT&T continues with its transition from 1900MHz to 850MHz. The latter, what with its longer wavelength, can better penetrate through obstacles, like walls, and while requiring less towers. Good deal all around, then. Let’s also hope AT&T learnt a lesson after SXSW. In other news, lol @ Bayern Munich. Thank you. Source: CrunchGear | 4 Apr 2009 | 6:15 pm Week in Apple: Chrome, iPhone jailbreaks, security, and more! - Ars Technica
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 4 Apr 2009 | 6:07 pm IBM cuts Sun Micro offer to $9.50 a share: source (Reuters)Reuters - International Business Machines has lowered its offer price for Sun Microsystems to $9.50 a share from $9.55 a share, although they are still in talks and the deal is not final, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Saturday.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 4 Apr 2009 | 6:03 pm IBM cuts Sun Micro offer to $9.50 a share: sourceTORONTO (Reuters) - International Business Machines has lowered its offer price for Sun Microsystems to $9.50 a share from $9.55 a share, although they are still in talks and the deal is not final, a...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Apr 2009 | 6:03 pm UPDATE1-IBM cuts Sun Micro offer to $9.50 a share-source* Final price, deal not finalized (Adds background, byline)Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Apr 2009 | 5:54 pm Is that an Exidy Sorcerer or are you just pleased to see me?
Updated! Thanks, Urbear! Retro Computing [SA_Steve's flickr via Digg] Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 4 Apr 2009 | 5:50 pm Google book plan facing oppositionU.S.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 4 Apr 2009 | 5:50 pm The future of technology and MP3 playersSection: Audio, Portable Audio, Communications, Cellphones, Gadgets / Other, Features, Originals, Columns, WTFH  I want you to think about your parents or grandparents for a minute, and think about all the times they ask you for help with today’s current technology. I bet more times than not, they turn to you nearly several times a week for simple questions about their phones, computers, GPS, Internet, MP3 players, etc. If you think about it, technology discriminates against older people, as it benefits the young people as they are able to pick up new technology easily. Of course, there are classes such as computer classes that help teach the computer to older people, but those don’t always work. My question is, why not make a simple computer for anyone, especially older people, to understand? Recently, Sony showed off a new type of MP3 player that specifically targeted the older generations, so they don’t have to always call when the pause button is pressed by accident and they can’t figure out what to do. “When I was your age, we didn’t have any MP3 player”If you opt in buying this Sony MP3 player for a relative and they immediately reply with that response and ask why should I want one now, take a few minutes to tell them all the neat features it comes with. For example, the MP3 player’s buttons are raised and clearly illustrated so there is no confusion as to where each function is located on the device. Our elders tend to have poorer vision as well as arthritic fingers, which makes it hard to press down on small buttons. However, with bigger buttons, said person can easily identify where each key is, and then press on it with ease. Have you ever found it tough to read text on your MP3 player, if yes, imagine how hard it must be for people with poorer vision than you. Fortunately, Sony took this into consideration when they made the text a light color contrasted against a dark background in order to facilitate reading. Unfortunately, I’m not sure the exact dimensions of the device, but it is reported to be bigger than most MP3 players just to make it easier on older people. I know we all like small, concise iPods/MP3 players, but I think the Nano, Shuffle, or any other MP3 player is a little too small for older people. Lastly, I believe it is going to be available in two models, one being a 4GB model, and the other a 8GB model. Due to the small screen size, I highly doubt video playback is offered. Pricing and AvailabilityAt this time, there is no word on exact pricing or availability. I doubt the price would be too high since it’s a basic MP3 player with few extra functions. As for availability, hopefully it will be out soon because it would definitely make a great gift for many people who enjoy music but suffer from poor vision and arthritis. The Future of MP3 playersIs this the future of MP3 players? Not exactly, but I imagine it to be part of the future. Whichever companies decide to target older people will definitely profit from it because not many companies have ventured in that direction. Sony is probably the first big name company to do something like this and I hope many other companies follow suit. When I am older, I hope there are still good tech products that suit my needs. As for the normal future of MP3 players, I feel that they will always be slimming down and adding more and more storage space, touch screens, Internet access, and Bluetooth. The iPhone is a classic example of how well music and phone can clash together to form a new, innovative device. Sometimes it does get annoying carrying both an MP3 player and a cell phone, so the future of cell phones will probably contain better music playback. Our society keeps becoming more and more fast paced, and it’s up to great companies such as Sony, Samsung, Apple, SanDisk, and Insignia, just to name a few, to keep creating efficient devices that match our needs. Read [Yanko Design] Check out some more pictures of the MP3 player:   Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 4 Apr 2009 | 5:30 pm Le Whif, a chocolate inhaler
"Over the centuries we've been eating smaller and smaller quantities at shorter and shorter intervals. It seemed to us that eating was tending toward breathing, so, with a mix of culinary art and aerosol science, we've helped move eating habits to their logical conclusion. We call it whiffing." Right you are, doc. The graphic novel is here. The Launch: Inhaled Chocolate [Le Whif via Cool Hunting] Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 4 Apr 2009 | 5:27 pm Let’s all quit our jobs and become iPhone App developers!
If you and a friend could stitch together an iPhone application, one that brings in thousands of dollars of revenue per month, would you quit your job? (/me Raises hand, and I’d leave the country—hello, endless summer!) That exact scenario occasionally happens, truth be told, as the Times points out today. Spend s few months coding an App, then you’re on Easy Street thereafter. Consider the examples. A 30-year-old Sun employee falls on hard times, then creates iShoot [iTunes link], an iPhone game that eventually brings in so much money—first day sales: $1,000—that he can comfortably leave Sun. Or the 25-year-old who, together with some friends, created iSteam [iTunes link], an application that simulates the effect of a foggy mirror. In video game terms, your bank account has grown by $100,000—do you want to upgrade your car? The point is, there are people out there who are making a very comfortable living by coding iPhone Apps. Of course, for every iSteam there’s going to be innumerable knock-offs, Apps that languish in the App Store obscurity. But don’t let that get you down! Which brings us to our first question—if you created a gnarly iPhone App, would you quit your job? Would you try to turn your luck into a business by founding Really Cool Apps, Inc.? Not me—I’d cash out with my first successful App then peace out to Brazil, where I’d live a comfortable life. Not even a life of excess—just a normal life somewhere where the sun is always shining. Dare to dream, friends. Source: CrunchGear | 4 Apr 2009 | 5:12 pm Despite bankruptcy, Muzak still sings upbeat tuneAbout the only quiet places in the headquarters of Muzak Holdings LLC are, believe it or not, the building's elevators. The omission is intentional. Muzak management wants visitors to...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 4 Apr 2009 | 4:21 pm Scientists Discover Primer To Plant Defense SystemBy identifying a novel compound that primes a plant's immune system, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Chicago may be on a path to developing disease-resistant plants.In a paper published in Science, a team that includes Tim Tschaplinski of the Department of Energy's ORNL reports that azelaic acid has a role in priming the immunity response in Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant related to cabbage and mustard.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Apr 2009 | 4:10 pm Researchers Show How A Neuron Gets Its ShapeAsk a simple question, get a simple answer: When Abraham Lincoln was asked how long a man’s legs should be, he absurdly replied, “Long enough to reach the ground.” Now, by using a new microscopy technique to watch the growth of individual neurons in the microscopic roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, Rockefeller University researchers are turning another deceptively simple question on its head.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Apr 2009 | 3:09 pm Why I didn’t upgrade to the Kindle 2Section: Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Features, Originals
PriceIt’s selling for $359. In this economy, that’s a lot of money! Since I just got my Kindle 1 in November, and it does everything I need/want it to beautifully, upgrading now is totally unnecessary. On top of that, the case and skin I bought for it would be useless with Kindle 2, meaning I’d have to lay out even more cash for new ones. Battery IssueUnlike the Kindle 1, Kindle 2’s battery is not user replaceable. If it dies it has to be sent back to Amazon, meaning you’ll be without it for roughly a week. If it dies within the warranty period, it’s free, otherwise it’ll cost a hefty $60. A replacement battery for Kindle 1 can be found for a mere $19. Early Adoption is RiskyBeing the first on the block to own a new gadget is fun, but it comes with risks as you’re buying an untested device. It’s much smarter to sit back and wait for the reviews to start coming in. Many Kindle 2 owners are complaining that the contrast is poor, and others say the text literally fades away in direct sunlight - things it is good to know about before laying out your hard earned cash. That said, both the Kindle 2 and the original Kindle have their strong points and it is really a matter of personal taste. If you like the Kindle 2’s text to speech feature (which has generated quite a bit of controversy!) and good image quality is important to you, go for it. Otherwise, stick to your original Kindle if you own one or pick up one for around $200 on Ebay and Amazon’s Marketplace. You won’t be missing anything. One thing is certain - if you love reading, you’ll love the Kindle. Other e-readers are simply no match. Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 4 Apr 2009 | 3:07 pm A Novel Technique Increases Use Of Digital Gene Expression ProfilingA novel technique for carrying out gene-expression profiling is set to challenge the market dominance of the current, widely used methodology, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN).Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Apr 2009 | 3:06 pm The Google Ventures Cheat Sheet
Earlier this week, Google finally announced the formation of a new venture arm called Google Ventures. It is where all smaller-scale venture investments from Google will now originate. The day of the announcement, I chatted on the phone with Bill Maris and Rich Miner, the two Google executives who are managing the fund to get a sense of what they are interested in and how the fund will work. It turns out they are open to investing in pretty much anything from the Internet and cloud computing to healthcare and mobile. “We don’t want to artificially limit ourselves,” says Miner. What about space elevators? “Show me one that works,” retorts Maris, “and I will invest in it.” The two of them will run the entire fund pretty much by themselves, bringing in other Googlers as needed for expertise and to help evaluate startups. Both Maris and Miner have done venture investing before: Maris for Swedish holding company AB and Miner for Orange Ventures. Miner will be leaving the Android team at Google, where he negotiated many of the deal with carriers and handset manufacturers. A couple weeks ago, I argued that setting up a venture arm is a bad idea because there are better ways for Google to be deploying its capital. Maris pointed out the relatively small amount of capital involved ($100 million) and responded: “Google has always had a strong belief in the power of entrepreneurs to do amazing things. Google has always made investments in companies, and we will continue to do that.” My big concern, however, was that Google would invest for strategic reasons instead of purely economic ones. Both Maris and Miner assured me that this would not be the case. “It is true that strategics have had mixed results,,” acknowledges Miner, “but we think we can put this money to work. Startups end up doing one thing and then have to shift direction. If you take money from someone who wanted to see you do X because you said you would do X in that first Powerpoint, they may restrict your movement as you need to adapt.” Miner says Google Ventures will avoid that pitfall. If you are an entrepreneur trying to figure out how to navigate your way to a pitch session with them, below is a cheat sheet with the basics you should know.
So where does that leave startups and can they really trust that one-way mirror? Any startup related to the consumer Internet, search, or advertising would be well advised to be wary about revealing too much of themselves to Google Ventures. “This is a self-limiting process,” admits Maris. “We are not going to know the group of people who do not want to talk to us.” I’m sure they will have plenty of people knocking on their door regardless. Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0 Source: TechCrunch | 4 Apr 2009 | 3:00 pm Ancient flatbed scanjet plays Imperial MarchDon't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. [Tip: Shannon] Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 4 Apr 2009 | 2:58 pm If you actually made it, Sprint, I would buy it
Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 4 Apr 2009 | 2:33 pm Space station changes commandRussian authorities Saturday said cosmonaut Gennady Padalka was to take control of the International Space Station from NASA astronaut Michael Fincke.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 4 Apr 2009 | 1:38 pm
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Microsoft has announced that as of April 14th, it will no longer offer mainstream support for Office 2003. This means users of the application will no longer receive free non-security hotfixes or other support. However, Office 2003 users will still continue to receive security patches and regular refreshes of Outlook’s junk mail Microsoft has announced that as of April 14th, it will no longer offer mainstream support for Office 2003. This means users of the application will no longer receive free non-security hotfixes or other support. However, Office 2003 users will still continue to receive security patches and regular refreshes of Outlook’s junk mail definitions.
One thing I get a lot of are review copies of various 
