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Spain's Telefonica raises bid for Brazil's Vivo (AP)AP - Spain's Telefonica raised its bid for Brazil's leading cell phone company Vivo to euro7.15 billion ($8.72 billion) just hours ahead of a shareholder meeting which on Wednesday is considering the unsolicited offer.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Jun 2010 | 4:17 am Hulu Introduces Monthly subscription Service - Techtree.com
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 30 Jun 2010 | 4:12 am Robyn’s Trippy, Interactive 3D Video With Twitter Integration Is #KillingMe
This won’t be news to all you cool kids out there, but I hadn’t seen it yet and it popped up in my Twitter stream this morning (you’d be amazed what else goes on down there, but I’ll spare you … for now). Swedish recording artist Robyn (Carlsson) has launched a wicked interactive 3D video, complete with Twitter integration, for her delightfully titled new track, ‘Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do’, and you should totally check it out. Unless you’re epileptic. To do so, simply head to Robyn.com/killingme. Written completely in code, the video/website features words from the electro track at first, and after a while starts pulling in random messages posted on Twitter. If you want your insightful tweets to appear in the trippy video as well, just post something on Twitter like “The decline of TechCrunch as a serious tech news blog is #killingme” (the hashtag is key, of course) and you should see it appear on the left at the bottom of the screen – including your Twitter username. The word that comes before ‘is’ or ‘are’ will be shown in the center of the animation.
Tip: put on 3D glasses for full effect. (What do you mean you don’t have any?) Sidenote: can you effin’ believe this is the same Robyn from the 1996 hit ‘Show me love’? (Top image via Zoinks Online) Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 30 Jun 2010 | 3:43 am Facebook, Twitter 'powerful business tools' (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Jun 2010 | 3:40 am DriveGain Wants To Help iPhone Owners Drive More Efficiently DriveGain, a new startup that opens its doors today, aims to help users learn to drive more efficiently and, in doing so, save on their fuel consumption.
It's founded by Simon East, an ex-Psion exec and former VP, Technology of Symbian who subsequently founded Cognima (ShoZu), and Dr. Phil Dixon, who has a background in racing car simulations and was a recent Vehicle Performance Engineer with the Renault Formula 1 team.
DriveGain's first offering is an iPhone app of the same name that, unlike the plethora of sat-nav apps available for Apple's smartphone, doesn't bark out turn-by-turn directions but gives a range of visual and audio feedback on what changes are required by the driver to burn less fuel.
Source: TechCrunch | 30 Jun 2010 | 3:37 am UK Police Threaten Teenage PhotojournalistIonOtter writes "In what seems to be a common occurrence, and now a costly one, Metropolitan Police in the UK still don't seem to be getting the message that assaulting photographers is a bad idea. UK press photographer Jules Matteson details the event in his blog, titled The Romford Incident. The incident has already been picked up by The Register, The Independent, and the British Journal of Photography, which contains an official statement from the Metropolitan Police."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 30 Jun 2010 | 3:14 am Google sets timeframe to end China reroute - Reuters
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 30 Jun 2010 | 3:05 am Ten SL7B Sites You Don't Want to Miss (Says Scarp)There's so many sites at SL7B, what are the ones you definitely don't want to miss before it all ends on July 3? Scarp Godenot, a metaverse sculptor and immersive space artist (and RL photographer) has...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jun 2010 | 2:59 am Mad Lady Pictorials - The Ones2Watch 'Le Fous' Fashion Editorial by Axl Jansen (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) The Ones2Watch 'Le Fous' editorial channels mad lady couture in the editorial shot by Axl Jansen. Stylist Reben Debuck chose pieces exclusively by Dries Van Noten to create the ultimate...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jun 2010 | 2:11 am Google awaits China decision on business licence (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Jun 2010 | 2:06 am Foursquare... And Now For The Hard PartWith a big slug of cash infused by VCs, New York-based startup FourSquare is ready to build a brand new experience for its location-based social service, says CEO Dennis Crowley. It is an attempt to keep...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jun 2010 | 2:00 am E-Bike Conversions - Shimano Total Electric Power System Retrofits Standard Bikes to be Electric (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Shimano has introduced its new STEPS line of bike components. STEPS stands for "Shimano Total Electric Power System." The converter set allows an existing bike to be converted into...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:56 am Uptown Desert Boots - The Garbstore 2011 Spring/Summer Collection Looks Mighty Fine(TrendHunter.com) The Garbstore 2011 Spring/Summer collection looks pretty darn good. Garbstore's latest offerings include more than just the usual dress shoe, making them definite fashion must-haves...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:36 am iPhone 4 Issues? One Entrepreneur Quickly Makes A Wrap For That
The iPhone 4 hasn’t even been out a week and already awrapforthat.com has popped up to make vinyl skins that wrap around the perimeter of the device. Why would anyone want that? Because of the iPhone 4 antenna issues — the so-called “Death Grip” problem. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has suggested you buy one of Apple’s new iPhone 4 bumpers to alleviate the problem. But those are $29.99. Why not just buy this iPhone 4 wrap for $9.99? Also, these skins are also going to be much thinner than the bumper, and as such, undoubtedly less of an eyesore on an otherwise beautiful device. Plus, they’re apparently thin enough that the iPhone 4 can fit in the dock with them on. These skins are made with 3M vinyl and come with holes cut out for the various iPhone 4 perimeter openings. They also come in several different colors and patterns. This site/company, the work of Daniel Newman, just popped up after the iPhone antenna issue starting coming up again and again over the past few days. But it’s not yet entirely clear what is causing the issue (which, at least in my experience, is very real) and if a thin layer of vinyl is really going to help solve it. As far as I can tell, not even the thicker bumper fully alleviates the issue. But does help it — so these vinyl coatings likely will as well. Plus, clever name.
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:34 am 36-Hour Lemmings Port Gets Sony Cease and DesistZerocool3001 writes "The recently featured 36-hour port of the original Palm version of Lemmings to the iPhone and Palm Pre has received a cease and desist letter from Sony. Only one day after submitting the app for approval on the two app stores, the developer has put up a post stating that he 'did this as a tribute to the game — we can only hope that Sony actually does a conversion for platforms like iPhone and Palm Pre in the near future.' The text of the cease and desist letter is available from the developer's website."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:33 am ACLU: America is riddled with politically motivated surveillanceA new ACLU report, "Policing Free Speech: Police Surveillance and Obstruction of First Amendment-Protected Activity," documents recent cases of politically motivated surveillance across America -- cases...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:30 am ACLU: America is riddled with politically motivated surveillanceA new ACLU report, "Policing Free Speech: Police Surveillance and Obstruction of First Amendment-Protected Activity," documents recent cases of politically motivated surveillance across America -- cases in which people were put under surveillance "for doing little more than peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights."ACLU Study Highlights U.S. Surveillance Society
 Source: Boing Boing | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:30 am Toronto cops justify extreme G20 measures with display of LARPing props, weapons from unrelated bustsToronto Police are on the defensive this week as they attempt to defend their heavy-handed tactics during the G20. To prove the seriousness of the threat to public security, they took police on a tour of weapons confiscated from activists.Only there's a problem: some of these weapons were taken from people who weren't demonstrators. And some of them weren't weapons -- the police proudly displayed the blunt arrows and chainmail they confiscated from a live-action role-player who was taking the train to a game: 'Weapons' seized in G20 arrests not what they seem (Thanks, Adam and Yehuda!) (Image: Jill Mahoney/The Globe and Mail)
Source: Boing Boing | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:25 am Toronto cops justify extreme G20 measures with display of LARPing props, weapons from unrelated bustsToronto Police are on the defensive this week as they attempt to defend their heavy-handed tactics during the G20. To prove the seriousness of the threat to public security, they took police on a tour...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:25 am UV Ray Rings - 'Marcus' from Julien Bergignat Monitors the Effects of the Sun on Your Skin (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) 'Marcus' from Julien Bergignat is a one-of-a-kind ring designed to help you safely enjoy some fun in the sun. This ring was designed to help monitor UV rays and the damage that they...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:16 am Cultivated Play: Farmville [Voices]By A. J. Patrick Liszkiewicz, Contributing Writer, MediaCommons The secret to Farmville’s popularity is neither gameplay nor aesthetics. Farmville is popular because in entangles users in a Web of social obligations. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:01 am Jeff Bezos's Mission: Compelling Small Publishers to Think Big [Voices]By JP Mangalindan, Reporter, Fortune Jeff Bezos has been dismissed before. For most of the dot-com boom, he was assumed to be a one-shot wonder, inches away from having his bookstore, Amazon.com, extinguished by Wal-Mart. Now, with Apple’s mad rush into books and readers, people are starting to wonder again. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:01 am The Death of Touch and the Lost Joy of the Unexpected [Voices]By Marc Ruxin, EVP, Chief Innovation Officer, Universal McCann In a cab heading south from Santa Monica to LAX a few weeks ago, I am immediately struck by a profound gap in the landscape. At once, I am reminded to take time to mourn for something very specific for a moment or two before it disappears completely. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:01 am Sergey Brin's Search for a Parkinson's Cure [Voices]By Thomas Goetz, Executive Editor, Wired Several evenings a week, after a day’s work at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, Sergey Brin drives up the road to a local pool. There, he changes into swim trunks, steps out on a 3-meter springboard, looks at the water below, and dives. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:01 am Apple Goes Semi-Pro (Part Two) [Voices]By Robert X. Cringely, Editor and Writer, Cringely.com Last time we looked at Apple’s conversion from a computer company to a phone company that also makes computers. We considered why Apple doesn’t give a damn about enterprise sales, which explains their embrace of third-party enterprise components like Microsoft’s Exchange Server. Now we’ll look closer still at what plans — if any — Apple even has for personal computers in its future. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:01 am Viral Video: "Rango" [BoomTown]Digital animation is truly becoming almost real to life, as you will see from this visually stunning trailer for the upcoming animated movie, “Rango.” It’s about a lizard in the desert, played by Johnny Depp, but it looks so alive it nearly pops off the screen. Enjoy: Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:01 am Mystical Menacing Illustrations - Harpa Einarsdottir Creates Demons as a Way to See the Good (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Harpa Einarsdottir is a fashion designer who currently works as both a stylist and a costume designer, but her illustrations are what drive everything she does. They are beautiful,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:01 am South Korea Relaxes Curbs on Web Browsers [Voices]By Evan Ramstad and Jaeyeon Woo, Reporters, The Wall Street Journal South Korea’s government is wiping out rules for Web browsing that trapped the country’s Internet users with 1990s-era security technology and created a de facto monopoly for Microsoft Corp.’s (MSFT) Internet Explorer here. The South Korean rules had long stood in contrast to efforts by other governments around the world that have tried to break Microsoft’s grip on the Internet browser market. For South Koreans, they made Internet transactions a nuisance by requiring that users download plug-in programs, sometimes a dozen or so, for each website with which they did business. Microsoft’s competitors, Internet security experts, website developers and advocates of open-source software and networks have long pushed for an end to South Korea’s rules. The government finally took action when regulators realized the rules were preventing businesses from offering services to smartphones. As well, government antitrust officials say they want to flex their muscles over Microsoft’s dominance in Internet browsers in the same way they’ve seen their counterparts do in the U.S. and European Union. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 30 Jun 2010 | 1:00 am Air Force Engineers Develop Bat Hook-Like Device That Lets You 'Harvest' Electricity From Overhead Power Lines DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!By Andrew Liszewski Sometimes we like to bring you gadgets or contraptions that you could probably save a few bucks on by building them yourselves. Like the iBox iPad Stand from a few days ago. This however...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 30 Jun 2010 | 12:53 am Zombie pirate will eat your brains: International Make-Up Artist Trade Show
This week, make-up artists gathered at the Pasadena Convention Center for the International Make-Up Artist Trade Show (IMATS). The event featured Emmy-winning make-up artists, YouTube sensations and students competing with an "Alice in Wonderland" theme. The LA Weekly has an extensive image gallery with photographs by Star Foreman, including this scary pirate shown here. (thanks, Liz Ohanesian) Scaling To a Million Cores and Beyondmattaw writes "In my blog post I describe a system designed to test a route to the potential future of computing. What do we do when we have computers with 1 million cores? What about a billion? How about 100 billion? None of our current programming models or computer architecture models apply to machines of this complexity (and with their corresponding component failure rate and other scaling issues). The current model of coherent memory/identical time/everything can route to everywhere just can't scale to machines of this size. So the scientists at the University of Manchester (including Steve Furber, one of the ARM founders) and the University of Southampton turned to the brain for a new model. Our brains just don't work like any computers we currently make. Our brains have a lot more than 1 million processing elements (more like the 100 billion), all of which don't have any precise idea of time (vague ordering of events maybe) nor a shared memory; and not everything routes to everything else. But anyone who argues the brain isn't a pretty spiffy processing system ends up looking pretty silly. In effect, modern computing bears as much relation to biological computing as the ordered world of sudoku does to the statistical chaos of quantum mechanics.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 30 Jun 2010 | 12:13 am Wired's iPad App Boasts a New Feature: A Price Cut [MediaMemo]
The magazine publisher has sold some 95,000 digital copies of its June issue at $4.99, the same price the ink-and-paper edition commands. So why sell the July issue at $3.99 — while also knocking down the price of the first issue to the same level? Conde says it will be experimenting with digital magazine pricing for months to come. But Wired editor Chris Anderson, who wants us to know that he doesn’t control his magazine’s sales price, makes the common sense argument: Digital editions should cost less than physical ones because there’s no distribution cost. “I would say that right now, all of us have opinions about the perfect price,” he says. “My feeling, my own personal instinct, is that digital should be at slight discount to print.” Actually, Anderson says, in an ideal world he liked to offer it an even steeper discount: The man who wrote “Free” would like to make Wired a freemium product: Offer some of the issue for no charge, and then upsell for the full thing. “If there’s any one kind of tub I’m thumping, that’s the one,” he says. And then once again reminds us that he doesn’t control the magazine’s price. Noted! Meanwhile, a few of the features to pay attention to:
Source: All Things Digital | 29 Jun 2010 | 11:50 pm Name Dynamics Announces Advisory Board of Key Search Industry LeadersSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 29 Jun 2010 | 11:00 pm Sinopec's Beihai reserve base ready in Sept 2011 - sourceBEIJING, June 30 (Reuters) - Sinopec Group will complete a 20-million-barrel crude reserve base in the southwestern Chinese port of Beihai by September 2011, an industry source told Reuters on Wednesday...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 29 Jun 2010 | 10:21 pm June 30, 1908: A Very Close Encounter of the Second KindA space object explodes in the Siberian sky, leaving an impact that's still visible a century later.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 10:00 pm Nam Tai Electronics, Inc.: Schedule for Release of Results for the Second Quarter of 2010Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 29 Jun 2010 | 9:58 pm Nam Tai Electronics, Inc.: Schedule for Release of Results for the Second Quarter of 2010HONG KONG, June 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nam Tai Electronics, Inc. ("Nam Tai" or the "Company") (NYSE: NTE) today announced that it will release its unaudited second quarter results for the period ended June 30, 2010 on Monday, August 2, 2010. ABOUT NAM TAI ELECTRONICS, INC. We are an electronics manufacturing and design services provider to a select group of the world's leading OEMs of telecommunications and consumer electronic products. Through our electronics manufacturing services operations, we manufacture electronic components and subassemblies, including LCD panels, LCD modules, RF modules, DAB modules, FPC subassemblies and image-sensors modules and PCBAs for headsets containing Bluetooth* wireless technology. These components are used in numerous electronic products, including mobile phones, laptop computers, digital cameras, electronic toys, handheld video game devices, and entertainment devices. We also manufacture finished products, including mobile phone accessories, home entertainment products and educational products. We assist our OEM customers in the design and development of their products and furnish full turnkey manufacturing services that utilize advanced manufacturing processes and production technologies. * The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Nam Tai is under license. SOURCE Nam Tai Electronics, Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Jun 2010 | 9:58 pm Flooded Farmland to Give Birds Safe Refuge From Oil SpillA new federal government program aims to provide migratory birds oil-free places to roost.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 9:44 pm Hulu finally announces subscription service: Hulu PlusSection: Web, Online Music/Video  We’ve known it was coming eventually, and it’s finally arrived. Hulu has announced it’s upcoming Hulu Plus subscription service. The service will cost $10 a month, and will be an add-on to the service Hulu already supplies, effectively making Hulu a freemium service. That $10 a month will net you streaming to devices including iPhones, iPads. Other platforms that will support the service include Samsung Internet-connected TVs or Blur-Ray players, with support for PlayStation 3 coming soon, Sony and Vizio TVs and Blu-Ray players coming in the fall and Xbox 360 support coming in 2011. In terms of content, Hulu Plus will offer 720p streaming for video. Some shows will have the “season ticket” option, meaning you will be able to watch all shows in the current season for popular shows like House and Glee. Hulu Plus will also offer full series run for some shows, both current and classic. That includes full runs of shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Law & Order: SVU and Grey’s Anatomy. The service launches sometime in July, and Hulu is currently taking email addresses for a “Hulu Plus Preview.” This is huge, and could potentially lead many to many canceling their cable subscriptions. All Hulu would be missing is sports, which, provided you have an ISP that supports it, you could find on ESPN 3 that’s coming to the Xbox 360 soon, or if you only want Baseball, there’s MLB.tv that can stream to a number of boxes including the PS3 and Boxee Box. With so many services available why pay so much money for cable when Hulu Plus in addition to services like Netflix would work just as well for less money? Read [Hulu] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 29 Jun 2010 | 9:22 pm Aziz and her dignity (a Boing Boing guest-dispatch from Pakistan)Since it's pride week, I thought I'd share a small story about the disenfranchised transgendered community here in Karachi.
Last week, my uncle took me to meet one of his old neighborhood's infamous icons, Aziz Mamoo. She lives in a small one bedroom shack located in the heart of a very disturbed ghetto. Aziz Mamoo is transgendered or, as they're known in South Asia, a hijrah. At the age of 11, she was kicked out of her house by her brothers and found refuge with the local hijrah guru, Hajji Iqbal. Iqbal took her in and taught the young Aziz how to sing and dance. Every town in Karachi has a designated guru who is in charge of the hijrahs in their area. The guru becomes both the mother and father to their communities hijrahs. The local guru feeds them, provides them shelter, and teaches them how to pray and live a modest life. When there is a birth of a child that is transgendered, some families leave the infant at the guru's doorstep. After the death of Hajji Iqbal, Aziz Mamoo became the local guru of her neighborhood. Countless babies have been left at her doorstep and though she has very little to offer, she never turns them away.
The two kids that live with her now are Ashi and Nighat. Many more lived with her before, but she kicked them out after they started doing, as she calls it, "number two work." 'Number two work' is a euphemism for prostitution and it's become a common job for many hijrahs in Karachi.
According to Aziz Mamoo, there are two kinds of hijrahs: those that dance and pray at weddings and aqiqahs (a celebration commemorating the birth of a child), and those that prostitute or beg for money on the main roads. Aziz Mamoo despises the latter. "Woh bhanchots!" Those sister-fuckers, she curses, "they give us a bad name. We don't beg on the streets. We may not have much, but we do have our dignity."
My uncle grew up in Karachi and has had a lot of friends that frequent the prostitute hijrahs. He mentions that many men dress up as hijrahs just to be accepted as homosexuals. As he puts it, his friends rave about the fellatio these hijrahs give. There is a grey area when it comes to the street hijrahs, they are either transvestites or transgendered, but there really is no way of knowing from the surface. My uncle was keen on asking Aziz about her own sexual desires. She was quick to reply, "We cannot bare a child nor do we have the ability to impregnate. We just desire two things: good clothing and decent food. With what we do, we make enough to live."
Aziz Mamoo started to feel a little uneasy and kept looking over at her clock. I wondered if we were overstaying our welcome, nevertheless, I was compelled to ask another question. "If I have a child that's transgendered, would you recommend me bringing them to you? Or do you feel I should keep the child and raise them?"
It's important to note that in the middle of asking this question, Aziz interrupted me and muttered, "God forbid that you have a transgendered child." After she let me finish my question she continued, "Keep them. take care of them, educate them. Don't let them stray into our line. We are uneducated. We scour our neighborhoods day and night looking for someone that will hear us sing and dance. This is no way for anyone to live."
Minutes later, my uncle signaled to me that it was time for us to leave. After we said our good byes, I asked Aziz Mamoo what she was doing for the rest of the day.
"It is Sunday," she said, "today is for us."
Read more of this story at Slashdot. Section: Video, Web, Online Music/Video Here at Gadgetell we always enjoy a humorous video, but when that video combines with technology, we can’t get enough of it. I came across this video on YouTube between a sales rep and a customer trying to purchase the iPhone 4. Since the sales rep is out of iPhone 4s, he tries to sell the customer the HTC EVO 4G. The video on YouTube can be seen above, but make sure no one is around because there is a lot of swearing. My favorite parts are when the customer say it “has the wifi’s” and wants the one with “the bigger G-B’s.”
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
These brass balls are sold in legal, kit form, and it is your responsibility not to assemble and use them as the deadly weapon or that they are. The balls are not toys; they weigh over one pound, and they will smash fingers, eyes, teeth, and skulls if swung in a fit of unbridled rage. Think of brass knuckles whipping around on a string, but without the soft, velocity-limiting hand inside...
Cinema buffs may associate the brass balls with the opening scene of Glengarry Glen Ross. Cable television viewers may recall similar "Big Brass Balls" from episodes of The Colbert Report. Lawyers may note, then, that this product is not solely derivative of any one intellectual work. Rather, it taps into the broader culture, expressing a common folk idiom that no single motion picture studio or playwright (to take some hypothetical examples) can plausibly claim exclusive rights to. Section: Computers, Peripherals, Storage It can connect to your computer via USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and FireWire 800, depending on which interface your computer is equipped with. It includes a NTFS driver to make transfer between the Mac and the hard drive smooth and efficient. Parks Associates has an interesting report that by 2014, most families with accrue a media library of nearly 900GB, thereby making a 3TB necessary and useful. The 3.5 inch device comes in a sleek black color and is available now on the Seagate website, or through any authorized retailer for $249.99. Personally, my 1TB external hard drive meets my needs, but I guess some people could find use in a 3TB beast now. Check out the full press release below. Read [Seagate] Seagate Breaks Capacity Ceiling With World’s First 3 Terabyte External Desktop Drive SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. - June 29, 2010 - Putting more terabytes in the hands of consumers worldwide, Seagate (NASDAQ: STX), the leader in hard drives and storage solutions, today announced the world’s first 3 Terabyte (TB) external desktop drive. Available immediately, the 3TB FreeAgent® GoFlex™ Desk external hard drive helps to meet the explosive worldwide demand for digital content storage in both the home and the office. With 3TB of capacity people can store up to 120 HD movies, 1,500 video games, thousands of photos or countless hours of digital music. A key addition to the company’s recently introduced GoFlex ™ family of hard drives, the 3TB GoFlex Desk external drive couples immense capacity with the flexibility to adapt the drive’s USB 2.0 interface to a USB 3.0 or FireWire® 800 connection to meet varying performance and transfer speed needs. Consumers can easily create, store and access content from either a Windows® or Mac OS X computer on the GoFlex Desk external drive, thanks to an included NTFS driver for Mac. “Consumer capacity demands are quickly out-pacing the needs of business as people continue to collect high-definition videos, photos and music,” said Dave Mosley, Seagate executive vice president of Sales, Marketing and Product Line Management. “Seagate has a tradition of designing products that break into new storage frontiers to meet customer requirements and the 3TB GoFlex ™ Desk external drive is no exception–delivering the highest-capacity storage solution available today.” A recent report by Parks Associates indicates the average consumer household will see its digital media storage needs grow to nearly 900GB by year-end 2014, driven in large part by video downloads, managed copies of Blu-ray Disc, and increasing use of DVR recording capabilities¹. The GoFlex Desk external drive delivers unconstrained², high-capacity storage and automatic, continuous backup with software file encryption to help keep all data safe and secure³. The standard USB 2.0 interface can be upgraded to USB 3.0 or FireWire® 800 by coupling the drive with the appropriate GoFlex™ desktop adapter to increase file transfer performance by up to 10x for easier copying or sharing of files⁴. “As the definition quality of digital cameras increases, playback devices such as digital photo frames and MP3 players proliferate and the use of the Internet for downloading music and video continues to grow, more files accumulate in the home,” said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principle analyst of Parks Associates. “Consumers who are active in digital media creation and consumption will witness their digital media storage needs grow nine-fold by 2014, driving the demand for higher capacity, easy-to-use storage solutions.” The GoFlex Desk external drive is compatible with both the Windows® operating system and Mac® computers. Each drive includes an NTFS driver for Mac, which allows the drive to store and access files from both Windows and Mac OS X computers without reformatting. The NTFS driver is simply installed once on a Mac computer, allowing it to read and write files on a Windows formatted⁵ drive. Its sleek black , 3.5-inch design sits either vertically or horizontally to accommodate any desktop environment. The 3TB GoFlex Desk external drive with USB 2.0 adapter can be purchased on Seagate.com and through select retailers for $249.99. Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » FROM GAMERTELL - PSP firmware 6.30 is now available. It prepares the handheld for PlayStation Plus compatibility and allows owners to sort their downloaded games into folders. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » This morning, Posterous introduced their new “Rescue your photos from TwitPic” tool — a one-click way to import your photos from Twitpic over to your Posterous blog. This is the same type of importer Posterous has already made for Ning, Vox, Tumblr and a host of other services — as I said, they’re about halfway through the 15 of these tools they intend to make. The idea, of course, is that if they make it easy enough to get your existing content on to Posterous, they think you’ll like their service so much that you’ll permanently switch. Twitpic, doesn’t like that idea one bit. According to Posterous, Twitpic had some idea such a tool might be coming and sent a letter last Thursday threatening to sue the company if they launched it. “Their claims are completely bogus,” Posterous co-founder Sachin Agarwal tells us. “Posterous is simply acting as an agent to the user who owns the photos. We authenticate the user’s Twitter credentials and then download the images on their behalf,” he continues. “Our lawyer sent a response to TwitPic this morning indicating that we aren’t breaking any laws here, but simply giving users a way to access their own photos and then decide which service they like best. Nevertheless, TwitPic banned our servers within a couple hours of the importer launch,” Agarwal says. Twitpic has since responded to that letter from Posterous. We’ve had a chance to see them all. Twitpic seems most concerned about Posterous’ methods for accessing this data. The user privacy issue is brought up a number of times — and they also wonder if Posterous isn’t access Twitpic “trade secrets” with this importer. “We are simply using their public RSS feed to pull images on the user’s behalf. There are no privacy violations here,” Agarwal says. Twitpic says they’re not going to stop users from exporting their data, but prefer users do so manually, rather than with the use of this tool. Of course, if this really is just pulling the pictures through users’ RSS feeds, it’s hard to argue that this tool is anymore more than useful for people who are looking to switch. Plenty of other blogging sites offer similar import tools. Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones The successor to the Samsung Moment (SPH-M900) will be known as the Samsung Intercept, and it is set to launch on the Sprint network on July 11. According to some leaked images of the Samsung Intercept, model number SPH-M910, it features a slideout QWERTY keyboard, runs Android 2.1, 3.2 inch touch screen display, Bluetooth connectivity, WiFi connectivity, GPS, and microSD memory expansion. Hopefully the Intercept will be shortly upgraded to Android 2.2 after the launch, although it hasn’t been confirmed by Sprint to be the case. In terms of color, based on the images I’m guessing the phone will be available in a black model and a pink model. No word on pricing just yet, but since the phone has mid-range specs, the pricing should be affordable and lower than the HTC EVO 4G and the Epic 4G. Amongst the big guns, the Sprint would do well to market the Samsung Intercept as an affordable alternative with lower specs. Via [SamsungHub] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Read more of this story at Slashdot. At the moment, we are trying to catch up our production. We have lots of great games coming out and innovations with Move and 3DTV, so we don’t believe this is the time for us to think about a price drop. Hell yeah, I don’t blame you. The Slims (which they’re finally making money on) are flying off the shelves and Sony is about to start printing money with the move, if what we saw at E3 is any indication. Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones While the vast majority of consumers successfully downloaded and installed the most recent HTC EVO 4G software update, we have received a handful of reports from customers having some issues with the update. In light of this, HTC and Sprint have decided to temporarily halt distribution of this software release until we can investigate further. We expect to be able to resume software updates shortly. No word on how widespread the problem is, but it must be more than just a handful of reports for Sprint to stop the OTA update. Hopefully Sprint can sort the issue out and help the customers who have inoperable phones. Via [MobileCrunch]
Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » FROM APPLETELL - Learning a second language can be a monumental task, especially if you are going at it alone. Having the right tools, such as iStart Spanish, can make your life easier. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » So we know that IOS4 will be coming to older phones, but of course certain features like iMovie are planned for just the iPhone 4, and not previous models. Well, it turns out that you can run iMovie on older phones, they just have to be jailbroken. I’m not going to go into the technical details, you can get those from the video – so enjoy! [via Lifehacker] Harding explains his thesis point by point, beginning with the need for a standard video format for HTML5. Politics, codec quality, and patent disputes have kept HTML5 from adopting a single standard for video content (H.264, the industry standard, has licensing issues). Google hopes to remedy this with the WebM project and VP8, which were unveiled last month. But VP8 is still a long way from becoming the industry standard. Next, Harding spells out issues with video streaming — namely, the fact that HTML5 doesn’t really have anything that matches Flash when it comes to dynamically adjusting quality control and buffering. There’s also the fact that HTML5 can’t offer protect copyrighted content from being copied (Flash can through RTMPE). And there isn’t a way to take an HTML5 video and embed it on another site, at least not the way YouTube does with annotations and other associated data. Other issues include the inability to play HTML5 full-screen, and no standard for Camera and Microphone access from the browser. Of course, this doesn’t come as a big surprise. YouTube started offering an HTML5 video player earlier this year, but the default player is still in Flash. And Google has made it quite clear that despite its general advocacy of open standards, it believes there’s still quite a bit of life left in Flash. In fact, it’s even baking it into its Chrome browser.      
Source: TechCrunch | 29 Jun 2010 | 6:14 pm 'Batwoman: Elegy' Balances Surreal Suspense, Sexual PoliticsDC Comics' high-profile alternate-sexuality superhero lands her first hardcover with Batwoman: Elegy, out Wednesday. The book is a powerful and often psychedelic phenomenon in a sexualized superhero landscape dominated by men in tights.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 6:10 pm How Microsoft Crowdsourced the Making of Office 2010
For several years, Denise Carlevato has studied millions of mouse clicks and keystrokes made by anonymous computer users from all over the world. Her objective: to make Microsoft Office better fit the way millions of people work. “We were making many decisions based on … what customers wanted us to do.” –Microsoft VP P.J. Hough
Months before Microsoft rolled out the latest version of its productivity suite, Office 2010, 9 million people downloaded its beta version to test the software and provide feedback. As part of the program, Microsoft collected 2 million comments from beta testers. An additional 600 people participated in Microsoft’s Virtual Research Lab, where Carlevato and her colleagues could observe how people were using new features. In a sense, it was a massive, controlled crowdsourcing project. That’s just what you have to do to cater to as broad an audience as possible, says Carlevato, who has worked as a Microsoft usability engineer for 10 years. “We do our darnedest to make sure the features we put into our product are the things people ask for,” Carlevato told Wired.com. “We know from watching them work that they really need it.”
Though some tech observers have predicted Microsoft’s downfall after falling behind in the smartphone game and being one-upped by Apple in market capitalization, many agree that reports of the software titan’s inevitable demise are greatly exaggerated. Microsoft as a whole remains hugely profitable, and Office has consistently been the most lucrative part of Microsoft’s business, raking in billions of dollars each quarter, even exceeding sales of Windows. And although Google offers a competitive productivity suite, Google Docs, for free, Microsoft still has a major advantage: 67 percent of U.S. online consumers regularly use Office, while only 4 percent use Google Docs, according to Forrester Research. “In some ways, the ‘Office versus Google Docs’ debate doesn’t merit a lot of consideration — it’s still no competition,” said J.P. Gownder, a Forrester analyst. “In terms of usage and penetration, Google Docs remains a failure –- so far, anyway.” But staying in the lead with productivity software isn’t easy, and to retain the loyalty of millions, Microsoft goes to great lengths to determine what customers want. For Office 2010 beta, Microsoft included a feature called “Send a Smile,” a comment box for testers to submit feedback and suggestions for improvement. Of the 2 million Send a Smile comments, 81,000 included the senders’ e-mail addresses so the engineers working to improve Office could follow up with them. To analyze the Send a Smile feedback, Microsoft built a database and programmed algorithms to classify and tag comments under certain categories, while filtering out biased feedback and useless drivel. From that point, researchers manually read every single comment to determine necessary tweaks and additions to Office. A major new feature birthed from customer feedback was an online broadcasting tool for users to share PowerPoint 2010 presentations by simply sending around a URL, according to P.J. Hough, corporate vice president of Office Program Management. “We were making many decisions not based on what others were doing, but on what customers wanted us to do,” Hough said. “We did research on customers that led us to the path.” Microsoft also invites select users to participate in its Virtual Lab, where they are instructed to perform specific tasks such as formatting a section of a Word document, or changing the background color of a PowerPoint presentation. After lab participants completed each task, Carlevato and her colleagues analyzed their history to observe the actions they took. The Virtual Research Lab is especially useful when users struggle to finish a task, because researchers can examine why they are becoming confused or taking too long and work to resolve the problem. This is what usability researchers call “unarticulated needs,” said Carlevato. Going beyond virtual testing, Microsoft engineers also worked one-on-one with human subjects at the University of Washington to create the brand-new Office web apps suite released in mid-June. A group of 26 students testing an early version of Office web apps met with engineers every two weeks to discuss features they wanted or didn’t like in the web-based suite. Microsoft’s product planner Char Popp helped lead the field trial, and she said it was crucial to work in a human environment with live feedback, because this was the very first version of Office web apps. “While the team was building it and giving insights and information, it was still all like a big jigsaw puzzle,” she said. “Toward the end when this all came together I had the opportunity to go out and see how the web apps were actually going to live with real people.” Early reviews of the Office web apps (including Wired’s) weren’t stellar, citing some missing key features and elements, but Microsoft stressed that this was a version-one product, and it would continue to collect feedback to improve the service. “With any release as big as Office you can’t do everything all at once,” said Hough, who added that any unaddressed shortcomings are “part of our engineering road map.” Fortunately for Microsoft, there are 360 million Windows Live users with access to the Office web apps who can help crowdsource the solutions. See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Jun 2010 | 6:07 pm Microsoft Admires How Apple Products 'Just Work' - ChannelWeb
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 29 Jun 2010 | 6:07 pm How Microsoft Crowdsourced the Making of Office 2010A behind-the-scenes look at how Microsoft crowdsourced customer feedback to create Office 2010.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 6:07 pm Deliver Bad News in a Good WayLearn to take advantage of the "silver-lining" principle: When you separate a small gain from a large loss, it makes the loss seem less painful.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 6:00 pm 10 Great Racetracks as Seen From SpaceView 10 classic auto tracks and urban loops from high above Earth.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 6:00 pm ISTE CEO Don Knezek Addresses 'Global Imperative' for Technology in Education at ISTE 2010 Conference in DenverDENVER, June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Don Knezek, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®), opened the keynote panel, "Innovation and Excellence: Buzzwords of Global Imperative," at ISTE 2010 on Tuesday. The four-day-long gathering of education professionals is being held at the Colorado Convention Center through June 30 in Denver. "ISTE is recognized as the go-to organization by countries around the globe, as a critical partner in developing and implementing their education technology goals," Knezek said during his keynote. Knezek welcomed and introduced global education enthusiasts who shared their perspectives on the relevance and importance of excellence and innovation. Jennifer Corriero, executive director and co-founder of TakingITGlobal, moderated a lively, interactive discussion with the following panelists: Karen Cator, director of the Office of Education Technology, US Department of Education (Washington, D.C.)Jean-Francois Rischard, former VP of the World Bank (Paris, France)Shaun Koh, student (Singapore)Terry Godwaldt, director of programming, Centre for Global Education (Edmonton, Calif.)Throughout the discussion, the audience used a Twitter backchannel to ask panelists how to achieve excellence and innovation on a global scale and at the grassroots level. In answering the audience's questions, panelists discussed what innovation and excellence means for the future of global education systems, all agreeing that schools must work together in applying technology in ways that inspire students and educators. In their final remarks, panelists encouraged educators to take several things away from ISTE 2010: Listen to their students, utilize social networks, collaborate and take action. "ISTE members are well-positioned to push the global citizen agenda," Rischard said. "ISTE Standards are crisply articulated, and you know how to use technology as a wedge to open the door. Go for it." About ISTE The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in improving teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in PK-12 and teacher education. www.iste.org. SOURCE International Society for Technology in EducationSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Jun 2010 | 6:00 pm Found Contest: Imagine the Future of Dive BarsWhat will a downscale tavern of 2030 look like? What will barflies of the future look like, and how will they attract romantic partners? You tell us. Better yet, show us.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 6:00 pm Found: Medical Bills From the FutureWith the passage of health care reform and the dawning ubiquity of tablets and smartphones, it's possible you'll never need that accordion file holder ever again.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 6:00 pm Is the Motorola Charm really the Motorola Basil?Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones  According to the reputable TmoNews, the leaked images of the Motorola Charm might actually be the Motorola Basil instead. TmoNews received image which looks like instructions for the Motorola Basil and the image of the Basil has an identical form factor to that of the Motorola Charm. Unfortunately, this is simply speculation, so the phone could be known as the Basil or the Charm. We will have to wait until official T-Mobile confirmation to know anything definitive. Personally, I hope they name the phone the T-Mobile Charm - it just sounds better than the T-Mobile Basil. Via [TmoNews] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:59 pm “For Those Who See” uses smoke rings to make a lo-fi 3D display
More info about the installation at the UdK-Berlin site (it was created by one Daniel Shulz for Berlin’s DMY Design Festival). He ought to collaborate with Obscura Digital. [via NotCot]
Source: CrunchGear | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:47 pm Bling Nation Adds A Paypal Option To Cell Phone Payments
Here’s how Bling Nation works. The startup partners with banks, who then offer the consumers who use their services a Bling Nation and “Bank” branded chip that can be stuck onto any cell phone device. The chip will allow any user to make a payment directly out of their checking account similar to a debit payment. Bling Nation also partners with all of the local merchants in given town, to give them special “Bling Nation” credit card machines that will scan the chips. The payment device will calculate the number of times a payee has made a transaction and as an added bonus, will automatically award the user with coupons, points or discounts, which the merchant determines. The device will read the chip and deduct the money for a purchase out of the payee’s bank account. Bling Nation even allows merchants to implement a security feature, in which upon purchase, the customer will have to enter a PIN code for larger transactions. With the deal with PayPal, anyone will be use Bling Nation to link a PayPal account and receive tags that they can then stick to their cell phones. You may also be able to enroll during the checkout process as well. And Bling Nation in turn will equip merchants in given areas with payment devices that work with the chip. This is a big win for Bling Nation’s system, which originally had ambitions of solely focusing on hyperlocal banks in small communities. The PayPal integration is currently being tested in Palo Alto and is steadily being rolled out nationally. Most of the work involves distributing the payments devices to local merchants. Enrollment is limited for now, says co-founder Meyer Malka. Consumers can sign up for the service at participating merchants and eventually through the web. The deal also represents a way for consumers to start paying for physical goods, not just online purchases, with their PayPal accounts. Bling Nation recently raised a whopping $20 million in funding to scale its system. Armed with a deal with PayPal, the startup is well on its way to making it into stores nationwide. And PayPal is one step closer to fulfilling its futuristic vision for the payments platform, as shown in this video. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:45 pm Euro Tech Holdings Company Limited Reports 2009 Year-End ResultsHONG KONG, June 29 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Euro Tech Holdings Company Limited (Nasdaq: CLWT) today reported financial results for the 12-month period ended December 31, 2009 ("Fiscal 2009"). The Company's revenues for Fiscal 2009 were approximately $27,336,000, an approximate 14% decrease compared to approximately $31,738,000 in the Company's fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 ("Fiscal 2008"). The net income for Fiscal 2009 was approximately $32,000, an approximate 78% decrease from Fiscal 2008 net income of approximately $149,000. The decrease of the company's revenues is mainly due to the global economic downturn that had a significant negative impact on the Company's business in China and further drop of the distribution business for third party products due to more key suppliers selling their products into the China market directly or through distributors other than the Company. The falling net income is mainly due to the decrease in gross profit resulting from the drop in total revenues partially offset by the decrease in selling and administrative expenses, as a result of tight control of overheads, and an increase in our equity in the profits of our affiliates. Mr. T.C. Leung, Chairman and CEO of the company commented, "As stated in our 2009 half year result, 2009 was a bad year for us. However, in the wake of the global financial crisis, and amid economy recovery in China, we have been receiving more and more environmental engineering contracts both for water and air since early 2010, although some of them may be completed in 2011. "Despite the drop of the distribution business for third party products, we re-allocate more resources to our engineering companies and manufacturing facilities as we have been receiving more and more inquiries from both inside and outside China for wastewater treatment equipment, water and air pollution monitoring instruments manufactured by ourselves. "We naturally believe 2010 is a better year than 2009 for us." Certain statements in this news release regarding the Company's expectations, estimates, present view of circumstances or events, and statements containing words such as estimates, anticipates, intends, or expects, or words of similar import, constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements indicate uncertainty and the Company can give no assurance with regard to actual outcomes. Specific risk factors may include, without limitation, having the Company's offices and operations situated in Hong Kong and China, doing business in China, competing with Chinese manufactured products, competing with the Company's own suppliers, dependence on vendors, and lack of long term written agreements with suppliers and customers, development of new products, entering new markets, possible downturns in business conditions, increased competition, loss of significant customers, availability of qualified personnel, negotiating definitive agreements, new marketing efforts and the timely development of resources. See the "Risk Factor" discussions in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 20-F for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2009. CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Dollar amounts in US$ thousands, except share and per share data) As of December 31, 2009 2008 % Change Revenues $27,336 $31,738 -14% Net Income Attributable to the Company 32 149 -78% Net Income Per Share - Basic 0.003 0.01 Weighted Average Number of Ordinary Shares Outstanding -Basic 11,632,460 11,824,153 -2% SELECTED BALANCE SHEET DATA Year Ended December 31, 2009 2008 % Change Cash and Cash Equivalents $7,025 $7,146 -2% Total Current Assets 15,515 17,882 -13% Total Assets 26,244 28,278 17% Total Current Liabilities 7,312 9,299 -23% Total Liabilities 7,312 9,299 -23% Total Euro Tech Shareholders' Equity 16,787 16,993 -1% For more information, please contact: Euro Tech Holdings Company Limited, Hong Kong T.C. Leung, Chairman and CEO, or Jerry Wong, CFO Tel: +852-2814-0311 Fax: +852-2873-4887 Website: http://www.euro-tech.com SOURCE Euro Tech Holdings Company LimitedSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:41 pm Rumor: Verizon to launch the iPhone in JanuarySection: Business News, Apple, Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones
According to Bloomberg, Verizon will be launching the iPhone in January, as confirmed by “two people familiar with the plans.” However, these two individuals decided to remain anonymous because the information isn’t public. Interestingly enough, spokeswoman for Verizon, Brenda Raney, did not yet comment on the matter, and Natalie Kerris for Apple declined to comment. The timing makes sense because it would give Verizon the opportunity to showcase the iPhone, which would possibly run on the high speed 4G network, at CES 2011. In addition, Apple’s exclusivity agreement with AT&T should be ending around the holiday season, which gives further credit to the timing of Verizon’s purported launch. All in all, it will be hard to confirm this rumor without confirmation by Verizon or Apple, but Bloomberg is definitely a respectable source. Via [Bloomberg] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:28 pm Windows 8 in the works, details leaked (Christopher Null)Christopher Null - Now that you’re getting comfortable with Windows 7, it’s time to start thinking about the future. Windows 8 (or whatever it may be called) is well under way by now (it takes years for Microsoft to develop an operating system), so it was only a matter of time before the first real details would find their way out of Redmond.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:26 pm Flying car one step closer to reality - msnbc.com
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:26 pm Hands-on with the U-Boat’s U-1001 diver’s watch
During a meeting I had with Italo Fontana, owner and designer of U-Boat Italy, he expressed his infatuation with professional instruments. The fact that watches are instruments used to measure time, explains why so many watch designers feel the same way. Bell & Ross and Giuliano Mazzuoli are obvious examples that come to mind. The U-Boat U-1001 is a watch that pays tribute to Mr. Fontana’s passion. It is built to withstand the rigorous demands of professional diving and it offers a bold, clear, technical design reminiscent of high tech instruments. A water resistance rating of 1000 meters – 1001 meters to be true to the U-Boat spec sheet – is not easily acquired. It is easy to see why when considering that at a depth of 1000 meters, a watch is subject to an atmospheric pressure that is 100 times superior to that at sea level. This translates to about 150 pounds of force per square inch. In order to survive this tremendous pressure a timepiece needs a strong case, which in this instance is a 55mm tank carved out of titanium. The designers and engineers then have to take into consideration all the weak spots of the watch like the crystal, crowns, and all the other tiny fissures between parts. The next few paragraphs will look at each of these parts in detail. The U-1001 cannot actually be classified as a professional diving watch due to its lack of certain diving-related markings, but all structural qualifications are met. One very important aspect of the U-1001/1 is its crystal. In order to withstand the incredible pressure pushing down on it, it must be made extraordinarily thick. It is constructed out of synthetic sapphire, which is is highly scratch resistant due to its hardness, and it is 5.5mm thick. Because it is flat it does not distort the dial’s features, so its thickness is not evident by looking at the watch straight on. Consider that at 1000 meters bellow sea-level the crystal alone is supporting the equivalent of about 400 lbs. Looking at it that way may give a whole new appreciation of how strong diving watches have to be. This strength indicates durability and quality on dry land. Another technical feature that is fitted to almost every diving watch is an automatic pressure release valve. On the U-Boat U-1001/1 it is placed below the crown on the left side of the case. Apart from the coolness factor that it adds to the overall look of the watch, this small valve has a very specific function. While its name implies that there is helium gas within the watch, what it is referring to is the helium that is present in “breathing gas” mixtures used by professional divers for very deep dives. Helium and Nitrogen, being very small molecules are able to seep into the watch through the seals while the diver is acclimatizing in a chamber filled with the gas mixture. At the point when the watch returns to the surface said gases expand and may cause great damage to the watch. The crystal may become dislodged or shatter, and a weak case would be at risk of deformation. The helium valve therefore is appointed to evacuate the gas and relieve the internal pressure. Now that we have shown the structural integrity of the U-1001, we can concentrate on what is more visible about the watch. As in many U-Boat watches the size of the case is quite remarkable. Its impressive 55mm diameter is complemented by an thickness of 18.2mm. When working at the Matt Baily watch boutique in Montreal Canada, I would always tell my clients that there is no such thing as a watch that is too big. When it comes to 55 millimeters, however, I received some incredulous stares. The truth is that this giant wrist-watch is comfortable on any size wrist, but a passion for oversized watches is certainly prerequisite. The case is made of titanium. The lightness of the substance marries well with oversize watches. U-Boat’s U-1001 is deceptively light for this reason. The bezel distinguishes this model from the first generation Classico U-1001s. It is raised above the crystal as in the company’s Flighdeck models. The crown cover is found, as usual, on the left of the watch case and is neighboured by the helium escape valve. The crown cover is held to the case by a hinge like that on a Cartier Pascha if the Pascha were submitted to intense MMA training for several years. The actual crown that it protects is robust nonetheless. It is quite large, and is solid in all setting, winding, and rest positions. The engraving and finish of the case, including the black PVD coating are basic yet masterful showing off the manufacturing prowess of the U-Boat watch factory in Lucca, Italy. The U-1001 is a good representative of the Florentine tradition of watch case manufacturing. As with the original version of the U-1001, U-Boat will offer three dial variations. A black “U-1001″ inscription is applied between twelve and three o’clock and hour markers display the different colors: beige, orange, or blue. This style of multilevel dial is sometimes referred to as the Sandwich dial. The colored plate lies underneath the black dial that has the hour markers stencilled out of it. Sandwich dials were introduced in the forties for Navy Commando watches. The stencilled out, recessed hour markers were filled with luminous powder for unparallelled visibility in the dark, whereas now the entire bottom plate is phosphorescent. Finally, the strap completes the waterproof nature of the watch. An impermeable black rubber band is fitted with a decorative, titanium plate and a heavy duty folding deployante clasp. The clasp, which can be opened, or deployed, by way of two pushers, is also equipped with an easy to use mechanism for sizing. Unfastening the “tongue” and sliding the buckle up or down the strap adjusts the band’s length. A Swiss automatic movement powers the U-Boat U-1001. While still a very important quality feature, it is dwarfed both literally and figuratively by the U-1001’s imposing case and features. It is provided by the infamous, Swiss manufacturer ETA. Based on the 2824-2 calibre, the mechanism is modified slightly to U-Boat specifications and the rotor is decorated with Côte de Genève finishing. This is not a very exotic or particularly interesting movement, but it is as robust and reliable as the rest of the U-1001. Italo Fontana is a passionate designer. He captures what he loves in his creations and backs it up with quality and luxury. Luckily for him many watch lovers share the same esthetic predilections. Marco is a specialist of U-Boat watches. at Matt Baily.
Source: CrunchGear | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:24 pm Healthy Watersheds Can Sustain Water Supplies, Aquatic Ecosystems In A Changing ClimateThe U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station has published a report about the role of forests in the stewardship of water in a changing climate. The report is available online at http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/gtr_812.pdf and will be available in print beginning July 9.Titled Water, Climate Change, and Forests: Watershed Stewardship for a Changing Climate, the publication describes healthy, resilient watersheds as a primary strategy for sustaining ecosystems and the clean, abundant water they provide."Water from forested lands supports people, ecosystems, agriculture, industry, and energy production and is immensely valuable and irreplaceable," said Michael Furniss, a hydrologist with the PNW Research Station and lead author of the publication. "With a changing climate, the need for stewardship of forested watersheds to secure high-quality water supplies and healthy aquatic ecosystems is more important than ever."The report's 13 primary authors and more than 40 contributors and reviewers are Forest Service earth scientists and aquatic biologists who worked for two years to develop the technical details for managing watersheds for resilience and for protecting water."We face many serious challenges in managing forested watersheds, and it is notable that the Forest Service has remarkable expertise and experience to do this work," Furniss said. "The Forest Service has over 800 water and aquatic ecosystem specialists posted in hundreds of locations all over the country, a robust research base and capacity, and decades of experience in watershed stewardship." ---On the Net:USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research StationSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:22 pm Cute, cheap iPhone 4 mod: use modeling clay on the corners
Source: CrunchGear | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:21 pm OPower to Expand to West Coast, Names iLike Founder Hadi Partovi to Advisory Board
In Partovi, OPOWER is getting an experienced advisor who will help build the company in its plans to grow from 95 to 150 employees total in the coming year. Partovi co-founded online music service iLike with his brother Ali, which they sold to MySpace, before leaving in April. Previously, Partovi founded Tellme Networks, which was acquired by Microsoft for a reported $800 million. Partovi also worked on IE5. OPOWER provides utility companies with a way to engage customers with easy-to-understand home energy reports designed to inspire them to reduce consumption. OPOWER uses behavioral economics to provide each customer with a personalized analysis of their usage, taking into account their circumstances and lifestyle. “Instead of saying ‘you used this many kilowatts’, we say ‘you use 5% less or 20% more than your neighbors,’” says Senior Director of Marketing and Strategy Ogi Kavazovic. The company has signed on 35 utility companies in 15 states across the country, including seven of the 10 biggest players. Yates says that by the end of this year, OPOWER will be saving more energy than the entire U.S. solar power industry is producing. The company is targeting north of $30 million in annual recurring revenue. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:21 pm Cute, cheap iPhone 4 mod: use modeling clay on the corners
Pro tip: this technique works for any flat, fragile object. [via Gadget Lab]
Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:20 pm Coder Uses Foursquare Privacy Hole to Capture 875,000 Check-InsThe popular location-data-reporting service Foursquare was publishing users' locations publicly even when the info was intended only for friends. A clever coder snagged hundreds of thousands of check-ins and reported the breach -- but many users are likely still unaware of how they continue to leak data.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:19 pm Study Shows Chile's School Voucher Program Increased Graduation RatesNevada, Pennsylvania and Chile researchers team up to complete massive studyWith the effectiveness of school vouchers a hot topic of debate, researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chile have completed a lengthy study on the effects of Chile's school reforms in 1981. Along with other school decentralization efforts, the reforms included making Chile the only nation in the world to have a nationwide school voucher program.Most notably, the study, which looked at students who began school in the early 1970s all the way up through students who began school in the early '90s, showed that the reforms increased high school graduation rates by 3.6 percent, and increased college-going rates by 3.1 percent. It also increased the rate of those completing at least two years of college by 2.6 percent, and the rate of those completing at least four years of college by 1.8 percent. The voucher program also significantly increased the demand for private subsidized schools and decreased the demand for both public and nonsubsidized private schools.In addition, although opponents of school voucher programs have long theorized that vouchers would mostly benefit the rich, this study showed that individuals from poor and non-poor backgrounds in Chile, on average, experienced similar educational attainment gains under the voucher program. And, there was also a modest reduction in earnings inequity once the voucher reforms were enacted. However, overall, the reforms did not lead to increased overall average earnings."The reform reduced the number of people ages 16 to 25 in the workforce by about 2 percent," explained Sankar Mukhopadhyay, assistant professor of economics at the University of Nevada, Reno, "because more people were staying in school longer. So, the earnings benefits of having greater educational attainment were at least partly offset by the delay in entering the workforce."Mukhopadhyay and the research team drew their information from nearly 4,000 people, ranging in ages 6 to 45. The study will be published in its entirety in the inaugural issue of a new journal published by the Econometric Society, Quantitative Economics, in August.Mukhopadhyay said that while there have been quite a few studies on the possible effects of school vouchers on grades and test scores, there has been very little research conducted on the possible effects of school vouchers on the level of education attained by students, or on employment and earnings."I think this study provides very interesting, new information for those considering school vouchers," Mukhopadhyay said. "I think these results will surprise some people; the results actually surprised us."---On the Net:University of Nevada, RenoSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:16 pm Cisco To Challenge iPad With Cius 'Business Tablet'GMGruman and several other readers noted Cisco's announcement of the forthcoming 7-inch Android-based iPad challenger, the Cius, which "... will offer multiple networking capabilities, keyboard and mouse support, and the ability to do videoconferencing. Cisco says it will cost less than $1,000, or about the same as an iPad. The Cius will come with a front-facing high-definition video camera that can record 720p video at 30 frames per second and a 5-megapixel camera at the back that can capture high-quality video and still images. Users will be able to engage in live video calls [most likely via WebEx] when the tablet is docked or being held. Some units will be available this fall, though general availability is not expected until early 2011."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:11 pm Shopper angered at Toronto mall closure
Amazon.com is broken and I feel just like this guy. 'Quake' Reveals How Eyes And Ears Keep Us BalancedThe Earthquake Machine at Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre, has been used in groundbreaking research by vision scientists to confirm that instead of working in isolation, our visual and middle-ear systems work together, to give us an improved sense of balance.Led by Dr Mark Edwards and Dr Michael Ibbotson, chief investigators in The Vision Centre and researchers at the Australian National University, this research has opened up various opportunities to future research, including potentially developing ways to reduce motion sickness, a phenomenon that affects millions of people.“When we move through the world two sensory systems are activated: our visual and vestibular (or middle ear) systems,” Dr. Edwards explains.“The images on our eyes undergo complex patterns of motion, called optic-flow patterns, that indicate the type of movement we are making, e.g. radially-expanding patterns indicate forward motion, and contracting patterns backward motion”.“The vestibular system consists of fluid-filled channels in our inner ear and it responds to the inertial forces produced by changes in our speed or direction of movement.”The parental anecdotes of having children close their eyes when they are affected by motion sickness, hence removing visual input, seems to suggest a functional interaction between these two systems.In a unique experiment using equipment that has enthralled thousands of visitors to Questacon, young and old, Dr Edwards and Dr Ibbotson have demonstrated both our visual and vestibular systems are far more closely interconnected than was previously thought.“The sense of balance comes from both our sight and vestibular system working in combination, but it has never been previously demonstrated that the two are functionally connected in humans,” Dr Edwards says.The research was conducted using a most unusual piece of research equipment, the Earthquake machine, which simulates the effect of an earthquake. Using it, the research team was able to measure the sensitivity of volunteers to optic-flow patterns when they were physically moved in a direction that was either consistent or inconsistent with that pattern being received by the eyes. For example, sensitivity to a radially-expanding pattern when they were moved either forwards (consistent) or backwards (inconsistent).“We predicted that if the visual and optic-flow systems were functionally linked, then sensitivity to motion would be greater when the two signals were consistent, and the two signals could facilitate each other, compared to when they were inconsistent. This is the pattern of results we obtained.”The ability of the visual system and the inner ear to work together would be of greatest importance under conditions where both signals are relatively weak, for example, when produced by body sway while maintaining balance. It may also be of importance in dealing with effects such as motion sickness.The team is also considering the possibility that this crosstalk between the senses is different for each individual, depending upon their need to maintain balance. A next step is to find out how these systems actually talk to each other so we can ‘fine-tune’ our ability to maintain balance.The Vision Centre is funded by the Australian Research Council as the ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science.---On the Net:SciNewsSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:04 pm Bristlecone Supports Newell Rubbermaid's Global Go-Live of SAP® BusinessObjects(TM) Spend Performance ManagementMOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Bristlecone, a trusted SAP services partner and one of the industry's most experienced supply-chain business advisors and solution providers, today announced that Newell Rubbermaid, a global marketer of consumer and commercial products, utilized its services to implement the SAP® BusinessObjects(TM) Spend Performance Management application. The deployment, which addresses Newell Rubbermaid's global spend spread across its supply base, will provide Newell Rubbermaid clear visibility into its spend patterns and provides its sourcing community with a consolidated view of data. This solution will enable Newell Rubbermaid to achieve lower costs through better visibility into spend activities as well as leverage its purchasing power, increase operational and manufacturing efficiencies, and enhance supplier relationships. Newell Rubbermaid leveraged Bristlecone's deep expertise with the entire spend-analysis process to implement the SAP BusinessObjects Spend Performance Management application and integrate the results from spend analysis seamlessly into their global and centralized sourcing process. "This deployment has given us visibility into our spend-analysis process across the entire company and tremendously increased user acceptance in our sourcing and procurement community," said Mike Corriveau, vice president of Indirect Sourcing and vice president of Program Management Office, Newell Rubbermaid. "It has helped us to achieve our goals of balancing costs, identifying hidden savings and supplier risk factors, as well as rationalizing our supply base. We selected Bristlecone as our provider based on their combination of deep understanding of spend management processes, as well as functional, project management and technical expertise in SAP BusinessObjects Spend Performance Management. They were very responsive to our specific needs and helped us work through a tight implementation timeline." "Our team worked collaboratively with the Newell Rubbermaid team to deliver business value by deploying SAP BusinessObjects Spend Performance Management in 15 weeks," said Naresh Hingorani, global practice leader, Integrated Sourcing and Procurement Practice at Bristlecone. "Bristlecone continues to be a key line of business partner for customers worldwide in implementing SAP Spend Performance Management." In order to optimize spend by all of its global business units, Newell Rubbermaid selected SAP BusinessObjects Spend Performance Management for its ease of use, data connectivity and consumer product goods footprint. "By teaming with Bristlecone on this implementation of SAP BusinessObjects Performance Management, we've been able to deliver even greater value to our joint customer, Newell Rubbermaid," said Thad Dungan, vice president, Solutions Management, SAP. "Through this cooperation, Newell Rubbermaid is able to boost global insight into the company's purchasing behavior, enabling employees to identify opportunities for cost-savings." About Bristlecone Bristlecone, (www.bcone.com) is a leading consulting and systems integration firm focused on helping clients maximize the strategic value of their supply chains. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, CA, Bristlecone helps clients across North America, Europe and the Asia/Pacific regions realize high business impact from improved operations through advisory, systems implementation and managed services. In the area of Integrated Sourcing and Procurement, Bristlecone services address client needs for Spend and Risk Analysis, Strategic Sourcing, Contract Lifecycle Management, Operational Procurement and Analytics, and Data Cleansing, Normalization and Enrichment. Bristlecone provides these services via traditional on-premise, hosted, Software as a Service (SaaS) and BPO models. Bristlecone has been continually acknowledged by industry analysts and customers as a leader in solutions for the extended supply chain. Bristlecone clients include globally recognized companies such as Credit Suisse, Callaway Golf, Tellabs Inc, Steelcase, Newell Rubbermaid, Wells Fargo, ABB, Exxon/Mobil, Freescale Semiconductor, LSI, Mahindra & Mahindra, Qatar Petroleum, Petronas, Ranbaxy, Silicon Labs, Sony, Unilever and Whirlpool. For more information please visit www.bcone.com SAP and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries. Business Objects, BusinessObjects and the Business Objects logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects in the United States and/or other countries. Business Objects is an SAP company. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. SAP Forward-looking Statement Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. CONTACT: Michael Hartman, Bristlecone, +1-404-964-8966, michael.hartman@bcone.com SOURCE BristleconeSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:04 pm Today at the Steam Summer Sale: GTA IV for $5, every X-COM game for $4
Source: CrunchGear | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:00 pm Work For Us Turns Facebook Fan Pages Into A Recruiting Tool
Facebook is great for keeping up with friends. And of course brands are using it as marketing tool by creating Fan pages. But it can also be used by companies as a recruiting tool. I’ve written before anecdotally about how Citysearch uses Facebook ads for recruiting by targeting the ads at the hiring manager’s friends. Well, now there is a full-fledged Facebook app for that called Work For Us Work For Us creates a tab on a company’s Fan page which turns it into a mini-job board. You can see an example here for BuildASign or SPG Creative Marketing. People can apply for the job right inside Facebook, or Like a job and therefore spread it to their friends as a social referral. Recruiters can also create a Facebook ad for any job and target it accordingly. The company behind Work For Us is Work4Labs, a startup funded by French angel investors Stephane Le Viet and Gautier Machelon. Already, 2,000 companies have added the Work For Us tab to their Facebook Fan page, including State Street and the French divisions of Accenture and Grant Thorton. The app is free for the first 30 days, then Work4Labs scharges, with plans starting at $9 a month (5 job postings) and going up to $500 a month (for unlimited job postings). More details at AppBistro.
Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:00 pm Smallest Whale Population IdentifiedThe world's smallest whale population is the North Pacific right whale, new surveys show, with only 30 whales alive today.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 5:00 pm Airport scanners are totally going to kill us (Christopher Null)Christopher Null - More doctors are sounding the alarm over the new full-body scanners becoming popular in airports.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:51 pm McAfee puts security in the cloud
McAfee sees these features as tops:
From the press release:
Read release: [BusinessWire]
Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:47 pm Hulu starts paid subscription TV service (Reuters)Reuters - Hulu introduced a new paid subscription service for watching TV shows and movies on mobile devices, game consoles, television sets and computers, and joined other media companies trying to strike a balance between paid and ad supported models.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:39 pm Outage at Amazon.com [Voices]By Beth Callaghan Amazon.com has been limping badly for a few hours now, and anecdotal reports of downtime are flying across Twitter. According to an Amazon support staff forum post, “We continue to experience an issue that is impacting customers’ ability to place orders on the Amazon.com website as well as the display of item details within Manage Your Inventory within your seller account. We appreciate your understanding as we work toward resolution.” Source: All Things Digital | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:39 pm Hulu launches $10 video subscription service (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:32 pm Shane Speal's "Chugger" 2-string cigar box guitarMy pal Shane Speal is selling signed and number "Chugger" 2-string cigar box guitars for $75 each. They sound great! "The Chugger" 2-string cigar box guitar
Sugru Keeps Your iPhone Safe From a Fatal Fall
It’s only been a few days since the launch of iPhone 4, and there have already been an alarming number of stories of people dropping their iPhones from heights small or large, and shattering the back panel of the phone. Luckily for them (and you), there’s a simple solution: sugru. Instructables has a video and instructions for how to apply four small bits of a material called sugru to the corners of your phone to make it much more drop-friendly. Sugru is a silicon modeling clay that adheres to almost anything, and in this case can be used to make your iPhone sturdier, bouncier and much better at handling the moment when you get out of your car with your phone on your lap and fling your brand new iPhone onto the street. Even for non-droppers, the sugru keeps the iPhone from rubbing against whatever surface it’s sitting on, which will do wonders to keep it from getting scuffed and scratched. Sugru corners for your iPhone will cost just under $10 for materials, and only a few minutes of time to put together. It’s not the most attractive of solutions (the sugru corners look a little like clown noses, which I can only assume would be another viable way to protect your iPhone), but it’s much better-looking than a shattered iPhone. (Photo: Courtesy Instructables) 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:30 pm Verizon iPhone Rumored For Early Next YearMany readers are submitting coverage from around the Net, all based on a Bloomberg piece quoting two anonymous sources who insist that Verizon Wireless will offer a CDMA iPhone in January 2011. No one at Verizon or Apple would confirm, of course, and no one at AT&T would comment. "The iPhone, which has been the sole domain of rival AT&T in the US since June 2007, will give Verizon a boost in its competition for smartphone customers, UBS AG analyst John Hodulik said in an interview. Verizon customers, who numbered 92.8 million at the end of the first quarter, may buy 3 million iPhones a quarter, he estimates. ... 'Apple is going to dramatically increase the number of devices it sells in the US when exclusivity at AT&T ends,' said Hodulik. ... 'It's hard to ignore the quality issues that AT&T has faced.'"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:26 pm Apple’s reception issue talking points leaked, no mention of fix
That’s right everyone, the problem isn’t the fact that Apple had the bright idea of putting the antenna in the most likely place for you to hold the phone, the problem is that you’re holding it wrong. If you were holding your phone properly, you wouldn’t be having these problems! I call bullshit on this one, to me Apple is trying to spin a bad design idea into some type of “it’s not our fault” situation. This makes me think of the movie Fight Club and how the protagonist is trained to deal with automotive recalls. So there you have it. Either hold your shiny new phone properly, buy a case for it, or slap some electrical tape over the antenna portion. Oh, and for your entertainment, here’s the document that leaked, containing exactly what you will be told if you call Apple and complain about your new phone:
Before you start in on me “hating” Apple, please realize this article was written on a Mac, while I listened to my iPod Touch. So no, I don’t hate Apple. I just hate when corporations screw up then refuse to admit it.
Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:22 pm Google scrambles to save Internet license in China (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:21 pm Etsy CEO: How Social Will Unlock Etsy’s Potential [Video]After a brief hiatus, the founder of Etsy Rob Kalin reclaimed the CEO title in January of this year. During a brief interview at Etsy’s Brooklyn headquarters, I asked Kalin, “Why do you think you deserve to be back as CEO?…Is there anything really unique about your vision that will take Etsy to the next stage?” Kalin responded:
The five-year old marketplace for handmade goods is growing quickly each year, last year it pulled in nearly $200 million in gross merchandise sales. This year, Kalin says they’re on track to reach approximately $400 million in gross merchandise sales. That doesn’t translate into significant profits for Etsy— which only takes about 3.5% of each transaction— but Kalin says profits are secondary to the more important goal of increasing traffic and dialogue on the site. In the next few years, he expects gross merchandise sales to be in the multi-billion-dollar range, but in order to get there, he says they will need to succeed in their social ambitions. In the next 12-18 months, Kalin plans to roll out a social strategy that will go beyond the site’s current offerings, which include forums and chat rooms for members. He didn’t want to give away all the details, but he did say:
In episode two of our company profiles series, Kalin gives us a tour of Etsy, discusses profits, his social vision and why he stepped down in the first place. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:07 pm Nortel Inversora S.A. Announces the Filing of its Annual Report on Form 20-F With the Securities and Exchange CommissionBUENOS AIRES, Argentina, June 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nortel Inversora (NYSE: NTL), ("Nortel Inversora" or the "Company") the holding company of Telecom Argentina S.A., announced today that it has submitted its Annual Report on Form 20-F ("Form 20-F") and the corresponding complete audited financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2009 to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Moreover, the Form 20-F and the corresponding audited financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2009 can be accessed and downloaded from the English version of the "Investors" section on the Company's website located at www.nortelsa.com.ar. In addition, these documents can be found on the SEC's web site (www.sec.gov) in the section "Search for Company Filing/Companies & Other Filers", under the CIK code No. 0000877691. Finally, upon request, shareholders have the ability to receive hard copies of the Form 20-F and the complete audited financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2009 as filed with the SEC free of charge. Any requests and/or queries related to the Form 20-F and the financial statements should be made to the following persons: Jose Gustavo Pozzi Maria Blanco Salgado 54-11-4968-3631 54-11-4968-3630 Fax: 54-11-4313-1298 E-mail: mblancosalgado@ta.telecom.com.ar SOURCE Nortel InversoraSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:06 pm First Solar-Powered Blimp to Cross English ChannelFrench engineering students built the first solar-powered blimp. The aircraft is scheduled to fly across the English Channel later this summer.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:01 pm Samsung Launches 4G Phone on Sprint
The HTC Evo has competition. Samsung has introduced its first 4G handset, called the Samsung Epic, on Sprint’s network. The Epic will be the second 4G smartphone on Sprint, following the Evo 4G’s debut earlier this month. The Epic 4G will have a 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen and a slide-out keyboard. Inside, the device packs a 1-GHz Hummingbird processor from Samsung, and two cameras: a 5-megapixel camera to shoot movies and photos, and a front-facing VGA camera (0.3 megapixels) for video chat. The phone will run Google’s Android 2.1 operating system. Samsung’s 4G phone is up against some strong rivals. The HTC Evo 4G has become the best-selling device on Sprint’s network. Meanwhile, Apple launched its latest iPhone, the iPhone 4, last week. Though the iPhone 4 runs on AT&T’s overloaded 3G network, the device has some features such as video chat and a luminous, high-resolution display that are drawing in customers. Apple sold 1.7 million iPhone 4s in the first three days of the device’s launch. The Epic is part of a new family of Android smartphones called Galaxy S from Samsung. The Galaxy S phones feature 4-inch screens, run Android, and integrate social networking feeds from Twitter and Facebook — plus e-mail messages, calendars and contacts — into a single screen. Sprint did not reveal pricing or availability for the Epic 4G. When it comes to 4G services, Sprint is ahead of other wireless service providers in the United States. Sprint’s 4G network is currently available in 36 cities. Sprint claims its 4G service can deliver up to 10 times higher speeds than existing 3G networks. Major areas such as San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., will get 4G connectivity later this year, says Sprint. Verizon is testing its 4G ‘LTE’ network this year and expects to start rolling it out next year. AT&T is likely to start trials of its 4G service next year. Not surprisingly, Sprint is pressing its advantage with 4G handsets. Samsung’s Epic is largely comparable to the HTC Evo in its hardware, but it lags behind in a few areas. The Evo has an 8-megapixel camera, compared to the Epic’s 5-megapixel. The Evo can provide wireless access for up to eight devices as part of its hot-spot capability, while the Epic an support only up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously. But Samsung hopes to offer content that will put the Epic ahead. For instance, over the next few months, Epic users will have access to the Samsung Media Hub, a video store with movies and TV available for purchase or rental, says Samsung. A 4G network should help make downloads much faster, says the company. The phone will also have a service called ‘AllShare’ to wirelessly exchange music, pictures and video with other devices. For business users, the phone supports push e-mail, integrated calendar and Exchange ActiveSync. Samsung and Sprint say the Epic will be upgraded to the latest flavor of Android, Android 2.2 Froyo. As for other cellphone service providers, Samsung isn’t neglecting them. In the next few weeks, Samsung plans to offer Fascinate, a 3G phone running Android 2.1 OS on Verizon and Vibrant, and an Android smartphone on T-Mobile’s network. Photo: Samsung Epic 4G/Samsung See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:00 pm Someone Has Finally Managed To Rob Amazon. No Products Anywhere To Be Found!
You often hear about Amazon Web Services having some downtime issues, but it’s rare to see Amazon.com itself have major issues. In fact, I can’t ever remember it happening the past couple of years. But that’s very much the case today as for the past couple of hours the service has been switching back and forth between being totally down and being up, but showing no products. Obviously, Twitter is abuzz about this — though there’s no word from Amazon on Twitter yet about the downtime. Amazon Web Services, meanwhile, all seem to be a go, according to their dashboard. The mobile apps on the iPhone, iPad and Android devices are sort of working, but it doesn’t appear you can go to actual product pages. Information provided by CrunchBase      
Source: TechCrunch | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:00 pm Pro Tip: Use a 1st gen iPhone dock with the iPhone 4
Dvice found that the new dock is a bit too snug for their taste and the old dock not only supports the phone just fine, but makes one-handed grabs possible. So either go dig out your original dock or sort through ebay listings for the original 1st dock.
Source: CrunchGear | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:00 pm Samsung Launches 4G Phone on SprintSamsung has introduced a new 4G Android phone on Sprint's network. The phone called Epic will be the second 4G device available, following the launch of the HTC Evo earlier this month.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:00 pm Samsung Launches 4G Phone on SprintSamsung has introduced a new 4G Android phone on Sprint's network. The phone called Epic will be the second 4G device available, following the launch of the HTC Evo earlier this month.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 29 Jun 2010 | 4:00 pm Celestica's San Jose facility recognized as a top employer in the Bay AreaTORONTO, June 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Celestica Inc. (NYSE, TSX: CLS), a global leader in the delivery of end-to-end product lifecycle solutions, today announced that its San Jose, California facility has been named one of the Bay Area's Top 60 Employers in 2010. This honour reinforces the importance the company places in empowering employees and creating a positive work environment. Celestica is the only electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider to earn this distinction in 2010. "Our highly skilled and committed employees in San Jose are crucial to our success and they differentiate us in the electronics manufacturing services industry," said Les Thomas, General Manager, San Jose, Celestica. "We are proud to be recognized as one of the Bay Area's Top 60 Employers, and we feel this distinction reflects our dedication to fostering a culture that focuses on building trust with customers through the delivery of innovative supply chain solutions that drive their success." Celestica ranked number nine out of 15 in the Top Medium WorkPlaces in the Bay area. The 2010 Bay Area News Group Top WorkPlaces program recognized 60 companies within the region. Celestica's San Jose facility is a specialized technology center that operates as a gateway to Celestica's low-cost operations in Asia by offering new product introduction (NPI) services to customers in the enterprise server, storage networking and industrial markets. The site, which has been part of the Celestica network since 1998, also offers complex printed circuit assembly and rack assembly for highly configurable products destined for the North American market. About Celestica Celestica is dedicated to delivering end-to-end product lifecycle solutions to drive our customers' success. Through our simplified global operations network and information technology platform, we are solid partners who deliver informed, flexible solutions that enable our customers to succeed in the markets they serve. Committed to providing a truly differentiated customer experience, our agile and adaptive employees share a proud history of demonstrated expertise and creativity that provides our customers with the ability to overcome any challenge. For further information on Celestica, visit its website at www.celestica.com The company's security filings can also be accessed at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov. Safe Harbour and Fair Disclosure Statement Statements contained in this press release which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are predictive in nature, and may be based on current expectations, forecasts or assumptions involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements themselves. Such forward-looking statements may, without limitation, be preceded by, followed by, or include words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," or similar expressions, or may employ such future or conditional verbs as "may", "will", "should," or "would," or may otherwise be indicated as forward-looking statements by grammatical construction, phrasing or context. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and in any applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Risks and uncertainties, as well as other information related to the Company, are discussed in the Company's various public filings at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, including our Annual Report on Form 20-F and subsequent reports on Form 6-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our Annual Information Form filed with the Canadian Securities Commissions. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. SOURCE Celestica Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:52 pm Palm pays developers to create applications Palm certainly has been working on getting their app store populated. They kicked off a promotion back in February, which is ending soon, and has resulted in over 400 developers splitting up their share of a million dollars. Palm is also trying to increase interest in their applications by offering a 50% discount on the majority of their catalog, starting immediately. The good news for developers is that they will still be paid the full amount, despite the discount given to customers by Palm.
Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:48 pm Video: Before Free-Falling 23 Miles, You Must Bungee-JumpThe craziest stunt starts with the smallest jump.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:45 pm Location, Location, Location: Foursquare Nabs $20 Million in VC Funding at $95 Million Pre-Money Valuation (Plus Blog Posts, of Course!) [BoomTown]
After a very long and decidedly strange funding journey, Foursquare has finally officially landed a new round of $20 million in venture funding, with Silicon Valley’s Andreessen Horowitz leading the new investment. BoomTown reported last week that the new deal, which puts Foursquare at $95 million pre-money valuation, was in the bag. Interestingly, it is only the second round for the New York-based social location start-up and includes its current investors, Union Square Ventures and O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures. Ironically, Andreessen Horowitz had walked away from earlier investment talks because of the excessive hype and indecision around the race to fund Foursquare. But in an interview this afternoon with me, partner Ben Horowitz said that once Foursquare became firmer in its determination to build the company rather than selling it, his firm was all in. “Basically, Foursquare made an important decision on the future of their company to build it into a really significant, independent business,” said Horowitz. “It’s a big step and we’re thrilled to back them in doing that.” Indeed, the wrapping-up of what has been a very convoluted funding process comes after a series of missteps and switchbacks over what’s next for Foursquare, which allows users to “check in” from various places. Among the twists: Serious but failed acquisition talks with both Facebook and Yahoo (YHOO), as well as a messy beauty pageant of other big VC firms, mostly in Silicon Valley, including Khosla Ventures, Accel Partners and Institutional Venture Partners. The overhyped interest is because Foursquare and many others like it have seen strong growth and much innovation, although it is not clear yet if that will translate into solid businesses. Still, Foursquare hit one million users in April and is now approaching 1.8 million, adding about 15,000 users per day. It uses a variety of game techniques and other features, such as the awarding of digital badges, to hold user interest. And though small, it is trying to work with major brands, most notably Starbucks (SBUX), on a variety of marketing deals.
That requires money, especially given increased competition as everyone girds to race ahead first. Foursquare’s original $1.35 million funding was raised from Union Square Ventures and O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, as well as some well-known angel investors, such as Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Kevin Rose of Digg and Ron Conway. Foursquare’s current investors also recently gave it a bridge investment. Thus, Foursquare needed bigger funding, a process that soon became unusually complicated, in part because of indecision by CEO Dennis Crowley and in part because of some very public deal-making. In fact, that’s what initially scotched very advanced funding talks between Foursquare and Andreessen Horowitz. The high-profile Silicon Valley firm–helmed by Internet icon Marc Andreessen and his longtime business partner, Horowitz–smacked Foursquare hard after those discussions and talks with other firms were leaked to the media. In an exclusive interview with me in April, Horowitz took the unusual step of talking publicly about VC frustrations that are typical in deals around hot companies. At the time, Horowitz acted as if he were checking out of Foursquare. “We withdrew our funding offer to Foursquare and we are out,” he said in an interview with BoomTown then. “This is playing out too much in public and clearly someone has an interesting agenda here, so this is not something we want to participate in.” At the same time, Horowitz left the door open. “If the process was changed, we still like the company,” he said then. “But since it has been long and undefined, it is prone to manipulation.” That sentiment obviously changed, said Horowitz. “A lot of the problems we were worried about were the result of their ambivalence on what to do, and so we were almost a distraction until they could decide,” he said. “Since they got clarity, it has been a very efficient process.” Horowitz will become a Foursquare board observer and what he characterizes as a “CEO coach” to Crowley. But he stressed that so far, the leadership of Foursquare was doing very well. “I think they are clearly best of breed and very far of ahead of everyone else in what is a very complex business to get right,” Horowitz said. “There are definitely competitors large and small, but this company has a lot of experience and data atop a big vision.” We’ll see, of course! And as hard a time as I have given him, Crowley–who sold his last company, Dodgeball, to Google (GOOG), which ended not so well–is definitely on another roll. Until then, here are the blog posts by Horowitz and Crowley on the deal:
Source: All Things Digital | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:45 pm iWork for iPhone is Coming: Pages Gets a Closeup
iWork, Apple’s productivity suite of applications that is available on Mac OS and the iPad, is coming to the iPhone very soon. Rumors of iWork coming to the iPhone started when Apple, in one of its support documents for the iPhone, used a screenshot that showed a menu saying “open in Keynote.” That image was quickly replaced, but the rumor mill kept churning. ipodnn found a few fuzzy screenshots of iWork, but those were somewhat less than convincing. A whole lot more convincing is the Pages walkthrough that 9 to 5 Mac posted, complete with 12 screenshots of various parts of the Pages interface. For the most part, it’s just a shrunken version of Pages: same wood-like toolbar, same document navigation and menus, same basic interaction. But there were a few new things, like wireless syncing of documents across your iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. Pair the fantastic screen (and new Bluetooth keyboard capabilities) with a full-featured application like Pages, and the iPhone is a viable productivity device. At least, as long as you can resist playing Doodle Jump. (Photo Courtesy 9 to 5 Mac) 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:42 pm Adobe Finally Fixes Remote Launch 0-DayTrailrunner7 sends in this excerpt from Threatpost (Adobe announcement here): "Adobe today shipped a critical Reader/Acrobat patch to cover a total of 17 documented vulnerabilities that expose Windows, Mac, and Unix users to malicious hacker attacks. The update, which affects Adobe Reader/Acrobat 9.3.2 and earlier versions, includes a fix for the outstanding PDF '/Launch' functionality social engineering attack vector that was disclosed by researcher Didier Stevens. As previously reported, Didier created a proof-of-concept PDF file that executes an embedded executable without exploiting any security vulnerabilities. The PDF hack, when combined with clever social engineering techniques, could potentially allow code execution attacks if a user simply opens a rigged PDF file." Relatedly, Brian Krebs blogs about the downsides of Adobe's increasingly Byzantine update process.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:41 pm Visiting an Asteroid: What's the Point?Why should we, as a race, support human spaceflight? This is one of the key questions hanging over the world's space agencies in these hard economic times.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:38 pm Magellan GPS Launches Rugged, Waterproof ToughCase for iPhone and iPod touchSANTA CLARA, Calif., June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Magellan GPS today launched the ToughCase, a refined yet rugged protective case, giving iPhone and iPod touch waterproof capabilities, ideal for outdoor enthusiasts and outdoor professionals. Available worldwide, featuring built-in GPS, ToughCase enhances the accuracy of location-based and GPS applications for iPhone 3G and iPod touch, while protecting the device and providing unmatched accessibility to all iPhone and iPod touch features. "The ToughCase is the ideal solution for all outdoor users. From kayakers to golfers, mountain bikers to construction workers, it provides a level of protection and performance previously unavailable in other cases," said Justin Doucette, Director of Product Marketing for Magellan GPS. "The ToughCase protects against harmful elements such as dust, rain, mud, water and snow." The unique case design allows 100 percent access to Apple's revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface, allowing users to receive and place calls while the device is protected. The ToughCase meets IPX-7 waterproof standards, enabling the device to be submerged at a depth of 1-meter for up to 30 minutes. The integrated 1840 mAh battery will double the life of the device based on normal usage and the built-in high sensitivity SiRFstar III GPS chipset delivers up to 3 meters of accuracy. The ToughCase is compatible with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (second and third generation). The ToughCase will be available at MagellanGPS.com and Apple Stores at www.apple.com. The ToughCase retails at an MSRP of USD $199.99. ToughCase extends Magellan's comprehensive solutions for iPhone and iPod touch, which include the Magellan RoadMate turn-by-turn navigation app and the Magellan Premium Car Kit - an innovative 3-in-1 vehicle mount for the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and second and third generation iPod touch enhancing their performance as a hands-free navigation solution. The Magellan RoadMate turn-by-turn navigation app is available for $49.99 from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. About MiTAC Digital Corporation MiTAC Digital Corp. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MiTAC International Corporation and promotes and sells products and services under the Magellan brand name. Magellan assists people to travel, work and play with leading portable navigation and positioning solutions across multiple consumer markets. Recognized as an industry innovator, the company is the producer of the award-winning Magellan RoadMate series of portable car navigation, outdoor and mobile navigation devices. MiTAC Digital Corp. is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. For more information on Magellan, visit http://www.magellangps.com. © 2010 MiTAC International Corporation. The Magellan logo, Magellan, and Magellan RoadMate are registered trademarks and ToughCase is a Trademark of MiTAC International Corporation and are used under license by MiTAC Digital Corp. All rights reserved. Apple and iPhone are registered trademarks, and iPod is a trademark of Apple Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CONTACT: Raphel Finelli Magellan GPS Senior Public Relations Manager 408-250-1778 or rfinelli@magellangps.com SOURCE Magellan GPSSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:38 pm EASEUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition - A New Generation of Hard Disk Recovery SoftwareNEW YORK, June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- EASEUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition, the innovative and leading data recovery software, has proven itself to be the first world-wide free hard disk recovery software and a new generation in its trade since its release. Totally free and providing powerful features that no other free data recovery software have, such as Recuva(TM) and Pandora(TM) (and even some commercial ones), it is the most popular and feature-rich hard disk recovery freeware for Windows today. With the use of computers continuing to increase, hard disk recovery is not a welcome task, but something that is very important for our business and daily life. Those who have computers know data loss is a common possibility because of accidental deletion, format, partition damage or loss, software crash, computer virus infection, power failure, etc. Whatever the cause, quality free hard disk recovery software is a preferable remedy to data loss and to get those lost files back quickly and easily. EASEUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition, the professional and comprehensive Windows disk recovery software, helps recover deleted or lost files easily from hard drive disks or other storage media whenever needed and is top-ranked in other areas due to: Totally free and with powerful features compared to commercial freeware;Unformat files with original file name and storage paths;FAT/NTFS Partition recovery when partitions are deleted or damaged;Recover files from dynamic disk and RAID;Recover lost files from Linux (EXT2/EXT3) files system under Windows;Recover files from all kinds of storage media like external hard drive, USB disk, SD card, memory card;Continue data recovery process at any time you want.EASEUS' free hard disk recovery software, proven professional and experienced in hard disk recovery, is recognized as one of the leading freeware solutions and leads the new generation in its category. Pricing and Availability: EASEUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition 5.0.1 runs under Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, Windows 7 and is totally free for everyone. More information and a free download is available from http://www.easeus.com/datarecoverywizard/free-data-recovery-software.htm . About CHENGDU YIWO Tech Development Co., Ltd.: The company specializes in data recovery, partition manager and backup software for Windows OS. Its major products are Data Recovery Wizard, Partition Table Doctor, EASEUS Partition Master and Todo Backup. For more information, please visit http://www.easeus.com . *(LOGO 72dpi: www.send2press.com/mediaboom/10-0510-easeus_72dpi.jpg) This release was issued on behalf of the above organization by Send2Press(R), a unit of Neotrope(R). http://www.Send2Press.com SOURCE EASEUS SoftwareSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:38 pm Kinect specs posted: 640×480 at 30FPS, two players maximum
Another spec noted is that the cameras are at two resolutions (320×240 and 640×480 in high color) and send a datastream with a 30FPS refresh rate. That means that your movements will always be a couple frames behind (33ms at minimum), especially if you’re playing a game with a high refresh rate. And the rather low resolution means that more subtle movements like finger motions or slight changes in foot position are likely never to be implemented. Usually low pixel resolution allows for better temporal resolution (i.e. faster refresh) but they seem to have neither here, unless there’s some kind of frame-alternating scheme at work. My, my… I confess myself disappointed. While the novelty of playing games without a controller is undeniable, the technical limitations mean that Microsoft’s hopes that Kinect drawing the hardcore are likely to remain unrealized. The Forza demo I played already convinced me of this: while it was fun, it was essentially slightly laggy steering of a car that is driving itself. This from a highly skilled team responsible for a highly successful “hardcore” racing franchise. Of course they may still surprise us, and I sincerely hope they do. But the tech seems to be against them. Here’s the full spec list:
Source: CrunchGear | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:34 pm Copyright best practices for communications scholarsPat from American University's Center for Social Media writes in with new of the new "Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Scholarly Research in Communication:"This code joins a suite of codes of best practices in fair use that enable users to employ their fair use rights with confidence. Every confident fair use user is also aware of the importance of balance in copyright provisions and the importance of asserting, defending and promoting provisions in copyright law that give people access to copyrighted material, to create more culture.Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Scholarly Research in Communication (Thanks, Pat!) Source: Boing Boing | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:22 pm Prehistoric Humans Took in Art ShowsAnthropologists have uncovered sequences of painted images that appear to be a Copper Age version of animation.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:20 pm Cisco Announces the Cius, the BlackBerry of Tablets
Cisco has always been an enterprise-focused company, and the Cius is its shot at bringing businesses on board the tablet bandwagon. Video conferencing, the product which Cisco is perhaps best known for, is front and center both literally and figuratively – there’s a 720p-capable cameras on the front of the Cius, in addition to the 5 megapixel camera on the back. In an effort to get the Cius into briefcases and suitcases all over the world, the 7-inch device weighs only 1.15 pounds. The Cius will ship with 3G capability, WiFi, eight-hour battery life, HD audio and video out, and tight integration with all of Cisco’s other business applications as well as the huge Android market. There’s no word yet on what the device will cost, but it promises to make Android a little more business-friendly and to make getting things done on the road a little easier . Even if it won’t have all the great entertainment of the iPad, maybe that’s a good thing for business users. (Photo: Courtesy Cisco) 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:11 pm Palm pays developers to create applications
In fact, Palm is working on pulling in even more developers. Palm is also working on encouraging application developers to submit new applications. Previously, there was a $50 fee charged for every application submitted. Palm is changing that policy, and no longer charging that application fee. They are even going so far as to refund the fee previously paid by developers. Definitely a far cry from certain other companies treat their application developers. Palm is also starting a new contest this July, with another million dollars to be shared amongst developers, this time focusing on applications using C/C++ which was excluded from the last competition.
Source: CrunchGear | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:00 pm Envisage Launches SCORM-compliant Learning Management System for Law Enforcement and Public Safety AgenciesBLOOMINGTON, Ind., June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Envisage Technologies, a recognized leader in first-responder, law-enforcement, and military training modernization and automation, is announcing today the launch of a secure, Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)-compliant learning management system (LMS). This new module, targeting high-risk training environments, has been added to Envisage's industry leading Acadis® Readiness Suite. The new Acadis LMS module provides a low-cost delivery vehicle for online, post-basic training courses via the internet and supports a fully blended training approach. In contrast to stand-alone LMS platforms, Acadis LMS augments residential and skills-based training management, aggregating all dimensions of lifelong learning into legally defensible training records. Designed for ease of use, the Acadis LMS includes the following core functions: Upload and deliver SCORM-compliant course content to students via the Acadis Portal FrameworkDefine and manage online course information Register for published coursework onlineDeliver online courses and embedded testsRecord course completion and test scores automaticallyOnline coursework is delivered through the secure Acadis Portal, developed to meet stringent Departments of Homeland Security and Defense security requirements. "Our public safety, law enforcement and military communities have been underserved by existing approaches to eLearning delivery. Traditional LMS products are costly and were designed to deliver corporate eLearning and talent management," said Ari Vidali, CEO of Envisage Technologies. "By focusing on the specific needs of law enforcement, public safety and the military, the Acadis LMS is designed around the security needs of high-risk training environments and delivers eLearning at a lower per-student cost than commercial Learning Management Systems." The Acadis LMS is tailored to deliver what security conscious agencies have said they actually need to effectively deliver eLearning. Excluded are problematic features like social networking, which significantly increase cyber-security risks. For agencies working under budget constraints, the Acadis LMS provides an optimal solution to realize the many benefits and cost savings of eLearning. About Envisage Technologies Founded in 2001, Envisage is an industry visionary in training management, resource optimization, complex scheduling and process automation for law enforcement, public safety and military organizations. Clients include the United States Army, federal law enforcement academies in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), state public safety and law enforcement training organizations. Learn more by visiting www.envisagenow.com or calling 888-313-8324. SOURCE Envisage TechnologiesSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 29 Jun 2010 | 3:00 pm Alleged Russian Spy Ring Exposed In USSeveral readers sent in the story of an alleged Russian spy ring busted yesterday by the FBI after a decade-long investigation. The FBI says that Moscow trained and planted long-term "moles" in the US in order to infiltrate the upper echelons of US government and business circles and pass back intelligence to the Russians. Twelve people have been charged; ten were arrested in the US (one is at large) and one in Cyprus. Wired and the New York Post have colorful coverage. Wired's leans on the tradecraft and discusses steganography, while the Post favors the femme fatale angle (alleged spy Anna Chapman). The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the US actions were unfounded and pursued "unseemly" goals. One of many choice quotes from copious coverage: "They couldn't have been spies. Look what she did with the hydrangeas." From the WSJ report: "Officials said no secrets were compromised or revealed in the alleged plot, and the spy operation seems to have yielded little of value given some of the elaborate methods deployed. None of the 11 charged by US prosecutors was accused of accessing any classified or sensitive US government information."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 29 Jun 2010 | 2:52 pm Hands-on: a-JAYS Three earphones
Pros
Cons
Sound These aren’t high-end ‘phones but the sound quality is fine. They won’t blow you away with their highs or lows, but I’ll stop short of calling them flat. They can reproduce enough bass and treble to get the job done. The a-JAYS Three do just fine with easy listening, alternative and pedestrian music. Don’t load-up hip-hop or hard rock with these, though. They just don’t have enough power to reproduce deep, clear sound at high volumes. Overall though, they out clear and pleasant audio for the price. Comfort Earphone comfort is just about as important as audio clarity. The last thing you want is pricey earphones that hurt your ears. The a-JAYS fit me just fine and they ship with five different-sized tips. It helps that the earbuds are really light and feel like they’re comfortably resting in my ears. Extras I like the storage case. It’s just a simple rotating container, but it’s strong, simple, and convenient. The only downside to the simple case is there isn’t a proper place to store the line splitter and airplane adapter that came with the ‘phones. I guess you could throw them in there with the earphones, but chances are they will eventually fall out as they’re not secured-down. Oh well. Conclusion The a-JAYS Three are nice earphones. I’m not sure I would buy them as they don’t do that well with my type of music, but that might not be the case for you. I can tell you that I’m sold on the a-JAYS styling and comfort, though. These are among some of the most comfy earphones I’ve ever used.
Source: CrunchGear | 29 Jun 2010 | 2:34 pm Pogoplug Update Lets You Print With an E-mail
The Pogoplug got an update this week that will let you, with an e-mail from any computer or mobile device, print a document on any printer you have connected with a Pogoplug. The Pogoplug’s simplest use is for accessing your stored files over the Internet. The $130 device plugs into your Ethernet connection, and has a USB port – plug in a hard drive or a USB drive, and the Pogoplug puts all those files on the web for you to access via the Pogoplug site or the company’s iPhone and Android apps. You can also e-mail files to your Pogoplug – if you’ve got a file on another computer, you can e-mail it straight onto your hard drive instead of attempting any of the other, universally obnoxious options for getting a file to your computer. The latest Pogoplug update lets you connect a printer to the Pogoplug, instead of just a hard drive. That means that any printer with a USB port can get connected to the internet, and you can print something just by e-mailing it. Need to print from your iPad or cell phone? Now you can. HP announced the same feature a few weeks ago, but you’ll need to buy a new HP printer in order to print by e-mail. Pogoplug supports all HP printers and all Epson printers made since 2005 right out of the box, with more likely coming. More and more companies are likely to adopt this same kind of feature, and printing’s going to get a lot more convenient, no matter your location or device of choice. As the world goes mobile, printing’s catching up, one funny-looking pink device at a time. 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Jun 2010 | 2:27 pm Subscription-Based 'Hulu Plus' Is Now Officialitwbennett writes "After months of rumors, Hulu officially announced its $9.99/month Hulu Plus service. Invites will soon start rolling out in weekly batches. So what will you get for that $9.99? 'Full access to a bunch of current shows (Hulu lists 40 but adds 'and more' to that list) as well as complete series collections of some older titles such as The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the wonderful and mostly-ignored Eli Stone,' writes blogger Peter Smith. 'HD content sources will be streamed at 720P but Hulu mentions that the service is ad-supported.'"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 29 Jun 2010 | 2:04 pm Cadaver Teeth Can Reveal Their IdentityResearchers from the University of Granada have shown that a person's dental patterns can be used as proof of their identity with the same degree of reliability as DNA testing, the method that forensic police use to reveal the identity of dead bodies. The researchers came to their conclusion after analyzing the dental patterns of more than 3,000 people."There is sufficient dental diversity between people to enable a scientifically-based human identification method to be developed for forensic purposes", Stella Martín de las Heras, lead author of the study and a professor of Legal and Forensic Medicine at the University of Granada (UGR), tells SINC.In order to reach this conclusion, the researcher and her team carried out a statistical analysis of 3,166 full and partial sets of teeth taken from the databases in the three most recent National Surveys of Oral Health (1993, 2000 and 2005).Using these data, the team estimated "conditioned dental diversity", eliminating cases where people had all their teeth "present and healthy" or people who were "edentulous" (without a single tooth in their mouth), as these were of no use for identification purposes.The results of the study, published in the journal Forensic Science International, show variability values of 0.999 (on a scale of 0 to 1), "which is comparable to the rates for a scientifically-based identification method such as mitochondrial DNA", stresses Martín de las Heras.However, the scientist does acknowledge the limitations of using dental patterns: "Dental characteristics have low stability within the population compared with mitochondrial DNA sequences, which are only affected by mutations and heteroplasmy (different types within the same mitochondria, cell or individual)".The dental patterns of a population depend on oral health status and, therefore, on age (decay is a cumulative disease) and the therapeutic dental approach of the time. At present, we are in a restorative phase (where teeth are restored) as opposed to extractive (when teeth are removed), as they were previously."But by analyzing the data bases of dental patterns in Spanish populations according to different age groups and birth cohorts, we found test results with high homogeneity for all the databases, which shows the value of this system for identifying people, and its forensic utility", says the researcher.Comparing teeth before and after deathIn this procedure, an oral autopsy makes it possible to obtain a cadaver's dental data. To do this, forensic scientists use a range of techniques depending upon the body's state of preservation. In some cases they have to remove the maxillary bones in order to find details that cannot be identified in any other way.The post mortem dental pattern is compared with the dental data of the person in life, information that is provided by dentists, although it can also come from doctors and family members. Various IT programs are used to help in comparison and identification.Aside from this finding, the team has developed a piece of software to identify bite marks. This tool makes it possible to superimpose, precisely and in 3D, the mark left by a bite over the tooth arrangement of a possible suspect.References: Stella Martin-de-las-Heras, Aurora Valenzuela, Juan de Dios Luna y Manuel Bravo. "The utility of dental patterns in forensic dentistry". Forensic Science International 195 (1): 166.e1-166.e5, 2010. Doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.11.004.---Image Caption: No two people have the same teeth. Credit: Stella Martín de las Heras et al.---On the Net:FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and TechnologyForensic Science InternationalSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Jun 2010 | 1:50 pm Bloomberg: Verizon to Launch iPhone in 2011
Following the The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg reports that Verizon is launching an iPhone early next year. Bloomberg cites multiple anonymous sources who claim Verizon will begin carrying the iPhone in January 2011, ending AT&T’s exclusive partnership with Apple. Bloomberg’s report follows The Wall Street Journal’s article in May, which claimed that Apple is scheduled to produce CDMA iPhones this September. CDMA is the standard used by Verizon iPhones. Technology publications and analysts have speculated about a Verizon iPhone for years, but the stipulations of Apple’s exclusive contract with AT&T remain unconfirmed. However, it’s notable that two mainstream news outlets are now claiming a Verizon iPhone is due soon. In response to Verizon iPhone rumors in May, AT&T said during an investor conference that the company was not intimidated by a Verizon iPhone because discounted family and business plans would make it difficult for subscribers to transition multiple devices to a new carrier. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. See Also:
Photo of an AT&T iPhone 4: Jon Snyder/Wired.com 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Jun 2010 | 1:36 pm Darby's Remnants Still Kicking Up Isolated ShowersA trough is an elongated area of low pressure and that's what the remnants of the once major hurricane known as Darby are becoming today. On June 28 at 6:55 p.m. EDT NASA and the Japanese Space Agency's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite captured isolated areas of rainfall off the western Mexico coast from Darby's remnants.The center of Darby the remnant low pressure area is located near 15 North and 97.5 West. Those remnants are still showing some scattered moderate to strong convection (rapidly rising air that creates clouds and thunderstorms) southwest of its center. Isolated strong convection likely associated with a nearby tropical wave is also being seen over the Gulf of Tehauntepec and within 60 nautical miles of the Mexican coast between 98 West and 101 West.Darby's remnants still have southwest to westerly winds between 20 and 25 knots (23-28 mph). The National Hurricane Center noted that "Darby should weaken to an open trough later today then extend northwest to Caribbean Tropical Storm Alex. The trough will move northwest in tandem with Alex over the next few days."---Image Caption: On June 28 at 2255 UTC (6:55 p.m. EDT) NASA's TRMM satellite captured scattered rainfall off the western Mexico coast from the remnants of Darby (blue and green). Credit: NASA TRMM, Hal Pierce---On the Net:NASA/Goddard Space Flight CenterSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Jun 2010 | 1:13 pm Celia's Remnants A Shadow Of Her Former SelfThe Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-11 captured a visible image of Celia's remnants on June 29 at 8:45 a.m. EDT revealing it to be a light swirl of clouds in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.GOES-11 was launched by NASA and is now operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NASA's GOES Project at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. created the latest satellite image that showed a very weak Celia.Celia's remnant low pressure area had maximum sustained winds between 20 and 25 knots (23-28 mph) at 8:45 a.m. EDT this morning. Celia is quasi-stationary and is sitting near 15.5 north latitude and 123.5 west longitude in the open waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Estimated minimum central pressure is 1007 millibars.Showers were occurring this morning within 60 nautical miles over the eastern semicircle and within 120 nautical miles over the western semicircle. Celia is expected to gradually spin down and open into trough (an extended area of low pressure) by the end of the week. Tropically speaking, Celia is history. ---Image Caption: The GOES-11 image at 1245 UTC (8:45 a.m. EDT) on June 29 showed Celia's remnants (lower left) as a light swirl in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Credit: NASA GOES Project---On the Net:NASA/Goddard Space Flight CenterSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Jun 2010 | 1:11 pm Mouse Innards in 3DFor the first time, scientists have created 3D models of whole intact mouse organs. Check out the photos and videos.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 1:09 pm The iPad's chicken-or-egg developer problem - CNET
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 29 Jun 2010 | 12:35 pm Finless Porpoises Becoming More EndangeredFinless porpoises may be more endangered than previously thought. A new study of finless porpoises, a rare type of toothed whale, found that there are two species, not one, and they rarely intermingle. Scientists say that finless porpoises living in the fresh waters of China's Yangtze river are genetically unique, numbering fewer than 1000. They warn that greater efforts must be made to prevent these animals. The whales inhabit a wide range of tropical and temperate waters around the Indo-Pacific region. Zoologists noted for a long time that these porpoises appear to differ depending on where they live. Those living around China have different morphological characteristics depending whether they live in the Yellow Sea, South China Sea or up the Yangtze river, which holds fresh rather than seawater. However, a new study published in the journal Marine Biology has revealed just how distinct each population of finless porpoise is. "The most surprising finding of this study is that the Yangtze finless porpoise represents a distinct genetic grouping, which is distinct from marine porpoises," Professor Guang Yang of Nanjing Normal University in China, who conducted the study with Professor Michael Bruford of Cardiff University, UK and colleagues at Nanjing, told BBC news. Conservationists consider all finless porpoises to be the same species. However, Yang and Bruford's team analyzed the genes of 125 finless dolphins living around China, including in the Yellow and South China Sea and Yangtze river. They said that the results suggest that special regard should be given to the freshwater porpoises, which should be managed and conserved separately. "The freshwater nature of this population makes it unique," says Prof Yang.The scientists say that the "jury is still out" on whether the Yangtze finless porpoise should be granted species status, as more data is required. However, it is so genetically unique that special efforts should be made immediately to protect it. "The most recent field survey conducted in 2006 suggested that there were around 1,000 individuals in the Yangtze River," Yang told BBC."This is much smaller than previous estimates, suggesting a significant population decline in the past two decades."China is already considering upgrading the conservation status of the Yangtze population of finless porpoises. However, "at least in China, most conservation biologists and cetologists have a strong feeling that the Yangtze finless porpoise has a very high risk of extinction, and is very likely to follow the Baiji to extinction within a short-term period unless conservation measures are put in place," Yang told BBC.The Yangtze River holds the dubious distinction of being the site of the first recorded extinction of a cetacean since records began. Conservationists declared the Baiji extinct in 2007, which is a species of river dolphin endemic to the Yangtze River, after repeated surveys over many years failed to sight a single animal. Development, industry, pollution, overfishing and the commercial use of the river by boats have all been blamed for contributing to the Baiji's demise. The scientists' survey also revealed that finless porpoises living in the sea should be considered two separate species. Porpoises living in the Yellow Sea are distinct from those in the South China Sea. The genetic data showed there is very little or no gene flow between these two species, even in areas where they overlap. The scientists say that each marine population should be conserved separately.---On the Net:Marine BiologyImage Courtesy WikipediaSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Jun 2010 | 12:15 pm For Dinosaurs, Sex Influenced Body TraitsAccording to new research, several prehistoric creatures developed elaborate body traits in order to attract members of the opposite sex. The reason for the exaggerated crests and sails found in many fossil animals has been controversial for a while. Scientists said sails helped to regulate body temperature and that head crests helped flying reptiles steer during flight. A study said that these traits became so big because of sexual competition. An international team of researchers published the research in the journal American Naturalist. The researchers looked at one prehistoric animal known as pterosaurs, which were flying reptiles that became extinct at the time of the dinosaurs. The study suggests the relative size of the head crest compared to the body of the pterosaur was too large for it to have been dedicated to controlling the animal's body temperature or its flight. They also looked at mammal-like creatures known as Eupelycosaurs, which lived before the time of the dinosaurs. The group carried large elaborate "sails" along their backs. The scientists used known relationships between body size and metabolic activity in living organisms in order to determine that the features were "too exaggerated" to have played a role in the control of body temperature. Co-author Dr Stuart Humphries, from the University of Hull said, "One of the few things that haven't changed over the last 300 million years are the laws of physics.""So it has been good to use those laws to understand what might really be driving the evolution of these big crests and sails."Dr. Joseph Tompkins from the University of Western Australia told BBC News: "The sails of the Eupelycosaurs are among the earliest known examples of exaggerated secondary sexual traits in the history of vertebrate evolution.""Indeed, the sail of Dimetrodon is one of the largest secondary sexual traits of any animal."Co-author Dr Dave Martill from the University of Portsmouth told BBC, "Pterosaurs put even more effort into attracting a mate than peacocks whose large feathers are considered the most elaborate development of sexual selection in the modern day.""Peacocks shed their fantastic plumage each year, so it's only a burden some of the time, but pterosaurs had to carry their crest around all the time."Dr Tompkins added: "Our analysis suggests that male Pteranodon competed with each other in battles for dominance using their crests - in a similar way to animals with horns or antlers.""Or alternatively, that females assessed males on the size of their crests, in a similar way to peahens choosing among a group of displaying males."Humphries said that collecting or dumping heat may have been important to these animals. But, he added, "We have been able to show that these animals were likely to have been using their crests and sails mainly to attract mates or deter sexual competitors."---On the Net:American NaturalistImage Courtesy WikipediaSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Jun 2010 | 11:50 am Brown University has gone Google(Cross-posted with the Google Enterprise Blog) About a year ago we put our 6,000 undergraduate students on Google Apps. The results were phenomenal: people were happy, they were productive, they were excited...and then some people got jealous. Our faculty and staff members started coming to us asking “When do we get to go Google?” Turns out they also wanted access to the same tools to better connect and engage with students and with each other. We thought about it for a bit and realized that they had a point. So we decided to bring the entire Brown University community together—faculty, staff, medical and grad students—with a common set of tools: Google Apps for Education. This summer, our Computing & Information Services team is in the process of migrating everyone to our new GoogleApps@Brown system. The positive experience our undergrads have had using the Apps suite helped our Provost David Kertzer decide that the change would bring significant benefits and cost savings to the university as a whole. In fact, we predict this change could save us somewhere around $1 million each year. Our students were really the ones that led us down the Google path. They knew these tools would work because they already used them in their non-school lives. We also decided to go this direction because of the functionalities that we believe will bring our university together, namely tools like collaborative documents, better email (with nearly 30 times the storage space we had with our previous system!) and video chat. The icing on the cake is that we signed a zero dollar contract for all these top-notch tools. But it’s not just about saving money—it’s also about investing in our university’s future. Google Apps helps us work better together, and we can feel the excitement building on campus as a result. Here’s a little glimpse: Since some faculty and staff members aren’t as familiar with the new tools just yet, we also hosted a “roadshow” to spread the word and gear up training sessions tailored for each campus group or department. Our training efforts are robust (you can check it out at training.brown.edu) and we have Google Guides—enthusiastic staff and student volunteers—helping their peers with the transition. We feel confident that once people start using these tools together, they’ll never look back. Posted by Geoff Greene, Brown University Computing & Information Services    
 Source: The Official Google Blog | 29 Jun 2010 | 10:00 am Cell Phone App Offers Eye PrescriptionsA quick photograph with your camera phone can now diagnose astigmatism and give you your contact prescription.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 9:55 am Best semi-solutions for iPhone 4 reception problems ... so far - msnbc.com
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 29 Jun 2010 | 9:38 am Android 2.2 ‘Froyo’ Update Pushed to Google Nexus One
Google has finally pushed Android 2.2 Froyo to its otherwise abandoned Nexus One handset. The update should either already be living on your phone, or be arriving over the air any time now. One of the problems with Android is the scattering of different versions running on various devices. Unlike Apple’s iOS machines, all of which have their upgrade cycle controlled by Apple itself, Android updates are in the hands of individual manufacturers or telcos who would rather you bought a new phone and signed a new contract to get the latest OS. And while you’d probably be foolish to buy a Nexus One now that you can have the Droid or any number of better phones, Googlephone owners who haven’t already hacked their Nexuses can look forward to some goodies. Best of these is probably the MiFi-like hotspot ability, which lets you share your cellular data connection over Wi-Fi. Even if you don’t care about that, you’ll see a general speeding up of the whole OS, and the premature draining of your battery should you manage to get the browser’s Flash support to work. New Android 2.2 Software Update for Nexus One phones [Google] See Also:
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Jun 2010 | 9:23 am Galactic Monster Mystery SolvedWhat exactly is this monstrous green blob with a huge central hole some 16,000 light-years across?Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 9:15 am Amazon's Kindle App for Android Comes at Crucial Time - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 29 Jun 2010 | 9:06 am Just 5 Questions: Weather vs. ClimateWeather and climate are easily confused, but they're not the same. JPL atmospheric scientist Eric Fetzer explains the difference and gives his thoughts on climate change.Dr. Eric Fetzer is a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He works on NASA’s AIRS mission, recently named the “best new tool for climate science.” Since its launch in 2002, AIRS has made pioneering new greenhouse gas measurements and improved weather forecasts and hurricane predictions.1. What’s the difference between climate and weather?There’s no clear difference, but the generally accepted distinction is made on monthly timescales. Weather describes how the atmosphere behaves over weeks or less. Climate is how it behaves over time periods of about a month or longer. So climate refers to seasonal and longer periods, out to centuries and millennia.2. This past winter was an especially cold and snowy one for parts of the US, Europe and elsewhere. Surely such cold weather flies in the face of global warming?The important thing to remember is that global warming is a fairly small effect on top of large temperature variability across the world. Let’s say we expect a 1°F (0.6°C) warming. The temperature on the East Coast of the United States varies by up to 20°F (11°C) over a year. So typical weather events can easily overwhelm the slow, small signature of global warming.Also, global warming is expected to cause more extreme weather events, and that includes cold ones. A simple example is in South Florida. The mangrove line there has retreated southward by about 100 miles (160 kilometers) since the mid-1970s. Mangrove trees don’t tolerate frost, and the number of very cold events in Florida has been increasing. Last winter Florida experienced one of the worst cold snaps on record. Yet we know, from the data, that the Earth has warmed on average since the mid-1970s.We all know smokers who live into their eighties, and health nuts who drop dead in their forties, but these examples are not taken seriously in discussion of health issues. Most people understand and accept anomalies in fields like health care and economics, and we need to do the same with climate issues.3. In your view, what’s the most compelling piece of evidence for global warming?The strongest evidence, I believe, is in the ocean. We know that the sea level has risen. Part of that sea level rise is from melting ice caps and part of it is from thermal expansion [when seawater heats up, it expands and takes up more space]. The ocean is a giant heat ”sink”, or absorber, and what we’re seeing is a slow increase in the heat content of the ocean. It’s literally a measure of the amount of heat the climate system holds. These changes in ocean heat content are unprecedented in the past ten thousand years. At the same time, climate warming from greenhouse gases is at its highest levels in [at least] 800,000 years.4. How is climate change affecting the weather, and why?The largest weather changes are being seen in precipitation patterns, especially at very high latitudes. Alaska has been experiencing winter rainfall where it has never been recorded before. Similarly, the lowest temperatures at high latitudes are increasing. Such weather changes are expected from basic atmospheric physics, and provide one of many lines of evidence showing that increased carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are warming our climate.5. Will it be hotter or colder in the future? More wet or more dry?On average, it’ll be warmer. For those of us living in Los Angeles, our climate will become like that of northern Baja California in Mexico. The wet/dry question is more difficult. The expectation is that Los Angeles will become more like Ensenada in Baja California, which is drier. Overall, dry parts of the tropics and subtropics are expected to become drier. But other places will become wetter, notably at higher latitudes. For example, areas such as Buffalo in New York will see an increase in “lake-effect snow” — a winter scenario where cold air moves over a lake of warmer water, causing clouds to build over the lake that then turn into intense local snowstorms as they move downwind. More lake-effect snow will mean Buffalo becomes ‘wetter’ even though much of what falls won’t melt until spring.If you want to invest in global warming, buy wheat futures in southern Canada or southern Russia. That’s where it will become warmer and wetter. It will be better wheat country than it is today.Interview by Erik Conway, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory---On the Net:NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratorySource: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Jun 2010 | 8:47 am ‘World’s First’ 3TB Desktop Drive Offers USB 3.0, FireWire
The second is that, while the disk comes ready to hook up via USB 2.0, it can easily be changed to fit a combined FireWire 800/USB 2.0 connector ($50) or a USB 3.0 ($40) connector. For those still lacking the faster bus on their machines (that is to say, almost all of us) there is an $80 kit which includes the USB 3.0 connector, a PCI-X card and a cable. These connectors just swap in for the one already fitted. Better, the price is actually rather reasonable. $250 will buy you the 3TB drive, which compares pretty well to the basic $130 1TB model. Available now, for all of you who like to keep their eggs in one giant basket. FreeAgent GoFlex Desk External Drive [Seagate] 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Jun 2010 | 8:32 am Samsung Galaxy S hits the 100k mark six days after launching in South Korea
Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Jun 2010 | 8:31 am Producing Sugar From Photosynthetic BacteriaResearchers from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard and Harvard Medical School have engineered photosynthetic bacteria to produce simple sugars and lactic acid. This innovation could lead to new, environmentally friendly methods for producing commodity chemicals in bulk. Their research findings appear in the current issue of Applied and Environmental Biology.This photosynthetic factory could also reduce the carbon dioxide emissions associated with transporting sugar globally from producing countries; lead to greater availability of biodegradable plastics; and allow capture of harmful CO2 emissions from power plants and industrial facilities.In addition to its positive environmental impact, the technology offers potential economic advantages. Because the production methods use photosynthesis - the process by which living things are assembled using only CO2 and sunlight - the cost of making sugars, lactic acid, and other compounds would be significantly lower than traditional methods.“What we’re doing is using genetic engineering to get organisms to act the way we want them to—in this case producing food additives,” said Wyss Institute senior staff scientist Jeffrey Way, Ph.D. “These discoveries have significant practical implications in moving toward a green economy.”In addition to Dr. Way, researchers on this effort include Wyss Institute core faculty member Professor Pamela Silver, Ph.D., also of Harvard Medical School; and Henrike Niederholtmeyer, Bernd T. Wolfstadter, and David Savage, Ph.D., all of Harvard Medical School.Sugar is primarily produced from sugar cane, which grows only in tropical and subtropical climates. By enabling production almost anywhere in the world, this living cellular manufacturing plant could greatly reduce the cost and emissions associated with transporting millions of tons of sugar to consumers every year. It could also expand the availability of biodegradable plastics by reducing the cost of lactic acid, a key building block in their production.The current work by Way and Silver’s team is the latest innovation in a wide-ranging program in which the Wyss Institute is working with various partner institutions to develop environmentally sustainable ways to produce biofuels, hydrogen, and other high value chemicals and food additives.“Our mission at the Wyss Institute is to use Nature’s design principles to create solutions in medicine, manufacturing, energy, and architecture that will lead to a more sustainable world,” said Don Ingber, Ph.D., M.D., Founding Director of the Wyss Institute. “This work is an important step in that direction.”---On the Net:Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired EngineeringApplied and Environmental BiologySource: RedOrbit News - Science | 29 Jun 2010 | 8:30 am Air Phone NO.4: Your $100 iPhone 4 clone
via Shanzhaiji.cn via ClonedInChina
Source: MobileCrunch | 29 Jun 2010 | 7:46 am Solar-Powered Camera Strap Keeps You Shooting
While some cameras come with charging docks or have their chargers built in so you just have to plug in a cable, most require a separate charger into which you pop the battery: a far better solution which doesn’t put your camera out of action as it juices up. Weng’s device runs the power generated by the strap into the camera’s DC-in socket via cable. This would let you use the camera as long as the light is bright, but there’d be no buffer if the Sun were to dip behind a cloud (there are a pair of batteries within the strap, but that’s not really ideal). Still, those are mere details. Give me a way to use my camera all day without having to worry about running out of power and you’d have my cash. If you ever sell this strap, Weng, get in touch. And please, please make it in a darker color so it doesn’t pick up my neck-dirt. Power Around My Neck [Yanko] 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 29 Jun 2010 | 7:41 am Mars Rover Gets New X-ray Experiment'Curiosity' will be the first rover to carry an important mineralogical experiment to Mars, an x-ray diffraction instrument called ChemMin.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 7:04 am Recycled Missiles Tapped to Launch SatellitesThe United States is tapping an arsenal of decommissioned nuclear missiles to put science satellites into orbit.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 29 Jun 2010 | 6:49 am
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Since the launch of the original iPhone, there’s been a nice market for screen protectors. Well, at least until Apple started 
In addition to the arrows - which Mr. Barrett made safe for live-action role playing by cutting off the pointy ends and attaching a bit of pool noodle covered in socks - police displayed his metal body armour, foam shields and several clubs made of plastic tubing covered with foam and fabric.
Ashi stands by the door of the shared house where she lives with Aziz and Nighat. (Photo: Bassam Tariq.)
Ashi and Nighat laugh at an inside joke. (Photo: Bassam Tariq.)
You don't need a semiotician to know that these bad boys are full of meaning. As a token of esteem, they have a purity that makes other gift attempts look weak. Gleaming atop your desk at work, these totems of potency dare people to acknowledge their presence with a calibrated test-blend of serious appreciation and ironic distance-- and woe be to anyone who calibrates incorrectly. Everyone will want to touch the brass balls, feel their impressive weight, their uncompromising hardness. They are the family jewels.
Remember the days when we thought a 1TB external hard drive was a big deal? Yeah…not anymore. Today, Seagate introduced FreeAgent GoFlex Desk external hard drive that boasts a storage space of 3TB and is compatible with both Windows and Mac. In case you are wondering just how big 3TB is, it can hold 120 HD movies, 1,500 video games, “thousands of photos or countless hours of digital music.” You would have to have a lot of media in order to take up 3TB of space. 
Well that didn’t take long. Halfway into their big 15 importers in 15 days campaign, 
After Sprint started rolling out yesterday’s 
Between the iPad’s 
Startup 
Energy efficiency tracking company 
McAfee announced today a cloud-based service for protecting users and providing robust reporting and protection against web-borne threats. McAfee is touting the software as a service, aimed at protecting both those behind a firewall as well as remote workers outside it. McAfee is pitching the service with 5 key benefits aimed at making this a must-have service.
So apparently the reception problems on the iPhone 4G are reaching levels where Apple feels they need to make sure their customer service people are aware of it. According to a document leaked to 
Palm certainly has been working on getting their app store populated. They kicked off a promotion back in February, which is ending soon, and has resulted in over 400 developers splitting up their share of a million dollars. Palm is also trying to increase interest in their applications by offering a 50% discount on the majority of their catalog, starting immediately. The good news for developers is that they will still be paid the full amount, despite the discount given to customers by Palm.
Seagate’s new FreeAgent GoFlex external hard drive is notable for two things other than the excessive use of CamelCase in its name. The first is that it will hold up to 3TB of data, with Seagate claiming a World’s First for this feat of packing bits into an external drive.
Avoid dead camera batteries by putting a strip of solar panels on your camera strap. Simple, and rather clever, right? That’s exactly what Weng Jie’s Solar Camera Strap does, although in coming up with the design he forgot an important point: you can’t charge batteries while they are in the camera.