|
|
|
|
BBC News iPhone and iPad app launches in the UKThe free apps for Apple products were originally due to be made available in April 2010, writes the BBC. The UK launch was delayed while the BBC Trust, the corporation's governing body, assessed the...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 24 Jul 2010 | 4:29 am Australian Enterprises Block Sex Party's Political Siteschliz writes "Corporate web filters in some organizations are blocking web access to the Australian Sex Party, which is a registered political party that is contesting Australia's upcoming August 21 Federal Election. The site features policies and campaign material, including opposition to the Government's mandatory internet filtering proposal. Party convener Fiona Patten said that although the term 'sex' in the party's website URL could be responsible for its filtering woes, the party is unlikely to consider a name change: 'I think the fact that people are still blocking our site just because of the word "sex" in the name shows that we need this political movement.'"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 24 Jul 2010 | 3:57 am Trade group sues to stop SF from posting cell phone radiation emissionsMayor Gavin Newsom's idea to require stores to post how much radio frequency energy is emitted by cell phones hit a legal snag Friday. The industry trade group CTIA -- The Wireless Association filed the...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 24 Jul 2010 | 3:24 am Space Station Robot Gets To WorkTwo years after arriving at the International Space Station, the Canadian-built Dextre robot is ready to get to work.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 24 Jul 2010 | 2:58 am Ousted ag official unsure about returning to work (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 24 Jul 2010 | 1:55 am Unboxing All the Halo: Reach Xbox 360 Editions - Tom's Guide
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 24 Jul 2010 | 1:22 am Big Money: AOL’s Beauty Pageant With Google, Microsoft For New Search Deal
But what I really wanted to know about was what AOL’s plans were around search. Their long term Google deal expires in December. And from what we hear both Microsoft and Google are gunning for AOL’s search traffic. Why? AOL is the fourth largest U.S. search engine, but they have just 2.5% market share. If Microsoft could add AOL’s searches, though, they’d be, with Yahoo’s share, above 30%. Search volume brings more advertisers, and more advertisers means a more robust bidding system. Microsoft needs that 2.5%. But there’s more. AOL visitors tend to click on search ads at more than twice the rate that people click on ads on Google’s search engine. So that 2.5% market share is really more like 6% of total search advertising market share. Google has paid AOL more than $600 million/year for search over the last several years. With the appropriate amount of negotiating leverage, that number could increase dramatically. Armstrong says there are more than two companies competing for their search traffic, which presumably means Yahoo has somehow gotten itself into the mix. But the only real competition, says our sources (and common sense), is Microsoft and Google. Both companies want the deal. The bids are getting high enough that one person familiar with the negotiations suggested (jokingly, I think) that it may be cheaper just to buy AOL outright – their current market cap is just $2.25 billion. Lots of people are keeping an eye on the ongoing MySpace search negotiations. But the MySpace deal will be a pittance compared to what AOL brings in. We expect a deal to be done by September, based on information from sources.      
Source: TechCrunch | 24 Jul 2010 | 1:10 am Earth As an Extrasolar Planetsciencehabit writes "Astronomers have a theory that they can detect whether a planet light years away will be habitable by just looking at how its sun is reflected in its atmosphere. To test the idea, they pretended that they were observing Earth from a distant object — in this case, the moon. And sure enough, they picked up critical components for life in Earth's atmosphere: ozone, oxygen, sodium, and nitrogen."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 24 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am Life in a Day: Cameras, set, action...today!(Cross-posted from the YouTube Blog)What are you doing today? Something routine like cooking breakfast or taking the dog for a walk? Or is it something extraordinary like your child's first soccer game or your wedding day? Whatever it is, big or small, we hope you’ll capture it on video and take part in "Life in a Day", a user-generated documentary that will tell the story of a single day on Earth, as seen through your eyes. You have until 11:59 p.m. local time to film something, so get going. For more information, visit the Life in a Day channel. Get out those cameras and let's make film history. Posted by Nate Weinstein, Entertainment Marketing Associate    
 Source: The Official Google Blog | 24 Jul 2010 | 1:00 am Extra Super Cutie, Too Young, Gone Too Soonit’s only too clear, by Extra Super Cutie In 2008 I was approached by a reporter at the NY Times who was working on an article on the new art of Flickr. She asked me for the names of a few photographers...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 24 Jul 2010 | 12:54 am Lurid brain-buckets protect your noggin in style    Good.kz's silkscreened (and possibly concept-only) motorcycle helmets are certainly more stylish than the average brain-bucket. Helmets (via Geekologie)
 Source: Boing Boing | 24 Jul 2010 | 12:54 am Lurid brain-buckets protect your noggin in styleGood.kz's silkscreened (and possibly concept-only) motorcycle helmets are certainly more stylish than the average brain-bucket. Helmets (via Geekologie) Just look at this awesome banana Viking...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 24 Jul 2010 | 12:54 am Wireless industry group sues over S.F. law - San Francisco Chronicle
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 24 Jul 2010 | 12:50 am No work in the US? Move to IndiaWhen Andrew Dana Hudson found himself unemployed (along with most of his graduating class) even after sending out 500+ resumes, he decided that sponging off his parents in St Louis wasn't much of a plan. So he flew to India, where he traded his English proofreading skills with a local newspaper for room and board, and he lives modestly but well on about $10/week.Two years earlier, I had spent a semester abroad in the Nepali-speaking regions of northeastern India, learning the language and culture through a fantastic study-abroad program at Pitzer College. In India, I met Pema Wangchuk, editor and publisher of Sikkim NOW, the most popular local English-language daily newspaper in the state of Sikkim. A couple months into my job hunt, I sent Pema an e-mail asking if he knew anyone who might be interested in hiring a young, enthusiastic American college graduate. "We'd be quite keen to have you here," he wrote back...What I Did When I Couldn't Find a Job (via Beyond the Beyond) Source: Boing Boing | 24 Jul 2010 | 12:47 am No work in the US? Move to IndiaWhen Andrew Dana Hudson found himself unemployed (along with most of his graduating class) even after sending out 500+ resumes, he decided that sponging off his parents in St Louis wasn't much of a plan...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 24 Jul 2010 | 12:47 am Typographic mustaches -- handy identification posterA Girl Named Tor's "Field Guide to Typestaches" illustrates all the facial hair options that can be attained through clever typography. Poster for sale here. A Field Guide to Typestaches (via Kottke)...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 24 Jul 2010 | 12:35 am Typographic mustaches -- handy identification poster A Girl Named Tor's "Field Guide to Typestaches" illustrates all the facial hair options that can be attained through clever typography. Poster for sale here. A Field Guide to Typestaches (via Kottke) Source: Boing Boing | 24 Jul 2010 | 12:35 am Herpes Boy screening today at Comic-ConComic-Con attendees, don't miss today's screening of Herpes Boy, "an award-winning independent feature film comedy about a social misfit with a facial birthmark (not herpes) who accidentally becomes...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 24 Jul 2010 | 12:25 am Herpes Boy screening today at Comic-ConComic-Con attendees, don't miss today's screening of Herpes Boy, "an award-winning independent feature film comedy about a social misfit with a facial birthmark (not herpes) who accidentally becomes an Internet celebrity." It runs today (Saturday) at 1425h in Marriott Hall 2.
Herpes Boy
(Thanks, Tim!)
Amanda Palmer sells $15,000 worth of merch in three minutes; you probably can't, but that's OKAwesome, copyfighting punk diva Amanda Palmer put her latest indy EP (the magically titled Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele) up for sale direct to her fans,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:49 pm Amanda Palmer sells $15,000 worth of merch in three minutes; you probably can't, but that's OK
Awesome, copyfighting punk diva Amanda Palmer put her latest indy EP (the magically titled Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele) up for sale direct to her fans, along with a wide collection of limited edition merch.
Three minutes later, she had sold $15,000 worth of music and objects containing or celebrating music (vinyl records, various deluxe packages). As of this writing, practically everything else has sold out. This model doesn't work for everyone. But it's worked for Palmer and various others, repeatedly. Just as not every artist can succeed in the studio, or can succeed touring, or can succeed performing covers, or can succeed performing original materials, not every artist can do this. But the fact is that every commercially successful artist is basically a fluke. Most artists -- even those who've attained "success" in the form of a deal with a major publisher/label/etc -- do not find commercial independence there, and it has always been thus. As someone who helps support his family with his arts-related income, I'm here to tell you, if your kids want to pursue the arts, they should have some other marketable skill to fall back on (or chances are they'll fall back on you!). And yet, what Palmer is doing is fascinating, because it involves spending less capital to reach smaller, more specialized audiences who willingly part with larger sums, from which Palmer gets to keep the lion's share. That looks a lot less like the old winner-takes-all model in which you get 100 or so acts who can fill a stadium and get rich, and a bunch of also-rans living on bread and water. In Amanda's model, individual artists gross much smaller amounts, but net much larger amounts, because they're not supporting a whole supply chain of execs, marketing people, giant buildings, trucks full of vinyl, radio DJs, etc. What's more, she's made this work repeatedly, and there's every indication that it will work for her again. Now, if your plan is to do what Amanda is doing in order to keep yourself in room and board, you will probably fail. But that's nothing new: practically everyone who set out to earn a living the old record-label way also failed (failed to get a deal, or, with a deal, failed to earn a living from it). The important thing here is that this can work, and work at least as well as the old system -- without demanding that the entire internet be surveilled, without making war on fans, without buying corrupt laws, or turning artists into sharecroppers. That's a fine thing indeed. Fan Feeding Frenzy: AFP's New EP FTW (Thanks, PeaceLove) Source: Boing Boing | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:49 pm Woman, 23, charged in Facebook-feud fatal crash (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:38 pm Influencing Innovation: The Americans With Disabilities Act
Today marked the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a code of law that has influenced society and tech companies in interesting ways already, and is expanding to influence them even more. One recent example: feds encouraged schools around the country, notably Princeton and Arizona State University, to drop the idea of requiring students to use e-readers, specifically the Amazon Kindle DX, until the devices were made “accessible.” Accessible and acceptable e-readers would need features that work for students who are visually impaired, hearing impaired or have limited manual dexterity. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice – which enforces the ADA – published plans today for four new ADA proposals that would impact our movie going experiences, the way 911 call centers operate, and how ATM machines and government websites are built. No matter how much you think government should be involved in private sector business, it’s worth asking from a design standpoint: Why can’t a deaf person watch a movie at the theater with closed captions alongside hearing friends? Does an ATM machine work more effectively in a tiny room where wheelchair access is impossible? Why should 911 dispatchers accept calls from the voiced, but not a text message from someone mute?
There’s definitely a market demand for more accessible technology. Today some 54 million Americans are disabled, or one in every five people, according to government estimates. Seniors and veterans returning from combat are adding to this population. Some companies realize the needs and potential of the market, there. On display at Apps4Access in Washington D.C., today, an event hosted by the not-for-profit Committee on Disability Power & Pride and sponsored by AT&T, were products like the Braille Controller and Vlingo apps. The Braille Controller (or Alva BC 640) by Optelec, a keyboard-like device that’s been around for a few years. It can “read screens” within Windows, web browsers, and now Skype and Facebook, and turn what’s on screen into either narrated audio content, or tactile Braille. Yes, its keys raise and lower almost like the web is typing back. It works with USB or Bluetooth enabled smart phones and PCs and a range of software.
A more mainstream technology provider, Vlingo created the already-popular “search by voice” apps for Blackberry and iPhone, and recently rolled out their Android “Super Dialer.” According to the company website, Vlingo apps let mobile users search the web by voice, listen to incoming email text and text messages, and update their Facebook and Twitter profiles by voice. Vlingo is useful for the vision impaired, and people with limited manual dexterity. But it’s also pretty useful for commuters stuck in traffic, or people who hate typing on touch screens.
On a bright note, Americans with disabilities are gaining access to the internet and all the information and sites that can help them there says a new survey by Harris Interactive (sponsored by Kessler Foundation and the National Organization on Disability). Eighty two percent of 18-29 years olds with disability access the internet (compared to 92% of people without disability in their age group). Among seniors, only 37% of those with disability access the internet, while 70% of seniors without disability do so. More than half of all disabled Americans have internet access. Celebrations of the ADA, and conferences concerning the civil rights of Americans with disabilities will be taking place throughout the weekend and on July 26th through regional offices of the ADA Network around the country. [FDR statue image via Jim Bowen]      
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:22 pm Booyah’s MyTown Unlocks Product Check-Ins [Video]The location check-in was so 2009. Well not exactly, like many, I suspect location-based services will eventually live up to their hype in the mobile arena. However, the geo-location check-in just scratches the surface. The product check-in is next. On Friday, Booyah’s MyTown unveiled a new software update that will let users check-in to physical, real world products. Booyah is not the first to come to market with the idea of checking into a product or activity— other services like Miso and Hot Potato allow users to check into a wide array of “products” like television shows, movies, and online activities. However, MyTown is one of the first LBS apps where you can use bar codes to check into a dress at a department store or a box of Kleenex at your neighborhood grocery store. If this initiative takes off with MyTown’s 2.5 million users (yes, that’s more than Foursquare), Booyah will have a valuable mountain of consumer data and a bevy of marketing partners eager to tap into the power of the product check-in. A few retail partners have already signed up. Booyah is preparing to announce a major product check-in partnership in August, with a mystery (and reportedly, very large) consumer products company. “Location is just a way to drive them to the store, but ultimately people want to actually be able to sell products, so this is one step away, getting closer to the finish line to point of sale.” Booyah’s founder Keith Lee says. “And that’s really where we want to go in terms of validating activities that you do in the real world.”
MyTown’s product check-in is currently available exclusively on the iPhone and iPod. Using the camera option, a user simply scans a barcode on a retail product. Within one second, MyTown recognizes the code and unlocks any points, virtual goods or promotions associated with the product. Thus, the product check-in provides an extra layer of gaming over MyTown’s universe. For those who have never played MyTown, it’s basically an augmented reality version of Monopoly. Users check into real world locations to unlock virtual rewards, they have the option to “purchase” their favorite properties, collect rent from others and update those properties. Furthermore, like Foursquare, you can see where your friends are checking-in and access real-world discounts. Inevitably, other LBS startups will attack the product check-in category, but until then, MyTown provides a unique way for businesses to interact with the consumer. Lee says partners will be able to craft challenges, including scavenger hunts, and offer special real world promotions or discounts through the service. In a way, it’s an ad that incentivizes the consumer to reach out. On the analytics end, there’s a wealth of information that’s probably comparable to Blippy, a social service that aggregates a consumer’s purchase data. Through MyTown, a business will be able to learn about the interests of its consumers, which products they find attractive and how they interact with a retailers’ competitors. The real hurdle here is getting users to embrace the mechanics of the product check-in, the extra step it takes to scan an item, and to get them to do it often enough that it matters.      
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:08 pm Study Finds 0.3% of BitTorrent Files Definitely LegalAndorin writes "It's common knowledge that the majority of files distributed over BitTorrent violate copyright, though the exact percentage is unclear. The Internet Commerce Security Laboratory of the University of Ballarat in Australia has conducted a study and found that 89% of files examined were in fact infringing, while most of the remaining 11% were ambiguous but likely to be infringing. Ars Technica summarizes the study: 'The total sample consisted of 1,000 torrent files—a random selection from the most active seeded files on the trackers they used. Each file was manually checked to see whether it was being legally distributed. Only three cases—0.3 percent of the files—were determined to be definitely not infringing, while 890 files were confirmed to be illegal. ' The study brings with it some other interesting statistics; out of the 1,000 files, 91 were pornographic, and approximately 4% of torrents were responsible for 80% of seeders. Music, movies and TV shows constituted the three largest categories of shared materials, and among those, zero legal files were found."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 23 Jul 2010 | 10:08 pm Weekend Machinima: The Woman That Your Woman Could Smell Like (If She Wasn't Virtual)SWAN DIVE -- into the best viral machinima of your life! Well, for this weekend anyway: This Old Spice Second Life parody brought to you by Phaylen Fairchild. Like a lot of the best parodies, the funniest...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 10:06 pm Gross-a-licious cupcake molds: open skull with bare brainNomskulls! I am not a five year old boy, but I am still dancing a little WANTWANTWANT dance right now. It's a silicone mold you fill with batter, then bake, so the "brain" icing was really the choice...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm Gross-a-licious cupcake molds: open skull with bare brain
Nomskulls! I am not a five year old boy, but I am still dancing a little WANTWANTWANT dance right now. It's a silicone mold you fill with batter, then bake, so the "brain" icing was really the choice of the decorator here. One might just as easily cover them with ooze-y blood glaze. (thanks, Susannah Breslin)
Apple's White Iphone Release Is Delayed - New York Times
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Jul 2010 | 10:00 pm Reminder: Free SRL show in Bay Area, Saturday July 24 (pyro/robot/punk/mecha-doom)A reminder, in case you missed the post earlier this week: Survival Research Laboratories (SRL), the grandfathers of robot performance art, or whatever the hell you call their brand of fiery metal deathmagick—will be performing a rare show in Petaluma tomorrow. "It won't be as big as a full-on SRL extravaganza, only two machines," SRL crewmember Karen Marcelo tells us. But what machines they are. They'll stream it all live on Ustream (here is the show's permalink) 4-6pm PST. That is, if The Man don't shut 'em down sooner... as He so often does.Source: Boing Boing | 23 Jul 2010 | 9:46 pm Jet pilot ejects from crashing plane at near-zero altitude (photos)These photographs of Royal Canadian Air Force pilot Capt. Brian Bews escaping from his CF-18 fighter jet an instant before it crashes into the ground are really quite something. Mr. Bews survived, with injuries. (thanks, Hagrid)Source: Boing Boing | 23 Jul 2010 | 9:41 pm Double Rainbow tribute video: montage of notable rainbows in video gamesAustralia-based Boing Boing reader Alexander Ringis shares this full-on, all-the-way musical tribute to rainbows in video games. The remix includes an original music composition, and fair use remixin' of audio and video from the original games and from Yosemitebear's original "double rainbow video." With lots of thanks to Rainbow (children's TV show with that Zippy character), Rainbow Islands (I spent an entire summer playing this in a shopping mall with the beach a short walk away), Katamari Damarcy (who knew dung beatles have so much fun), Robot Unicorn Attack (taking cheese to a whole new level), Bytejacker (the best video podcast for free indie games), Rainbow Brite (never heard of it, but I'm not a girl and I don't have a sister), Mario Kart (and the Rainbow Road tribute song crew), The Wizard of Oz (check out the mad lip-syncing), Bit.Trip Runner (we love you, gaijin games), Captain Rainbow (the Japanese really have an obsession; that's four rainbow games), The Muppet Movie (sweet Jim Henson, we dedicate this song to you), and that nice American lady who thinks rainbows in her sprinkler mean her oxygen supply contains metallic oxide salts.And is it uncool to add that I still have not tired of the original video? It is true. Double Rainbow (All The Way) - Original Song
(rockethands, on YouTube)
Tablets may allow 're-set' for media: News Corp. (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Jul 2010 | 9:03 pm UPDATE 1-Eisai say FDA approves higher dose AriceptNEW YORK, July 23 (Reuters) - Eisai Co and Pfizer Inc said they won U.S. regulatory approval for a higher dose once-daily version of Aricept, a drug that treats Alzheimer disease.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 7:28 pm Utah State Prof Says Hybrids Don't Kill More Pedestriansthecarchik writes "Preliminary data seemed to show that hybrids were more likely to be involved in pedestrian crashes or hit cyclists. But now EV enthusiast Mark Larson (he's also an Emeritus Professor of Spanish at Utah State University) has analyzed some additional data and found this not be the case at all. He used 1994-2008 figures from the Fatality Reporting System maintained by the NHTSA and found that the rate of pedestrian fatalities has in fact fallen over that same period."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 23 Jul 2010 | 7:16 pm Iran Was Prime Target of SCADA Worm (PC World)PC World - Computers in Iran have been hardest hit by a dangerous computer worm that tries to steal information from industrial control systems.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Jul 2010 | 6:50 pm Apple’s Real Problem With The White iPhone 4 — Well, Potentially
In their two-sentence statement on the matter this morning, all Apple said is that the white iPhone 4 “will not be available until later this year.” This is a quick reversal from just one week ago when Apple confirmed that the device was on track to ship by the “end of July” — which itself was already quite a bit of a delay from the original iPhone 4 launch in June. “Later this year” is a bit ominous. It could mean anything from August all the way until December. The fact that Apple isn’t saying “August” or “another month” seems to suggest that it will be at least the Fall when we see the ivory device. And again, that’s a problem. Let’s just pick a random month that it could be released — let’s say November. A white iPhone 4 released in November means it will have been a full five months since many customers have had the black iPhone 4 — the exact same device, only black. More importantly, it will only be seven months until the next WWDC event, where the iPhone 5 (or whatever it will be called) will be announced. Sure, some consumers won’t care about that. But many others now have in their minds three years worth of evidence that a new iPhone will be unveiled every June. Many of those customers will have a decision to make: is it worth it to spring for the white iPhone 4 now and have the latest and greatest Apple gadget for only seven months? Or is it worth it to wait? Compounding this tough decision at that point will undoubtedly be a whole new round of rumors that Apple could unveil a Verizon iPhone shortly — perhaps even at an event in January. Can you imagine the horror customers will feel if they sign their souls over to AT&T for two years in November, only to have the option to instead go with Verizon a couple months later? The white iPhone may reveal itself to be a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothes at that point. But Apple is nothing if not genius marketers. A white iPhone unveiled in November will be spun as a holiday iPhone — the perfect present for Christmas. Look, it’s even the color of snow! Apple will sell millions of them to customers oblivious to the fact that the next version — one undoubtedly without the same antenna issues we’re seeing now, and possibly one that works on Verizon — is just months away. But plenty of consumers won’t be oblivious to this. And Apple will move less iPhones than it could have. The issue here is that more than anything else, people interested in the iPhone but who are holding out are doing so for three reasons. First, many are still unsure about the antenna issue and think it may be worth it to wait until the next iteration next year. Second, many are waiting to see if a Verizon version becomes available. Third, many are waiting for the white version of the iPhone 4. If Apple doesn’t get the white version out there soon, all three of those issues are likely to collide. And it may push a lot of would-be iPhone purchasers back from making the jump until next year. Either that, or the special edition Disney™ Snow White® iPhone 4 will be the fastest selling iPhone yet. [image via NQB]      
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Jul 2010 | 6:46 pm Facebook's test: Building on ad revenue - Washington Post
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Jul 2010 | 6:44 pm Faux femme fatale finds flaws in social networking security Researcher Thomas Ryan wanted to demonstrate the vulnerability of social networks, so he created a fictional analyst alter-ego named "Robin Sage." She was a hot 25-year-old with an MIT degree, a résumé that included a job at the Naval Network Warfare Command, and "over 10 years" of hacking experience (she started at age 14.) She was active on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the like, and soon had hundreds of friends from the U.S. military, the intelligence community, and security contractor firms. Could her looks have had anything to do with her success in duping them? Well, 82% of her "friends" were male...
Computerworld has the full story (via MSNBC).
Mashable Readers Choose Real Books Over E-books (Mashable)Mashable - With the rise of e-book technologies such as the Amazon Kindle and Apple's iBooks, are we finally witnessing the end of the printed word?Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Jul 2010 | 6:15 pm Marriott Unveils Green Hotel Prototype
The prototype is the first of its kind for the U.S. hotel industry, the company says. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a voluntary rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED-certified buildings are designed to meet environmental goals including reducing landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions, conserving energy and water and lowering operating costs. The Courtyard Charleston/Summerville is the first of Marriott hotels following the new, green design. It is expected to open for business in South Carolina in 2012. Using the prototype will save the hotel giant six months of design time on each hotel. That’s about what the company says it would usually take to design a LEED-certificate worth new property. Marriott plans to roll out similar prototypes for its other brands in the future, including Residence Inn by Marriott and Towne Place Suites. The company also expects to save about $100,000, and up to 25% in energy and water savings on each hotel built following this prototype. Going green is nothing new to Marriott. It currently owns close to 50 LEED-certified hotels and aims to raise that number to 300 by 2015. According to the USGBC, there are currently 937 LEED registered and certified hotels in the U.S. The environmental bug has hit the economy segment of the industry, too. A Motel 6 in Northlake, Texas became the country’s first LEED-certified motel property earlier this month. And Motel 6 is using a prototype approach to increase its number of LEED-certified motels as well.      
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Jul 2010 | 6:06 pm UPDATE 4-US clears generic version of Sanofi blood thinner* Shares of Novartis partner Momenta climb 81.9 pct (Recasts, adds Sanofi comment)Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 5:43 pm Microsoft: Solid Today, Shaky Tomorrow - PC World
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Jul 2010 | 5:43 pm UPDATE 2-Onyx Pharma to hold call on myeloma drug dataLOS ANGELES, July 23 (Reuters) - Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc announced late on Friday that it will hold a conference call early on Monday to discuss a clinical update of its experimental cancer drug, carfilzomib...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 5:41 pm What To Do With an Old G5 Tower?lunatic1969 writes "I've got an old G5 PowerPC tower that's sitting in a spare room not seeing much in the way of use. I'd like to stick a Linux distribution on it and maybe breathe some life back into it. I've got a few vague ideas — it might be a handy file server, streaming video for a security system, or simply just to have a spare box around. My question is therefore in two parts: First, are there any particularly creative projects or ideas anyone has for an old G5, and second and most important, which distribution currently offers the best support for this box?"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 23 Jul 2010 | 5:36 pm Telecom group sues San Francisco over mobile phone law (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Jul 2010 | 5:31 pm U.S. West Coast Products-Gasoline steadyHOUSTON, July 23 (Reuters) - Gasoline was unchanged in U.S. West Coast wholesale markets on Friday as the fuel entered a new contract period, traders saidSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 5:23 pm UPDATE 5-Sanofi approaches Genzyme for acquisition -sources* Sanofi awaits Genzyme response, no price talks yetSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 5:22 pm UPDATE 5-Sanofi approaches Genzyme for acquisition -sources* Sanofi awaits Genzyme response, no price talks yetSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 5:22 pm "TRON:Legacy" movie brings video game world to lifeSAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Back in 1982, first-time director Steven Lisberger brought mainstream audiences into the world of videogames with the sci-fi thriller "TRON", using early...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 5:19 pm OMG/JK Episode 4: A New HopeIt’s that time of week again: the latest episode of TechCrunch TV’s OMG/JK has just landed. As always, the show features fellow TechCrunch writer MG Siegler and myself discussing (and arguing about) the week’s top tech stories. This week’s topics include the demise of the Nexus One, AT&T’s troubled relationship with Apple, and plenty of other key information that will help you impress your friends. Also, one thing to note: you can now subscribe to the show as a podcast! Subscribe now, so you’ll never miss an episode. At some point in the near future we’ll be distributing a subscriber-only video featuring MG serenading his iPhone 4. You wouldn’t want to miss that, would you?
     
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Jul 2010 | 5:11 pm Weekend Viral Video: Mark Zuckerberg Gets the Kid-Glove Treatment From ABC's Sawyer [BoomTown]
After a tough summer–including creepy trailers for a Hollywood movie, “The Social Network,” in which he seems to be portrayed as the awkward villain and also his sometimes difficult session at the eighth D: All Thing Digital conference with me and Walt Mossberg–Mark Zuckerberg catches a break in an easy-peasy multi-part television interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer. It aired earlier in the week, and a smilier-than-usual Facebook co-founder and CEO does a good job lobbing back Sawyer’s queries, which touch on the usual controversies (privacy, I-know-what-you-did-at-Harvard), the usual gee-whiz Silicon Valley oohing and, of course, the obsession with Zuckerberg’s age (about which I declare an official BoomTown moratorium on, since he is no longer that young). If you don’t know a lot about the social networking powerhouse, you’ll find it useful; if you do, watch it anyway. Enjoy: Hello Facebook!
Meet Mark!
Free Food! Also Drycleaning!
Uh-oh, Privacy!
Double Uh-Oh, That #@&*% Movie!
Viewer Questions!
A Dislike Button!
Source: All Things Digital | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:58 pm Breaking Open the Video Frontier, Despite MPEG-LAJimLynch writes "Did you know that nearly every video produced for Web viewing has been, at one point or another, in MPEG format no matter in what format the video is ultimately saved? According to Chris 'Monty' Montgomery, nearly every consumer device outputs video in MPEG format. Which means that every software video decoder has to have MPEG-licensed technology in order to process/edit video." An interesting snippet: "But there's hope on the horizon. Besides the codecs and formats from the Xiph.Org Foundation, the new WebM format announced by Google in May will ideally provide consumers and developers with another alternative. Montgomery has thrown Xiph.Org support behind WebM, because Google's financial muscle (not to mention their free license) will have a real chance to break the hold MPEG-LA has on the market."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:54 pm This Week in GeekTech: Lego Geekery, Old Apple Software, and Fun With Android (PC World)PC World - After last week's iPhone brouhaha and controversy, it's nice to be able to take a step back and explore some of the more nerdy stories making news. Here are some of our favorites from this past week. Enjoy.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:51 pm CTIA Files Suit to Block Cell Phone Radiation Law (PC World)PC World - The CTIA, a group representing mobile operators, is trying to block a San Francisco ordinance that would require stores to disclose radiation levels for the phones they sell.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:50 pm Verizon posts 2Q loss on costs of employee buyout (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:49 pm FDA wants investigation into Avandia conflict-WSJNEW YORK, July 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate whether one of the panelists at a recent safety meeting on the GlaxoSmithKline...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:41 pm Clorox gets bids for auto care assets -- reportNEW YORK, July 23 (Reuters) - Clorox Co has gotten more than 12 preliminary bids for its STP and Armor All auto-care brands, Bloomberg news reported on Friday.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:36 pm Clorox gets bids for auto care assets -- reportNEW YORK, July 23 (Reuters) - Clorox Co has gotten more than 12 preliminary bids for its STP and Armor All auto-care brands, Bloomberg news reported on Friday.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:36 pm Twitter Nabs Google’s Lead Android Evangelist. Next Target: Students
Twitter has hired the longtime Google employee (he’s been there just about 4 years) to be a part of Twitter’s fast-growing platform team, the company has confirmed. Kim tweeted about the news a few minutes ago, as well. Twitter didn’t have any more to say about what he’ll specifically be doing for the company now, but you can bet he’ll be playing to his strengths as a marketing manager. As he notes on his LinkedIn profile, at Google his job was “Encouraging developers from around the world to build apps for Android.” Now he’ll likely be doing the same thing for Twitter. You may recall that Twitter worked closely with the Android team to make their native Android app. Earlier this year, the head of Android’s core library moved on to the mobile payment startup, Square — a company founded by Twitter chairman (and creator) Jack Dorsey. In other Twitter recruitment news, earlier today, Twitter’s Join The Flock account (the account they use for recruiting purposes) tweeted that they would soon being recruiting for new employees on college campuses. “Twitter University Recruiting is coming…need a Twitter-y name for it, suggestions?,” reads the tweet. Twitter is growing fast, but employee growth can’t seem to keep pace with user (and usage) growth, as they made pretty in their post talking about the recent scaling issues. There are over 20 engineering positions they are actively looking to fill — on top of several other ones. University recruitment is a huge area of emphasis for larger companies like Microsoft, Google, and even Facebook. You’ll soon be able to add Twitter to that list. Update: Jokes Twitter’s Ryan Sarver, the Director of the Platform team Kim will be joining, “he’ll be working on the twPhone :)” iPhone killer watch take 600!
     
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:35 pm Phone group sues San Francisco over radiation law (AP)AP - The wireless industry sued the city of San Francisco on Friday to stop a law that requires cell phone stores to post how much radio energy each model emits.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:31 pm BioWare's Star Wars MMO To Have Space CombatAn anonymous reader writes "Big news for Star Wars fans looking forward to BioWare's upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG — space combat has been confirmed for the game. Players will be able to fly around the galaxy in their own personal starships, avoiding asteroid belts, landing in dangerous territory and battling other vessels. The initial news makes it sound like a cross between Mass Effect's galaxy map and a traditional space fighting game, where players will have to find 'hotspots' on the galaxy map in order to enter a particular zone."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:28 pm Cast Reveals Details of Tron: Legacy's Skin-Tight CostumesWired.com chats with the cast of Tron: Legacy to hear about the streamlined, technology-laced costume designs created for the highly anticipated film.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:15 pm Google Schedules Chrome 6, 7, and 8 For This YearAn anonymous reader writes "Google said that it will be releasing a new stable version of Chrome every six weeks, which is about twice as fast as the release pace today. The goal is to make new features available when they are done and to make Chrome releases more predictable. Has anyone complained that there were too few new Chrome releases? Mozilla has been releasing a major new browser update twice a year and Microsoft is on an 18-24 month pace. Firefox's 4.0 Beta 2 is scheduled for release soon, and it appears that Mozilla is somewhat paranoid about the Black Hat Conference. 3.6.6 was planned to be the original 'Black Hat release'; now we are at version 3.6.7 and Mozilla has already a build candidate of 3.6.8 that will be released depending on news coming out of Black Hat."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:10 pm GSI Group Emerges from Chapter 11 ReorganizationBEDFORD, Mass., July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- GSI Group Inc. (Pink Sheets: LASR) (the "Company" or "GSI") today announced that it has successfully emerged from its Chapter 11 restructuring. As previously announced, the Company had filed for Chapter 11 protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the "Court") on November 20, 2009. On May 27, 2010, the Court entered an order approving and confirming the Final Fourth Modified Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization for the Company (and certain of its subsidiaries), as filed with the Court on May 24, 2010 and as supplemented on May 27, 2010 (the "Final Plan"). The Company entered Chapter 11 reorganization with over $210 million in debt issued pursuant to 11% Senior Notes due 2013 (the "Senior Notes"). Today, the Company emerged with approximately $107 million in debt issued pursuant to 12.25% Senior Secured PIK Election Notes due 2014 and approximately $50 million in total unaudited (global) Cash (before payment of accrued professional fees and other bankruptcy payments in an amount of approximately $15 million). The Company's shareholders prior to the emergence from bankruptcy retained approximately 86.1% of the Company's capital stock following emergence (subject to the distribution of shares placed in reserve pending resolution of certain litigation matters unrelated to the Chapter 11 Cases). The remaining 13.9% of the Company's capital stock was issued to the holders of the Senior Notes in partial exchange of such notes and pursuant to the commitment of certain holders' to backstop the rights offering. "Today marks a new beginning for the Company," said Michael E. Katzenstein, the Company's Chief Restructuring Officer. "In reaching this milestone, we have strengthened our balance sheet, reduced our debt and created a structure that will allow us to grow our business and build on our industry position. We are proud to have completed a long and difficult process and positioned our business for growth and offer thanks to our loyal and valued customers, our supplier community and especially our committed leadership and employees worldwide." "The leaders of all the GSI group of companies remained focused on serving our customers by innovating, inventing and adapting, while the Company restructured," said Katzenstein. "Now that the reorganization process is behind us, we look forward to further dedicating resources to help our customers succeed in their markets." As contemplated by the Plan, the Company's board of directors was reconstituted and the members of the Company's new board include the following individuals: Michael Katzenstein, the Company's Chief Restructuring Officer; Byron O. Pond, a member of the former board of directors of the Company who will continue on the new board of directors; K. Peter Heiland and Stephen W. Bershad, each of whom brings over 20 years of experience in the technology industry to the Company's board of directors; Eugene I. Davis, who has served on over 20 boards of directors of companies in the last 5 years; Ira J. Lamel, who brings significant accounting experience and knowledge to the board of directors; and Dennis J. Fortino, who has over 15 years of experience in the semiconductor and laser technology industries. As of emergence, the Company's common shares are quoted on Pink Sheets OTC Markets Inc. under the following new ticker symbol: LASR.PK. "GSI exits Chapter 11 well positioned to grow in each of its principal markets as it continues to innovate and find new ways to apply and differentiate its products and services and we believe that the company is well situated to compete in today's marketplace. We have a talented team, industry-leading technologies and an improved balance sheet. On behalf of the newly appointed board of the company, we will focus on attracting the highest level talent and long term leadership, improving the GSI companies' market position and, of course, developing and inventing. I look forward to working with our Executive Team in order to promote this vision to customers and suppliers and to capitalize on all the opportunities in front of a revitalized GSI," said Stephen W. Bershad, former Chairman of the Equity Committee and a member of GSI's new Board. About GSI Group Inc. GSI Group Inc. supplies precision technology to the global medical, electronics, and industrial markets and semiconductor systems. GSI Group Inc.'s common shares are quoted on Pink Sheets OTC Markets Inc. (LASR.PK). More information about GSI is available on the company's website at www.gsig.com. For additional information, please contact GSI Group Inc., Investor Relations, at (781) 266-5137 or InvestorRelations@gsig.com. Safe Harbor and Forward Looking Information Certain statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements contained in this news release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, and are generally identified by words such as "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to: the Company's ability to grow its business and build on its industry position; the Company's ability to improve its market position, apply and differentiate its products and services; the Company's ability to compete in the market, innovate and attract employees and management; and other statements that are not historical facts. These forward looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could affect future results and cause actual results and events to differ materially from historical and expected results and those expressed or implied in the forward looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the highly unpredictable nature of the semiconductor and electronics materials processing industry; the potential adverse impact of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings on the Company's business, financial condition or results of operations; the Company's ability to manage its significant indebtedness in light of current economic and business conditions; the Company's ability to grow and increase profitability; the Company's ability to quickly increase manufacturing capacity and promptly respond to fluctuating product demands; the Company's need to invest in research and development; the Company's ability to develop and deliver new competitive technology and enhancements and customer acceptance thereof; the effects of competition; failure to identify and manage weaknesses in internal controls; changes in accounting standards; failures of the Company to properly identify the timing of when revenue should be recognized; the Company's ability to complete and file its delayed periodic reports with the SEC on a timely basis; risks related to consolidation of operations and the integration of operations and employees of acquired businesses, including Excel; the Company's inability to recognize synergies of acquired businesses, including Excel; the results of the proposed restructuring including the issuance of a substantial amount of equity securities in exchange for a portion of the Company's current indebtedness and the dilutive impact of such issuance, and the incurrence of additional material obligations as part of any such restructuring. Other important risk factors that could affect the outcome of the events set forth in these statements and that could affect the Company's operating results and financial condition are discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 4, 2010, and in the Company's subsequent filings with the SEC made prior to or after the date hereof. Such statements are based on the Company's management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to the Company's management. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this document except as required by law. SOURCE GSI Group Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:04 pm So Hot Right Now: Top 10 Gadgetell posts for the week of July 18, 2010Section: Haven’t caught all of the Gadgetell news this week? Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!
Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:00 pm Yelp's Stoppelman Talks About Geo-Location, International Expansion (And Not Google) [BoomTown]
Earlier this week, BoomTown headed to downtown San Francisco to the hip HQ of Yelp to talk to its CEO, Jeremy Stoppelman, about a range of issues related to the local business review site. That included his thoughts about the explosion of social location services such as Foursquare, Yelp’s burgeoning mobile efforts, controversial lawsuits alleging questionable advertising sales practices, future features to come and more. What he declined to discuss in detail was what happened with failed acquisition talks with Google (GOOG) late last year. Stoppelman also opined on Yelp’s international expansion efforts, including its entry into Germany, a service announced earlier this week. Here’s the video of the interview, which includes a quick tour of Yelp’s offices: [ See post to watch video ] Source: All Things Digital | 23 Jul 2010 | 3:35 pm PC Gamers Too Good For Consoles Gamers?thsoundman sends in a blog post from Rahul Sood, CTO of HP's gaming business, who claims there was once a project in development at Microsoft to let Xbox users compete against PC users playing the same game. According to Sood, the project was killed because the console players kept getting destroyed by their PC counterparts. He wrote, "Those of us who have been in the gaming business for over a decade know the real deal. You simply don't get the same level of detail or control as you do with a PC over a console. It's a real shame that Microsoft killed this — because had they kept it alive it might have actually increased the desire of game developers and gamers alike to continue developing and playing rich experiences on the PC, which would trickle down to the console as it has in the past."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 23 Jul 2010 | 3:35 pm Stephen Burt Joins Regal Beloit Corporation's Board of DirectorsBELOIT, Wis., July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Regal Beloit Corporation (NYSE: RBC) announced today that Mr. Stephen Burt has joined the Company's Board of Directors as a Class "A" Director with his initial term continuing until the 2011 annual shareholders meeting. Additionally, the Company announced an increase in the size of the board from nine to ten directors. Mr. Burt is a managing director in the Chicago office of independent financial advisory and investment banking firm Duff & Phelps. He is the leader of the firm's Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) Advisory practice and president of Duff & Phelps Securities, drawing on more than 15 years of global M&A experience. Mr. Burt holds an M.B.A. in finance from DePaul University and a B.S. in finance from Indiana University. "We are extremely pleased to have Mr. Burt join our Board. His global experience in business, business strategy, and corporate development will be a great asset to us as we continue to execute our growth strategy," stated Henry W. Knueppel, Regal Beloit Corporation's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Regal Beloit Corporation is a leading manufacturer of mechanical and electrical motion control and power generation products serving markets throughout the world. Regal Beloit is headquartered in Beloit, Wisconsin, and has manufacturing, sales, and service facilities throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. Regal Beloit's common stock is a component of the S&P Mid Cap 400 Index and the Russell 2000 Index. SOURCE Regal Beloit CorporationSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jul 2010 | 3:30 pm Pentagon Workers Tied To Child Pornfinalcutmonstar tips a Boston Globe report on details released today of Operation Flicker (PDF), an investigation of subscribers to child porn websites, which seems to have implicated a number of government employees in sensitive positions. Quoting: "Federal investigators have identified several dozen Pentagon officials and contractors with high-level security clearances who allegedly purchased and downloaded child pornography, including an undisclosed number who used their government computers to obtain the illegal material, according to investigative reports. The investigations have included employees of the National Security Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency — which deal with some of the most sensitive work in intelligence and defense — among other organizations within the Defense Department. The number of offenders is a small percentage of the thousands of people working for sensitive Pentagon-related agencies. But the fact that offenders include people with access to government secrets puts national security agencies 'at risk of blackmail, bribery, and threats, especially since these individuals typically have access to military installations,' according to one report by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service from late 2009."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 23 Jul 2010 | 3:26 pm Condé's Corporate Shuffle: Sauerberg Moves Up to Number Two [MediaMemo]Condé Nast has gone through all sorts of change in the past couple years–shuttered titles, layoffs and a couple of high-profile executive departures. Here’s yet more: A corporate reshuffle that moves Bob Sauerberg, who ran the company’s consumer marketing arm, up to the president title and sets him up as the most likely candidate to replace Chuck Townsend when he leaves the CEO spot. As best as I can tell, this is an ultra-rare corporate re-org in which no one loses a job. But that’s not to say there won’t be some shoes falling down the line. For the record, Sauerberg’s mission is to “move the company to a new business model focused around digital connectivity, technology development, and consumer insight.” Source: All Things Digital | 23 Jul 2010 | 3:08 pm First New York Securities Turns to TekVault to Manage Growth of LinuxROCKAWAY, N.J., July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The acceptance of Linux as an enterprise operating system has led to its use in high volume applications found in financial trading companies. TekVault Corporation (www.tekvault.com) a Rockaway, NJ regulatory compliance consultancy and service provider was chosen by First New York Securities, a premier principal trading firm headquartered in New York City, to provide the Centrify DirectControl and DirectAuthorize suite to help them manage and secure their fast growing Linux environment. "First New York's server environment has traditionally been Windows-based. But when a number of Linux database and virtualization hosts sprung up, we found ourselves struggling to manage authentication on individual servers instead of as part of the larger infrastructure," says Daniel Lee, Manager of Systems Engineering at First New York Securities. Lee continues, "TekVault helped us leverage Centrify to pull these resources under the umbrella of our established Active Directory services, which spared us the difficulty, danger, and expense of managing disparate security constructs." TekVault has many clients experiencing the same issue as First New York Securities. "Our customer base is definitely taking advantage of the power and efficiencies found within the Linux operating system platform," adds Vishal Rupani, CEO of TekVault, "As a vested partner with our clients we identify risks, such as the inability to centrally control access to non-Windows based systems, and then deliver a solution that not only meets our client's expectation but exceeds it, as in the case with First New York Securities through the implementation of Centrify DirectControl and DirectAuthorize." About TekVault Corporation TekVault offers services designed around mitigating the risks involved with regulatory compliance. TekVault clients include Eisai, Goldman Sachs, Coffeeholding and First New York Securities. TekVault is a certified reseller of Centrify, Microsoft Gold Partner, and authorized Iron Mountain reseller. With over 10 years experience in outsourcing company infrastructures, maintaining critical systems and assisting clients to meet regulatory compliance TekVault is uniquely qualified to assist corporations in reducing expenses, improving revenue, reducing risk and positioning our clients to meet business objectives using the right technology. For more information please email sales@tekvault.com or call us at 973.784.4453 for a free consultation. SOURCE TekVault CorporationSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jul 2010 | 3:08 pm IPad Steamroller Crushes Forrester Analyst's Early Call [Digital Daily]
Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps penned those words back in June. Now, a month later, she’s eating them–largely because the iPad is selling so well. Apple (AAPL) sold 3.27 million of them in the device’s first quarter at market. Now, granted, that was in 10 countries and Epps’s forecast was for the United States alone. Still, international sales of the iPad didn’t begin until May 28 and by that time Apple had already sold more than a million of them in the U.S. And 5 days after Epps issued her prediction, Apple announced it had passed the 3 million iPads sold milestone. So there’s certainly some crow to be eaten here, which Epps, to her credit, willingly chokes down. “Based on new data from Forrester’s consumer surveys, as well as Apple’s rate of ‘millioning,’ we think our initial forecast was conservative, especially in the short term, and we plan to publish an update later this year once we have more supply-side and consumer data,” she said in a blog post. “One of the assumptions we made in our initial forecast was that the iPad would behave like other similar consumer devices in its first year of adoption: When it went on sale in April, we assumed that sales would be strong based on pent-up demand for a hyped product; we then assumed that sales would slow in a summer slump, as is common with consumer technology purchases; and that sales would spike again in the holiday season. But the iPad isn’t behaving like other consumer devices: It has a steamroller of momentum behind it that indicates incredibly strong demand for this entirely new form factor.” Source: All Things Digital | 23 Jul 2010 | 3:02 pm iPhone 4 Case Program product detailsFROM APPLETELL - We haven’t tried these out yet, but we’ve rounded up some details on your free iPhone case options to help you make an informed decision. I know which one I want… Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jul 2010 | 3:00 pm SonicWALL Completes Merger With Thoma Bravo and Ontario Teachers' Pension PlanSAN JOSE, Calif., July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SonicWALL, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNWL), a leading provider of IT security and data backup and recovery solutions, today announced that it has completed its merger with affiliates of an investor group led by Thoma Bravo, LLC, which includes the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan through its private investor department, Teachers' Private Capital. This follows approval of the transaction by SonicWALL shareholders during a Special Meeting of Shareholders held today. "With strong and supportive partners in Thoma Bravo and Teachers' Private Capital, we can create exciting new opportunities for SonicWALL and continue building the Company into an IT security leader," said Matthew Medeiros, SonicWALL's president and CEO. "We look forward to continuing to provide our customers with the innovation and high quality service and products they have come to expect from SonicWALL. On behalf of SonicWALL's Board of Directors and management team, I want to thank our employees and customers for their ongoing support." "SonicWALL is a business with tremendous momentum and we look forward to partnering with the Company to extend their success within the IT security industry," said Seth Boro, a Principal at Thoma Bravo. "We are eager to embark on this new era for SonicWALL, and look forward to supporting the many strategic opportunities available to the company," added Neil Petroff, Teachers' Executive Vice-President and Chief Investment Officer. SonicWALL shareholders will receive $11.50 in cash for each share of SonicWALL common stock they hold. Letters of transmittal allowing SonicWALL shareholders of record to deliver their shares to the paying agent in exchange for payment of the merger consideration will be distributed shortly. SonicWALL shareholders who hold shares through a bank or broker will not have to take any action to have their shares converted into cash, as such conversions will be handled by the bank or broker. As previously announced, SonicWALL stock will cease to trade on the NASDAQ after market close today and will be delisted. Centerview Partners LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to SonicWALL and provided a fairness opinion to the Company's Board of Directors. Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to Thoma Bravo. Fenwick & West LLP provided legal counsel to SonicWALL. Credit Suisse arranged the debt financing in support of the transaction. About SonicWALL, Inc. Guided by its vision of Dynamic Security for the Global Network, SonicWALL develops advanced intelligent network security and data protection solutions that adapt as organizations evolve and as threats evolve. Trusted by small and large enterprises worldwide, SonicWALL solutions are designed to detect and control applications and protect networks from intrusions and malware attacks through award-winning hardware, software and virtual appliance-based solutions. For more information, visit http://www.sonicwall.com/. About Thoma Bravo, LLC Thoma Bravo is a leading private equity investment firm that has been providing equity and strategic support to experienced management teams building growing companies for more than 29 years. The firm originated the concept of industry consolidation investing, which seeks to create value through the strategic use of acquisitions to accelerate business growth. Thoma Bravo applies its investment strategy across multiple industries with particular focus on the software and services sectors. In the software industry, Thoma Bravo has completed more than 50 acquisitions across 15 platform companies with total annual earnings in excess of $700 million. For more information on Thoma Bravo, visit www.thomabravo.com. About Teachers' Private Capital Teachers' Private Capital, the private investment department of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, is one of the world's largest private equity investors, having participated as a long-term investor in numerous transactions in Canada, the United States and Europe. Current investments of Teachers' Private Capital include: Acorn Care & Education, Alliance Laundry Systems, Aquilex Corporation, General Nutrition Centers, Inc., Easton-Bell Sports, Exal Group, GCAN Insurance, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Munchkin, National Bedding Company (Serta) and Simmons Bedding Company, among others. Teachers' Private Capital provides long-term, flexible capital and support to high-quality management teams seeking to grow and add value to their businesses over time. With net assets of C$96.4 billion at December 31, 2009, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan is an independent organization responsible for investing the pension fund and administering the pensions of Ontario's 289,000 active and retired teachers. For more information visit www.otpp.com or www.teachersprivatecapital.com. SOURCE SonicWALL, Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jul 2010 | 2:52 pm India's $35 tablet--how low can it go? - CNET
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Jul 2010 | 2:41 pm Facebook says Ceglia contract was likely 'forged' - CNET
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Jul 2010 | 2:31 pm LinkedIn Hires Shannon Stubo, Key Exec For IPO RunLinkedIn has hired Shannon Stubo as their new Vice President Communications, CEO Jeff Weiner tells us. Stubo, most recently at OpenTable, took that company through their IPO process. Prior to OpenTable Stubo spent seven years at eBay, eventually as vice president of corporate communications. Companies usually stack their executive teams with people who’ve previously worked at public companies, and execs who’ve actually gone through the IPO process are particularly valued. Stubo will understand the nuances around complicated SEC rules around publicity in a pre-IPO company.
This isn’t the first addition to the LinkedIn team that indicates that the company is looking to boost its experience of advising a company through an IPO. Earlier this year, LinkedIn brought on its first outside board member, Skip Battle, former Ask.com CEO and board member of Netflix, Expedia and OpenTable. While Weiner told us at the time that Battle’s experience advising consumer focused and enterprise companies made him an ideal choice, it’s clear that the seasoned exec’s role in helping lead a number of technology companies through a public offering may have been a factor as well. I sat down with Weiner earlier today to talk about the hiring of Stubo and to talk about LinkedIn in general. The company has 70 million users now, and about 40 million people visit the site each month. He doesn’t see LinkedIn as a professional version of Facebook. I asked him if LinkedIn, which generates significant revenue from job listings and from companies that pay for insights into people for recruiting purposes, if he considers Facebook or Monster the more direct competitor. Neither, he said. LinkedIn is a unique thing. And just as people think of Starbucks for coffee or Google for search, he wants them to think of LinkedIn for human talent – finding jobs, finding people and making people more successful in business.      
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Jul 2010 | 2:07 pm Video: Exploding Moss Spores Form Mushroom CloudsScientists captured high-resolution video of moss tops exploding to study how the spores disperse.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 2:05 pm Using Flickr Photos as a Travel Guide [Voices]By Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal Every minute, there are thousands of images uploaded to photo site Flickr by people who want to share them with the world. And it turns out that if you look at these photos and where they were taken, you can get a pretty good idea of the best path to take when sightseeing. Researchers at Yahoo (YHOO), which owns Flickr, developed a way to gather photos and construct travel itineraries based on the location of the photos and the time between each picture. The tool, which gives people possible itineraries if they select a city and indicate how much time they have, works for five cities — Barcelona, London, Paris, New York and San Francisco. The effort, which was reported by several technology writers after a conference this summer, combines a few big trends in technology — geolocation, social data and the “wisdom of the crowd.” Social services like Foursquare, which lets users broadcast their location to friends, are making location data a hot topic, and the massive amount of information on social sites like Twitter is something that companies seem eager to use. The researchers call the Flickr photos “social breadcrumbs” — information that people leave behind when they share things publicly online. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 23 Jul 2010 | 2:00 pm VH1 Will Be Promoting Foursquare On National Television All Summer Long
Foursquare has had commercials before — like this Bravo one in February — but this one should be the biggest draw for the masses yet. Foursquare has linked up with VH1 and Live Nation for an “unlock it to rock it” promotion. The commercial not only plays up the ability to win Foursquare badges, but also a contest that will have a winner getting access to a year’s worth of concerts for free. The commercial showcases key Foursquare functionality: the ability to check-in to places around your city and get tips. VH1′s Foursquare account also gives you the added bonus of getting tip from celebrities — well, if you consider that a bonus. It took quite a bit of time for other hot startups like Twitter to get this kind of mainstream exposure. Foursquare is getting it much, much faster. And again, this will be playing on VH1 all Summer (Foursquare head of business development Tristan Walker also hints that the promotion will extend past this Summer).      
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:59 pm Upstart E-readers Fade to Black as Tablets Gain Momentum
E-readers are far from dead but many are certainly gasping for breath. A shake-out in the e-reader market has put some smaller companies out of business, leaving the playing field clear for giants like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Sony. The list of e-reader makers running into trouble has grown in the past few weeks:
“Companies that had neither brand nor distribution have failed,” says Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst for Forrester Research. Price cuts by Amazon and Barnes & Noble, coupled with the shift in consumer interest toward more multi-purpose tablets, have also taken their toll on e-readers. “You are seeing the same kind of proliferation and excitement in tablets now that you saw two years ago for e-readers,” says Epps. After Amazon introduced the Kindle in 2007, e-readers became one of the hottest consumer products. The category attracted large companies such as Samsung and Barnes & Noble, even as lesser-known players such as Plastic Logic, Aluratek and iRiver jumped in. Mostly Kindle clones, many of these e-readers were near-identical in how they looked and the features they offered. Almost all sourced their black-and-white screen from a single company: E Ink. Meanwhile, Apple launched its iPad this year. At $500, it’s pricier than most e-readers, but offers relatively long battery life, a color screen and iBooks, an iTunes-like store for digital books. It may not be as ideally suited to reading as a dedicated e-reader, but many iPad customers are finding that it works well enough as a book reader, in addition to its many other functions. Apple’s move sparked a price war in the e-reader market. Amazon dropped the price of its Kindle 2 to $190 from $260. Barnes & Noble released a Wi-Fi-only version of the Nook for $150, while a Nook with Wi-Fi and 3G capability now costs $200. The price war put a squeeze on smaller e-reader manufacturers. “As a result of the recent price drops in the market, our primary focus has shifted to international opportunities,” Audiovox told the Digital Reader website. All this doesn’t mean consumers have completely fallen out of love with e-readers, says Epps. Tablets will outpace e-readers in overall sales, she says, but the shift toward digital books is here to stay. Forrester estimates 6.6 million e-readers will be sold in the United States this year. Approximately 29.4 million e-readers may be sold in the United States by 2016, compared to 59 million tablets. Earlier this week, Amazon said for the first time sales of e-books are outstripping hardcovers. In June, Amazon sold 180 e-books for every 100 hardcovers. In the first six months of the year, the company sold three times as many e-books as it did in the first half of 2009. “In the e-reader market, price is coming way down and that’s the major consideration for purchase,” says Epps. “If a company can do cheaper and better devices than Amazon, Sony or Barnes & Noble, they still have a chance — but no one’s been able to do that yet.” See Also:
Photo:Jon Snyder/Wired.com 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:59 pm Upstart E-readers Fade to Black as Tablets Gain MomentumSqueezed by larger companies such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, smaller e-reader makers are going out of business even as consumer interest shifts toward tablets.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:59 pm Upstart E-readers Fade to Black as Tablets Gain MomentumSqueezed by larger companies such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, smaller e-reader makers are going out of business even as consumer interest shifts toward tablets.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:59 pm Who’s on Crack in tech: 7.23.10Section: Communications, Cellphones, Computers, Gadgets / Other, Features, Originals, Columns, Who's On Crack  What’s the most common phrase heard around the Gadgetell newsroom? Is it “I love Apple?”, “that’s cool!” or “sweet!” ? Answer: none of them, it’s “they are on crack”. This week we take a look back at the things that made us chuckle in the tech world. Let’s get to the suspects:
Kindle get’s an exclusive.This isn’t good. Word is from Shaun Ingram, Amazon is fragmenting the market. Awesome. As Ingram explains, “Amazon has announced that is has a new deal with the literary agent Andrew Wylie. The deal would give Amazon an exclusive for e-books from all authors the agent represents. The full list is here, and includes notable names such as Al Gore and Phillip Roth, it also includes the estates of popular authors including John Updike, William Burroughs and Hunter Thompson. So, if in any time in the next two years you wish to purchase an ebook of classics such as “Naked Lunch” or “Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas” or current books like “An Inconvenient Truth” or Roth’s upcoming “Nemesis,” you need a Kindle or a device with Kindle software.” Imagine if you wanted to listen to U2 (pretend with me on their later stuff) and Sony pulled an Amazon. -You’d have to get a Sony Walkman (cringe!). But if you wanted to play REM (again bear with me) your iPod would be just fine. The whole idea is bad. Amazon is setting themselves up in a bidding war vs. other ebook reader makers to divvy up the authors. If all the ebooks I want are not available because of the brand I bought, I buy none. In the end, we all lose. Stupid books.
Virus inside - que Intel “ba bum pa da”Saving all of us valuable time and effort, thoughtfull Dell has taken bold steps in what they are willing to pre-install on our machines. Our Sue Walsh explains, “a red faced Dell is apologizing to customers after admitting that some of their PowerEdge rack servers shipped with malware infected firmware.” That’s right, forget being forced to hit up some porn sites to get a virus, Dell will do it for you. Sweet. Even better, Sue finishes the post with, “the company has offered no explanation of how the malware got into the servers in the first place.” Magic perhaps? Ninjas? Hacker Big Foot? The world may never know.
Droid X users eating 5x more dataWhat the heck are you Droid X users on? 2x more, I can see. 3x more perhaps. But 5x? Is the thing doubling as an HDTV for you guys (and I assume gals)? Seriously, are you streaming movies while streaming music while running speed tests? Our Natesh Sood gets all factual: “according to Jennifer Byrne, Verizon’s Business Development Executive Director, Motorola Droid X users are using a lot of data - 5x more than other Verizon smartphones.” What’s worse is you guys are going to ruin it for the whole Verizon party. This conversation must have gone on at Verizon HQ: I’ll say what we are all thinking at this point, “stay away from the porn, Droid X users.”
Microsoft hates the present.Probably conceived during the Vista years, Microsoft announced their new slogan, “Be what’s next”. Our Natesh Sood again brings us some insight, “Maybe Microsoft is looking to change things up and have a refreshed tagline for its impending Windows Phone 7 launch. It’s a unique and different tagline to say the least and saying it aloud sounds weird. ” Yes, yes it does. So where did this come from? Our Crack team uncovered the tagline was developed to be a two-part phrase. Here were the contenders:
At this point, the project was moved out of the Vista team and sent over to the Windows Mobile team:
At this point the project was kicked over to the Xbox team:
Then Ballmer got a hold of it and said:
.
Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:53 pm Apple launches iPhone 4 free case programFROM APPLETELL - Apple’s iPhone 4 Case Program is now live. If you have an iPhone 4, download the app, request your free case, and stop complaining. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:52 pm A Facebook With Privacy? [Voices]By Nitrozac and Snaggy
Source: All Things Digital | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:45 pm Microsoft redesigns ARM chip pact - CNET
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:45 pm Smuggled iPads poised to flood China from Hong Kong - Washington Post
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:45 pm Help BP Learn How to Use PhotoshopHelp us teach BP how to use Photoshop by doing a better job altering their press photos than they did.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:40 pm CTIA-The Wireless Association® Filed Lawsuit Against San Francisco for the So-Called 'Cell Phone Right-to-Know' OrdinanceWASHINGTON, July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, CTIA-The Wireless Association® filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court Northern District of California San Francisco Division to block enforcement of the San Francisco "Cell Phone Right-to-Know" ordinance. The ordinance challenges the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) determination that all FCC-compliant wireless handsets are safe by mandating that retailers post Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) values. The ordinance misleads consumers by creating the false impression that the FCC's standards are insufficient and that some phones are "safer" than others based on their radiofrequency (RF) emissions. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100629/DC28223LOGO-a) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100629/DC28223LOGO-a) All phones sold legally in the United States must comply with the FCC's safety standards for RF emissions. According to the FCC, its standards limit RF exposures well below the level where RF emissions are potentially harmful and thus all wireless phones are safe as measured by these standards. The scientific evidence does not support point-of-sale requirements that would suggest some compliant phones are "safer" than other compliant phones based on their RF exposure test results. San Francisco's attempt to regulate the sale of wireless handsets improperly intrudes upon the FCC's exclusive and comprehensive regulation of the safety of wireless handsets. The ordinance is thus not only scientifically unsupported, it violates the Supremacy Clause in Article VI of the United States Constitution and must be stricken. CTIA-The Wireless Association Vice President of Public Affairs John Walls released the following statement: "CTIA has filed this lawsuit to prevent consumer confusion. The problem with the San Francisco ordinance is not the disclosure of wireless phone SAR values - that information is already publicly available. Consumers can learn a device's SAR value from a number of public sources, and the value is often included in user manuals and listed on the websites of manufacturers and the FCC. CTIA's objection to the ordinance is that displaying a phone's SAR value at the point-of-sale suggests to the consumer that there is a meaningful safety distinction between FCC-compliant devices with different SAR levels. "The FCC has determined that all wireless phones legally sold in the United States are 'safe.' The FCC monitors scientific research on a regular basis, and its standard for RF exposure is based on recommended guidelines adopted by U.S. and international standard-setting bodies. Furthermore, according to the experts at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the available scientific evidence shows no known health risk due to the RF energy emitted by cell phones. As the FDA states on its website, '[t]he weight of scientific evidence has not linked cell phones with any health problems.' "In contrast, the message conveyed by the San Francisco ordinance to consumers is that the FCC's standards are insufficient and that the safety of an FCC-authorized wireless device depends on its SAR level. Therefore, the ordinance contradicts the thorough review of the science by the FCC, FDA and other U.S. and international expert agencies, and will send consumers the false message that there is a safety difference between wireless devices that comply with the FCC's stringent standards. "The wireless industry is committed to consumer choice. That means providing consumers with the best information to assist them in making the right choice for them when purchasing a device and services. The San Francisco ordinance, by conveying a misleading impression about the relative safety of wireless phones, will hinder - rather than assist - consumers in making their choices." To read CTIA's lawsuit that was filed in the U.S. District Court Northern District of California San Francisco Division, please visit: www.ctia.org/sflawsuit CTIA-The Wireless Association® (www.ctia.org) is an international organization representing the wireless communications industry. Membership in the association includes wireless carriers and their suppliers, as well as providers and manufacturers of wireless data services and products. CTIA advocates on behalf of its members at all levels of government. The association also coordinates the industry's voluntary best practices and initiatives, and sponsors the industry's leading wireless tradeshows. CTIA was founded in 1984 and is based in Washington, DC. SOURCE CTIA-The Wireless AssociationSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:39 pm Will An Asteroid Hit Earth?If you live in fear of asteroids, then here's a sobering fact for you: Our planet absorbs asteroid impacts like a truck grille eats bugs. Plus, according to Donald K. Yeomans, most aren’t worth getting bent out of shape over. ...Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:27 pm Jon Miller On New MySpace: “It’s Rock And Roll”
MySpace is “pregnant with product,” Miller says, and adds that they want to “go younger” to get back to the core part of their user base. He also added that MySpace has been surprised with how quickly mobile usage has ramped, and that it took them a little bit by surprise. They’re embracing mobile in a big way now, he says. The new MySpace should launch sometime in the mid Fall, he says. When asked what MySpace looks like a year from now, he said to expect a “very revitalized experience.”      
Source: TechCrunch | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:24 pm QOTD: Did I Really Say 'Premier' OS, Steve? What I Meant Was … [Digital Daily]QOTD: Did I Really Say ‘Premier’ OS, Steve? What I Meant Was … [Digital Daily]
Source: All Things Digital | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:19 pm Baidu Seeks Android Deal, China Listing [Voices]By Owen Fletcher, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal Chinese Internet search giant Baidu Inc. (BIDU) is gearing for a battle on rival Google Inc.’s (GOOG) own turf: Phones that use Google’s Android operating system. The Beijing-based company is in talks with mobile handset makers that use the Android software about embedding a Baidu search box on their phones that are destined for the Chinese market, the company’s Chief Executive Robin Li said in an interview. Targeting Android phones deepens Baidu’s competition with Google in China, as both companies look to expand in the small but fast-growing mobile search market there. Android phones made up a tiny 0.4 percent of the 7.25 million smartphones sold in China during the last three months of 2009, according to Beijing-based technology research firm Analysys International. Still, Baidu wants to capture as much of this budding market as early as possible. The company is in similar talks with makers of other mobile operating systems and handsets that run their software, Mr. Li said. Baidu’s goal: To have “a search box very prominently on the phone’s screen.” Though he declined to name any companies, he said, “We are talking to quite a few big names.” Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 23 Jul 2010 | 1:05 pm Hijacked Supplies For PathogensLegionnaire’s disease bacteria tap into the material transport in immune cellsWhen it infects the lungs, the Legionnaire’s bacterium Legionella pneumophila causes acute pneumonia. The pathogen’s modus operandi is particularly ingenious: it infiltrates deliberately into cells of the human immune system and injects a host of proteins which then interfere in the normal cellular processes. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund have now discovered how Legionella reprogrammes the cells to ensure its own survival and to propagate. They examined a protein used by the pathogen to divert the material transport within the cells for its own purposes. (Science, July 22, 2010)During a Legionella infection, the bacteria are engulfed by immune cells and bound by a membrane in the cell interior. Legionella protects itself against destruction by releasing proteins that reprogramme the human cell and exploit it for its own purposes. One of these proteins is DrrA. Previous studies succeeded in demonstrating that DrrA diverts the material transport in human cells in the direction of the pathogen, using what are known as Rab proteins for this purpose.Rab proteins are switch molecules that coordinate transport vesicles within cells. In this capacity, they ensure that these membrane-bound vesicles reach the correct destination at the right time. Of the total of 60 different Rab proteins, DrrA specifically uses the Rab1 molecule for its own purposes: it deposits Rab1 on the membrane enclosing the bacteria and activates it. As a result, part of the material transport of the human cell is diverted to the vesicle containing the bacterium.The structural and biochemical analysis of DrrA led the Dortmund-based scientists to make an astonishing discovery: DrrA is not only capable of activating Rab1, it also appears to be able to extend its activated state. To this end, DrrA blocks the switching-off of Rab1 and the necessary recognition site for regulatory proteins by attaching an AMP molecule to Rab1. "The permanent activation of Rab1 by DrrA could ensure increased material transport in the direction of the Legionella containing compartment and hence support its survival," concludes Aymelt Itzen from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology."These results represent an example of how the molecular analysis of bacterial diseases can help us not only to understand the cellular mechanisms involved in an infection, but also the functioning of healthy cells," explains Roger Goody from the Dortmund Institute. In the case of Legionnaire’s disease, the study of the bacterial protein DrrA reveals how a human regulatory protein (Rab1) is activated in a targeted way and maintained in an active state. This raises the question as to whether Legionella devised this kind of regulation or whether healthy cells can also control material transport in a similar but hitherto unknown way. ---On the Net:Max Planck SocietySource: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:50 pm CO2 Reduction Policies In Spain Strengthen The Services SectorA study by the Basque Center for Climate Change (BC3) has analysed the expected economic impact in Spain of the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs) set by the Kyoto Protocol for the period 2008-2012 and for the phase afterwards or post-Kyoto phase. In addition, the services sector will come out on top in comparison to sectors such as industrial or energy sectors."CO2 restriction policies in Spain have an impact on the economy, in other words, making it lean more towards an economy of services. The weight of the industry and energy sectors is reduced, and this is due to the fact that there is a change in production and consumption patterns resulting from CO2 which will come at a price", Mikel González-Eguino, author of the study and researcher for BC3 explains to SINC .The study, which is published in the journal Investigación Económica also indicates that these policies encourage a minor change in consumption patterns. "The creation of a tax on CO2 may cause emissions to reduce, and change the habits related to large-scale energy consumption", states the expert.The investigation follows an economic analysis model called "general equilibrium", which makes it possible to analyse the effects of global policies such as those for reducing CO2. The research data come from the National Institute of Statistics (INE in Spanish) and from the energy balances of the European Union (EU) statistics agency EUROSTAT.What are the costs of the emission of GHGs?The methodology responds to questions such as: What are the general costs of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for different degrees of reduction of emissions and different speeds of reduction?"We analyse the targeting (emission reduction objective) and the timing, in other words, the extent to which this objective progresses or is delayed in time", points out the investigator. In this sense, the impact of the timing of CO2 reduction is determined by technological evolution."The conclusion is that if technology evolves following the current trend the best option is above all to reduce emissions rather than postpone it in time because the difference in costs is relatively insignificant. However, if technology evolves in a more radical way and in the short-term, for example, with new batteries to produce electric cars that are much cheaper than the current ones or substantial advances arise in renewable energy to replace other technology, it would be more profitable to delay the reduction of emissions.Policies for reducing emissions in SpainIn the Kyoto Protocol Spain committed to increase its emissions by no more than 15% compared to the levels in 1990. This objective was extended through the National Allocation Plan (2008-2012) to 24% through by counting carbon sinks (2%) and the purchase of credits in the market of rights (7%).In 2007 emissions exceeded 50% and positioned Spain as one of the European countries furthest from meeting its objectives. Even though this trend started to reverse in 2006 (the economy grew by 4% and emissions fell by 4%), it was the economic crisis (2008-2009) which forced a reduction in emissions.---On the Net:FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and TechnologySource: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:48 pm 70,000 lose blogs in terrorism investigation of Canadian blogging serviceSection: Computers, Security, Web
As for the 70,000+ users who lost their blogs and data, it’s not yet known if they’ll get them back. Burst says it’s not their problem, although they are considering turning over a copy of Blogetery’s data, and Blogetery hasn’t yet commented. Critics say it’s unfair to punish innocent users over what are for now, mere unproven allegations. Read [CNet] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:46 pm Relationships Hold Key To Spiritual CareRelationships hold the key to giving terminally ill patients the spiritual care they need. However, researchers have pinpointed a mismatch between patients' expectations and understanding when it comes to spirituality, and what medical and family caregivers offer. New recommendations to improve this situation appear today, in the journal Palliative Medicine, published by SAGE.The terms 'spirituality' and 'spiritual care' are becoming buzzwords in palliative care. But although most terminally ill patients rate care for their spiritual needs as very important, the professionals caring for them often have trouble defining what that means.Using the definition of spirituality 'a personal search for meaning and purpose in life, which may or may not be related to religion,' Cardiff University's Adrian Edwards together with Hong Kong based researchers Naomi Pang, Vicky Shiu and Cecelia Chan scoured the palliative care literature to create a systematic meta-study of spirituality. They incorporated qualitative data from 19 studies on 178 patients and 116 healthcare providers in their analysis.Edwards' team found that although policy organizations advocate integrating physical, psychosocial and spiritual aspects within palliative care, not all patients understand the term 'spirituality.' Having said that, according to quantitative studies, 87 percent of patients consider spirituality important in their lives, while 51 to 77 percent of patients specifically consider religion important. The initial challenge is to clarify what spirituality means in healthcare, and to reduce the gap between policy and patient expectations.The articles selected for the meta-study were published between 2001 and 2009, and encompassed patients from the UK, US, Australia, Taiwan and Japan, and included atheists, Taoists, Christians and Buddhists. The majority, however, were white, with a Judeo-Christian background, and suffering from cancer.In their literature searches, the investigators found that spirituality principally focused on relationships, rather than just meaning making.Some other conclusions include that the division between the terms 'spirituality' and 'spiritual care' in the literature was artificial, and in fact the terms were used interchangeably. 'Relationships' surfaced as crucial factors all areas: Relationships formed an integral part of spirituality; were a spiritual need; caused spiritual distress when they were broken; and were the way through which spiritual care was given.The best caregivers practiced self-reflection and awareness. Stumbling blocks to trust included social, religious or cultural discordance, inappropriateness, judgement or proselytising. The way around this was to avoid religion but instead share common humanity – a 'spirit-to-spirit' relationship."A 'spirit to spirit' framework for spiritual care-giving respects individual personhood," says Edwards, "This was achieved in the way physical care was given, by focusing on presence, journeying together, listening, connecting, creating openings, and engaging in reciprocal sharing."Unfortunately, family caregivers are 'under-utilised' when it comes to offering spiritual care, with barriers including lack of time, personal, cultural or institutional factors, and professional educational needs. "By addressing these, we may make an important contribution to the improvement of patient care towards the end of life," Edwards suggests.---On the Net:SAGE Publications UKPalliative MedicineSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:43 pm Comic-Con Exclusive Toys Will Thrill Your Inner FanboyFrom devilishly plush pork to serious-looking alien weaponry, toy makers roll out the geeky goods at San Diego's massive pop-culture convention.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:40 pm Help Film a Time Capsule for Future GenerationsDirector Kevin MacDonald and producer Ridley Scott beseech you to film a slice of your day on Saturday, July 24, and upload it to a special channel on YouTube, so that they can weave the footage into a documentary to inform and amuse future generations.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:40 pm Report Finds Bioenergy Production Can Expand Across Africa Without Displacing FoodPolicies needed to address potential conflicts, but report views bioenergy as crucial to 'unlocking Africa's latent potential'Crops can be produced for bioenergy on a significant scale in west, eastern and southern Africa without doing damage to food production or natural habitats, according to a report produced by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Imperial College London, and CAMCO International. The study was released today at the 5th African Agriculture Science Week in Burkina Faso."If approached with the proper policies and processes and with the inclusion of all the various stakeholders, bioenergy is not only compatible with food production; it can also greatly benefit agriculture in Africa," said Dr. Rocio Diaz-Chavez, the report's lead author and Research Fellow at Imperial College London. "Bioenergy production can bring investments in land, infrastructure, and human resources that could help unlock Africa's latent potential and positively increase food production."The conclusions of the report, Mapping Food and Bioenergy in Africa, were drawn from a review of existing research and case studies of biofuel production and policy in six countries: Senegal, Mali, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, and Mozambique. Among the report's findings is that there is enough land available to significantly increase the cultivation of crops, such as sugar cane, sorghum, and jatropha for biofuels without diminishing food production.The case studies found that interest is growing across Africa in bioenergy to address both income and energy needs. For example, ethanol can be blended with fossil fuels to reduce dependence on expensive fuel imports that are a major drag on economic development. Ethanol also can be used in cooking stoves, reducing dependence on unhealthy and environmentally destructive charcoal and wood. In addition, using biodiesel to power electrical generators is of keen interest in many areas, given the challenges facing the power grid across Africa.But as global demand escalates for biodiesel and ethanol, a key concern has emerged that a rush to expand production in Africa, particularly for export, could usurp land and resources needed food crops. But Diaz-Chavez said evidence uncovered in the FARA report finds "food versus bioenergy" should not be the choice, and that the more relevant discussion today is how to properly integrate bioenergy into agriculture production systems in different regions of Africa.For example, the report concludes that sugar cane production for biofuels could be doubled in many areas "without reducing food production or destroying valuable habitats." Furthermore, Diaz-Chavez said it's clear that many African countries are sensitive to potential conflicts with food production and are pursuing policies that address this concern."There have been individual instances where bioenergy production has produced negative impacts, but that does not mean it is not possible to develop this sector in a sustainable manner," she said.For example, Mozambique has adopted a policy that designates only sugar cane and sweet sorghum for ethanol and jatropha and coconut for biodiesel. In South Africa, Parliament has decreed that maize can no longer be used for biofuel. Mali does not allow food crops to be used for biofuel production. Also, the report finds programs in Mali to increase production of jatropha, a shrub that produces seeds that can be converted into fuel, are benefiting local smallholder farmers "without compromising food production."The analysis reveals that the challenge today is not so much whether bioenergy production can co-exist with food production but rather how it can be scaled-up to help African countries realize their potential."There are the same challenges you see for any crops, which is if you don't have adequate resources, you cannot boost production," she said. For example, the report concludes that in the less developed countries of Africa, "it is possible to triple yields by using improved management practices, potentially freeing up more land for bioenergy production."Part of the study was devoted to identifying or "mapping" the wide array of groups in Africa who are getting involved in various aspects of bioenergy production. They include farmers groups, NGOs, industry and, in governments, agriculture, transport, energy, and environment ministries and agencies."We know there is intense interest in many sectors, but the problem is they are not necessarily communicating with one another," said Dr. Monty Jones, Executive Director of FARA. "It is a situation that offers an opportunity for FARA, as an organization with partners in the public and private sector across the region, to provide a forum that brings all of these different interests together to form a cohesive and inclusive approach to bioenergy production."At a discussion of the report during the Science Week, a key issue that emerged was that bioenergy issues must be part of a broader conversation about how to meet the energy needs of African farmers."Energy is the key to modernizing agriculture in Africa," said Dr. Ibrahim Togola, who heads an agriculture industry development group in Mail and is a professor at Mali's Rural Polytechnical Institute. "We need to make our politicians understand that we will never have an agriculture revolution in Africa without having access to modern energy services," he said.---On the Net:Burness CommunicationsSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:28 pm White Eyes, Foot-Wide Flowers, Maroon PlantsAgriLife Research creating unique winter-hardy hibiscusesWith a little cross-breeding and some determination, Dr. Dariusz Malinowski, Texas AgriLife Research plant physiologist and forage agronomist in Vernon, is trying to add more colors to the world of hibiscuses.Malinowski is working on breeding winter-hardy hibiscus in what started as a hobby about four years ago, but in the last year has been added to the strategic plan of the Vernon research program.Commercialization of the flowers by Malinowski; co-worker Dr. William Pinchak, AgriLife Research-Vernon; and Steve Brown, Texas Foundation Seed Service program director, is a part of the research on non-traditional or under-utilized crops that have value because of drought tolerance.The hardy hibiscus is a great candidate because it is a carefree plant. It doesn't have to be watered once it gets established, is low maintenance and has little disease or insect pressure, he said.Malinowski said one objective of the breeding program is to create lines or cultivars with a range of colors. Presently, commercial cultivars come basically in three colors - white, red and pink."We have created so far many more colors, like lavender or mauve, different shades of fuscia and pinks," he said. "One flower we have, we want to have an almost burgundy color. Another is lavender with a big flower, big petals. And we have a plum color that is rare in hibiscus."The goal is to have at least 11- to 12-inch diameter flowers, Malinowski said."We can manipulate the color and still maintain the large flowers with nice texture," he said. "We also can combine the trait of a large flower with dual colors and nice texture. That is an important value for the next step of the breeding program, to create dual colored flowers."Malinowski said one of the species used in the breeding program is a Texas native called Texas Star Hibiscus. The value of this particular species is it provides a very different shape of flower and very different position of pollen on the stigma than found in traditional cultivars.With the pollen allocated on top of the stigma, it gives the flower a very tropical look, he said."We have successfully incorporated this trait to several of the breeding lines," Malinowski said. "They are similar to the Texas Star Hibiscus, but with much larger petals, much bigger flowers, and different colors."Another objective of the breeding program is to create cultivars with dark leaves, he said. Already he has been able to produce one plant with maroon leaves, almost brown in color."Such plants do not exist on the market today," Malinowski said, adding that is what his breeding program is all about – trying to provide consumers with something different that survives the winters in this region.The way the maroon-leaved plant was created, he said, was to use some of their hybrids with darker, reddish stems, and make multiple crosses among them."Within two generations by crossing them, we were able to create a plant with not only dark stems, but maroon leaves," Malinowski said.Larger flowers and different colors are a big part of the program, but now Malinowski is also trying to change the traits of the eye of the hibiscus."Our new objective is to create red flowering hibiscus with a white eye," he said. "Usually hibiscus flowers have a dark red or maroon or brown center eye, but rarely do they have a white eye. Last year we found a plant with large soft-pink flowers and a white eye. We are trying to transfer the trait of the white eye with the red flowering types."Malinowski made this cross just recently. He said now the plant is expected to double up with fruit or seeds. It will take about six to eight weeks from pollination to collect mature seeds. Later, those seeds will be planted again with the hope "one or more of them will have the trait of red flowers with white eyes."Breeding a line or new cultivar of winter-hardy hibiscus takes several years, Malinowski said. The cultivars he develops should be commercially available in two to three years in major garden centers.In 2009, Malinowski produced about 600 crosses of hardy hibiscus and planted about 2,500 hybrids for evaluation during 2010.To date, about 50 percent of the hybrids have bloomed and there are several of them with exceptional commercial value, he said. These lines will be vegetatively propagated and evaluated.One goal left for the breeding program is to create a blue flowering hibiscus, Malinowski said.The hibiscus can basically be grown from South Central Texas to Canada, as long as the required winter period is long enough for them to go dormant after the first frost, Malinowski said. The plants re-sprout from the root the following spring.---On the Net:Texas A&M AgriLife CommunicationsSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:24 pm Graphene Organic Photovoltaics, Or, Will Joggers' T-Shirts Someday Power Their Cell Phones?A flexible, printable material 4-or-fewer-atoms-thick may be a high road to economical and convenient electrical power from the sunA University of Southern California team has produced flexible transparent carbon atom films that the researchers say have great potential for a new breed of solar cells."Organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells have been proposed as a means to achieve low cost energy due to their ease of manufacture, light weight, and compatibility with flexible substrates," wrote Chongwu Zhou, a professor of electrical engineering in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, in a paper recently published in the journal ACS Nano.The technique described in the article describes progress toward a novel OPV cell design that has significant advantages, particularly in the area of physical flexibility.A critical aspect of any OPV photo-electronic device is a transparent conductive electrode through which light can couple with active materials to create electricity. The new work indicates that graphene, a highly conductive and highly transparent form of carbon made up of atoms-thick sheets of carbon atoms, has high potential to fill this role.While graphene's existence has been known for decades, it has only been studied extensively since 2004 because of the difficulty of manufacturing it in high quality and in quantity.The Zhou lab reported the large scale production of graphene films by chemical vapor deposition three years ago. In this process, the USC engineering team creates ultra thin graphene sheets by first depositing carbon atoms in the form of graphene films on a nickel plate from methane gas.Then they lay down a protective layer of thermo plastic over the graphene layer, and then dissolve the nickel underneath in an acid bath. In the final step they attach the plastic-protected graphene to a very flexible polymer sheet, which can then be incorporated into a OPV cell. (see diagram)The USC team has produced graphene/polymer sheets ranging in sizes up to 150 square centimeters that in turn can be used to create dense arrays of flexible OPV cells.These OPV devices convert solar radiation to electricity, but not as efficiently as silicon cells. The power provided by sunlight on a sunny day is about 1000 watts per meter square. "For every 1000 watts of sunlight that hits a one square meter area of the standard silicon solar cell, 14 watts of electricity will be generated," says Lewis Gomez De Arco, a doctoral student and a member of the team that built the graphene OPVs. "Organic solar cells are less efficient; their conversion rate for that same one thousand watts of sunlight in the graphene-based solar cell would be only 1.3 watts."But what graphene OPVs lack in efficiency, they can potentially more than make for in lower price and, greater physical flexibility. Gomez De Arco thinks that it may eventually be possible to run printing presses laying extensive areas covered with inexpensive solar cells, much like newspaper presses print newspapers."They could be hung as curtains in homes or even made into fabric and be worn as power generating clothing. I can imagine people powering their cellular phone or music/video device while jogging in the sun," he said.The USC researchers say graphene OPVs would be major advance in at least one crucial area over a rival OPV design, one based on Indium–Tin–Oxide (ITO). In the USC team's tests, ITO cells failed at a very small angle of bending, while the graphene-based cells remained operational after repeated bending at much larger stress angles. This would give the graphene solar cells a decided advantage in some uses, including the printed-on-fabric applications proposed by the USC team.Zhou and the other researchers on the USC team – which included Yi Zhang, Cody W. Schlenker, Koungmin Ryu, and Mark E. Thompson in addition to Gomez de Arco — are excited by the potential for this technology.Their paper concludes that their approach constitutes a significant advance toward the production of transparent conductive electrodes in solar cells. "CVD graphene meets the most important criteria of abundance, low cost, conductivity, stability, electrode/organic film compatibility, and flexibility that are necessary to replace ITO in organic photovoltaics, which may have important implications for future organic optoelectronic devices."---On the Net:University of Southern CaliforniaACS NanoSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:22 pm Choice Cell Phone Service to Launch in NevadaCASTLE ROCK, Colo., July 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the first time in rural Nevada, residents and businesses from McDermitt to Beatty will have access to affordable cell phone service without long-term contracts or credit checks. Beginning in August, Choice will offer unlimited local voice, text and data with monthly plan options starting at $30 per month. Choice Pay As You Go plans give customers the flexibility to pay for and use as many or as few services as they want, for only 10 cents per minute on local and long distance calls. All Choice plans will offer high-speed and affordable Internet, texting, picture messaging and local and long distance calling to customers in Choice coverage areas. Through Choice, top quality service will also be available to those previously without coverage by any carrier. "The availability of Choice means rural areas in Nevada will have access to affordable wireless voice and data without long-term commitments," said Choice Vice President of Distribution, Wayne Gibson. "By offering unlimited, contract-free voice and data plans, Choice will soon become a household name in Nevada." Free Choice phones and 100 minutes per month, as well as discounts on additional services to families and individuals who qualify for governmental assistance via the Lifeline program, will also be available. Families and residents of tribal lands who meet certain requirements may also be eligible for additional subsidies. Authorized Choice Agents will be located in Beatty, Denio, Gerlach-Empire, Round Mountain, Tonopah and Winnemucca, and plans to expand to other areas. About Choice: Choice stands for premier telecommunications services at affordable rates in rural United States. "Choice"(SM) is part of the Atlantic Tele-Network (Nasdaq: ATNI) family of telecommunications companies and brands. ATN owns and operates advanced wireless, wireline, and both terrestrial and submarine fiber optic networks in North America and the Caribbean. SOURCE ChoiceSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:17 pm Virtual Cells Cooperate Like AntsThe cooperative behavior of ants and slime molds is mimicked in a computer model and could lead to new ways of delivering drugs inside the body.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:11 pm MKM Partners Hires Software Research AnalystSTAMFORD Conn., July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- MKM Partners today announced that Aaron Schwartz, CFA, has joined as Executive Director in its Equity Research department to cover enterprise software companies. He will be based in MKM's Stamford headquarters. Mr. Schwartz has covered the software industry as an equity research analyst for 10 years. He has a wide range of industry knowledge, with previous company coverage across a range of subsectors, including virtualization, network and systems management, storage and security software. Aaron was most recently a Senior Vice President at Ladenburg Thalmann. Prior to that, he spent 10 years at J.P. Morgan, where he served as a Senior Equity Research Analyst covering the software industry. Aaron holds a B.A. from Rollins College and is a CFA charterholder. "I am excited about joining the proven and growing team at MKM Partners," Aaron remarked. "I look forward to providing the high-quality and insightful research that MKM's research team is known for." "Aaron brings a combination of bulge-bracket research experience and high-touch, independent thinking to MKM's highly regarded institutional equity research franchise," MKM Partners CEO Richard R. Castellano said. "This maps directly onto MKM's client-facing strategy." ABOUT MKM PARTNERS MKM Partners is an institutional equity research, sales and trading firm. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, with offices in New York City, Boston and across the U.S., MKM provides clients with actionable and unbiased economic, technical, derivative, event-driven and fundamental research and has trade execution abilities in U.S. and foreign equity markets and in U.S. options markets. In addition to offering timely access to its traders and analysts, MKM focuses on delivering exceptional service to institutional clients across its trading and research platforms. More information about MKM Partners can be accessed at www.mkmpartners.com. For more information, contact: Richard R. Castellano, CEO (203) 861-9060 SOURCE MKM Partners LLCSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:09 pm Video: BoomTown Gets Blogging Tips From Yahoo (Actually, From Its New Style Guide, That Is!) [BoomTown]
Yahoo has been trying of late to double down on its digital content hegemony–from buying social media maker Associated Content to a range of new initiatives such as Upshot, an effort to delve deeper into the new push to determine content selections based on search. And now, it’s also trying to take over the old-dead-trees part of the equation with the publication of a massive style guide about new media publishing, which came out earlier this month, titled “The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, And Creating Content For The Digital World.” The hefty tome was edited by Chris Barr, Yahoo’s senior editorial director, who told me in an interview last week that the company was trying to create the Associated Press Stylebook–which has been the classic standard for traditional media–of the next era. “Things in editorial have changed so much in how content is created and published, so we felt the digital space had to have a definitive guide to deal with a whole new set of issues,” said Barr. “And we felt, given how big a role we play in online content, that we really were in a position to do that.” Indeed, and here is a little video tribute I did using the book: [ See post to watch video ] Source: All Things Digital | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:05 pm ARM Deal Could Extend Microsoft's Reach [Voices]By John Murrell Microsoft today extended and expanded its relationship with ARM with a new licensing agreement giving it intimate access to the processor architecture for the first time. The two companies were vague about the intent behind the deal, and while the possibility of Microsoft getting into the chip business seemed remote, there was plenty of speculation about ARM-based tablets or other devices running Windows Phone OS or a ported version of Windows, or perhaps some new guts for the Xbox. Source: All Things Digital | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:02 pm Meteor Crater Discovered With Google EarthResearchers poring over Google Earth images discover one of Earth’s freshest impact craters -- a 45-meter-wide pock in southwestern Egypt that probably was excavated by a fast-moving iron meteorite no more than a few thousand years ago.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 12:00 pm Why India’s $35 Tablet May Be Just a Dream
A prototype tablet from India that looks similar to the iPad but costs a few hundred dollars less than the magical device is on its way, according to the country’s government officials who showed the device at an event Thursday. The Linux-based tablet from India is priced at $35 with the potential to drop it to either $20 or $10. The tablet will support video conferencing and wireless, have open source software on it including Open Office, and will include a media player. It will also have a solar-power option. The government has not disclosed details about the tablet’s processing power, memory or storage. It is also not clear if the device will have a touchscreen or a pen-based input. The Indian government hopes to bring the tablet into production in 2011, but first it must find partners to build it. So far, no manufacturers have been announced, though officials claim several have expressed interest. The success of Apple’s iPad and the demand among consumers for a slick media-consumption tablet has spurred the quest for a low-cost device that has the looks of an iPad and the functionality of a laptop. The One Laptop Per Child Project in the United States recently announced that it is planning to create a $75 OLPC tablet. But the first version of that tablet is unlikely to be available before the end of next year. OLPC’s current low-cost laptop sells for $200. In March, chip maker Marvell showed a prototype that will offer web access and high-definition content for just $100. The tablet called Moby will be targeted at students, says Marvell, and it will run Marvell’s Armada 600 series of application processors. So far, Marvell’s $100 tablets have yet to go beyond a reference design. Current estimates on the cost of components show that getting the cost of a device below $100 isn’t easy. The cheapest version of Apple’s iPad costs $500. A teardown of the iPad shows the bill of materials alone for it is $230. A six-inch black-and-white screen on a Kindle 2 alone costs $60, according to iSuppli. To create its $35 tablet, the Indian government says it partnered with some of the country’s best technical universities including the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Students involved in the project created their own motherboard and PCBs for the device, say officials. Interestingly, the government says private companies in the country showed little interest in the idea. The bill of materials of a prototype tablet came to $47. But officials didn’t explain how they think that cost can shrink to $35 and lower. “It could be seen that by customizing the device to the needs of learners across the country, and by utilizing the processor capabilities of the processors suitable for the purpose, it was possible to substantially reduce the prices of such access-cum-computing devices,” a press release from the country’s Press Information Bureau said. Deciphering that is not easy. Even more puzzling is that the announcement of the tablet did not mention who will manufacture the product or how it will be distributed. It is also not clear if the $35 price tag includes a small profit margin or if the product will be sold entirely at cost. Despite the introduction of the latest tablet with much fanfare, India doesn’t have a history of delivering on its much-hyped promises about electronic devices. For instance, Indian startup Notion Ink has been promising a tablet for months called Adam that is yet to hit the market. In February 2009, Indian government officials announced a $10 laptop that ultimately proved to be vaporware. The $35 tablet could go the same way. See Also:
Photo: Trak.in 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:55 am Why India's $35 Tablet May Be Just a DreamA $35 tablet from India is on its way, says the Indian government. But the country doesn't have a history of delivering on its much-hyped promises about electronic devices.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:55 am Why India's $35 Tablet May Be Just a DreamA $35 tablet from India is on its way, says the Indian government. But the country doesn't have a history of delivering on its much-hyped promises about electronic devices.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:55 am Barclaycard Contactless Technology Rolls Out Across Co-Operative Stores NationwideNORTHAMPTON, England, July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Barclaycard joins forces with The Co-operative Food as it becomes the UK's first major grocery retailer to introduce contactless payment in its stores nationwide. The contactless roll-out will begin with a pilot in 100 Co-operative food stores next year after an agreement was signed with Barclaycard in partnership with Visa. If the pilot is successful, The Co-operative will roll out the terminals to the majority of its food stores in time for the 2012 Olympics, which is being billed as a contactless event, where visitors are expected to experience the full convenience of contactless payment on transport, tickets and other low value purchases. Contactless payment allows customers to make purchases of 15 pounds Sterling or less, without the need to enter a PIN or insert their card into a payment terminal. Once the card has been held over the contactless terminal, the secure transaction uses the tried and tested Chip and PIN technology to automatically add the purchase to the customer's credit card or debit it from their current account. Contactless payment, which is already commonplace and proving popular in the USA and Asia, is ideal for transactions where speed is essential, especially at supermarkets and petrol stations. Roll-out of contactless payment in the UK began in 2007 and there are now over nine million contactless enabled cards in circulation. Sean Toal, commercial director, Food Retail, The Co-operative Group, said: "This is a great opportunity for The Co-operative to work in partnership with Barclaycard to become the first major food retailer in the UK to roll-out this unique payment method. It has received an excellent reception from both customers and retailers where it has been launched overseas and is ideal for our store portfolio." Mark Hale, director of Food IS, The Co-operative Group, added: "Contactless payment has huge benefits for our customers. In essence, this innovative technology will mean increased customer choice and faster transaction speed, which will vastly improve the customer experience." Contactless payment will also increase throughput as research has shown that a large number of customers will walk out of a shop if they see an excessive queue length. Stuart Neal, head of UK Payment Acceptance at Barclaycard, said: "We're absolutely delighted that The Co-operative is joining forces with Barclaycard to roll out contactless payments across all of its stores. For a household name such as The Co-operative to commit to the technology really shows that it is the future of payments, and we are looking forward to working with them to further enhance the in-store experience for their customers." Notes to Editors: About Barclaycard: Barclaycard, part of Barclays Global Retail Banking division, is a leading global payment business which helps consumers, retailers and businesses to make and accept payments flexibly, and to access low interest rate credit cards, build credit and provides its own customer rewards scheme. Barclays and Barclaycard are leading the way in introducing contactless and there are now over eight million contactless-enabled Barclaycards and Barclays debit cards, helping retailers reduce queuing and cut the cost of card transactions. In line with its history of providing customers with innovative payment forms, Barclaycard also intends to make payments by mobile phone available to the mass market by 2012. Barclays and Barclaycard are the leading providers of contactless terminals in the UK with 25,000 live and accepting payment throughout the country for retailers including Pret A Manger, Subway, Yo! Sushi and EAT. About The Co-operative Group The Co-operative Group stands apart from other major retailers in the UK as a business which is owned, not by a small group of shareholders, but by more than five million consumers. With core interests in food, financial services, travel, pharmacy, funerals and farms, it has an annual turnover of 14 billion pounds Sterling, employs 123,000 staff and operates over 5,000 retail trading outlets handling more than 20 million weekly transactions. For further information please contact: Andrew Bond Barclaycard Press Office Barclaycard 1234 Pavilion Drive Northampton NN4 7SG +44 (0)1604 25 1229 www.barclaycard.co.uk SOURCE BarclaycardSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:49 am NNDS Announces Opening of Education Innovation Center in BadenSite of former Mount Gallitzin Academy to feature model learning environments, supplemental educational support programs, and research and development component BADEN, Pa., July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Network of Digital Schools (NNDS) today announced the launch of its first education innovation center to be opened here this fall at the former Mount Gallitzin Academy. The center, the first in a network of innovation centers planned by NNDS, will be a multi-use educational facility offering a variety of learning programs. The first of these will be the Building Blocks Learning Center program for students enrolled in 4- and 5-year-old kindergarten at The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. Beginning in mid-September, this program will offer enrichment activities and supplemental services designed to lay the foundation for elementary education. The program, which is sponsored in part by computer manufacturer NCS Technologies, Inc., will be provided at no cost to students enrolled in PA Cyber. Families participating in the Building Blocks program may choose from a comprehensive menu that will provide flexibility and individualized service. The Baden center also will serve as the research and development headquarters for NNDS' Pennsylvania Digital Learning Network, which is launching its pilot program with 12 Pennsylvania school districts during the 2010-11 school year. Dr. James Barker, executive director the Pennsylvania Digital Learning Network project said that, like the model planned for Baden, all of NNDS' innovation centers will offer active, multifaceted learning environments that will provide a concrete approach to dispelling the common misperception that digital education is a dry approach to teaching and learning. "Our long-range goal is to create a system of education in which students and teachers alike actively participate in creating rigorous, meaningful, and effective educational applications and experiences," Barker said. "The education system we envision will be highly collaborative, reciprocal, and constantly evolving." Each NNDS innovation center will offer lively and intimate online/digital learning applications and experiences in brick-and-mortar settings in which students can go far beyond traditional learning methods by exploring a virtually-unlimited and e-powered range of subjects under the guidance of master teachers from around the world. The Sisters of St. Joseph will lease the former academy building to NNDS. Barker said the decision to locate the innovation center within the walls of the former Catholic school is purposeful. "By placing this education innovation center at a beautiful, century-old building that was once used for a very traditional style of education, we are going to demonstrate that such facilities can be easily and cost-effectively re-purposed to capitalize upon the opportunities being created in a digital world," Barker said. SOURCE National Network of Digital SchoolsSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:38 am Shields Up!: Dell ships motherboard with malware infested firmwareSection: Computers, Security, Features
The affected servers include the PowerEdge R310, PowerEdge R410, PowerEdge R510 and PowerEdge T410. The company is contacting affected customers but if you own one of these servers and are worried, contact Dell customer service. The company has offered no explanation of how the malware got into the servers in the first place. Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:30 am Fossil Jaw Could Be From Worlds Oldest Known DogA jaw fragment found in a Swiss cave comes from the earliest known dog, according to scientists who analyzed and radiocarbon-dated the fossil.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:30 am Apply to Over 750+ Companies at Job-Applications.comCANTON, Ohio, July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- (Job-Applications.com) - Job-Applications.com the leading free job application enablement site for first-time and entry-level jobs announced that their site www.job-applications.com is now aggregating and providing access to more than 1,000+ companies, all of which are hiring right now. By using job-applications.com, anyone can quickly apply to over 1,000+ of the nation's largest full-time and part-time positions for free. "We have reached a landmark in our efforts to help people find their next job by radically expanding the number of companies to which you can quickly apply and by creating a user experience that helps people prepare for their next job interview with unique insider tips and Q&A for each of the companies on our site," said Doug Crawford, President of Job-Applications.com. "The response of our user community has been incredible with people from all over the country sharing their personal experiences to help employment candidates hone their edge so that they can get the job they need." The best candidates are the ones that are well informed, and Job-Applications.com makes sure that you are in-the-know with the latest hiring practices and interview techniques for over a thousand companies. Our site is designed to put you in control and give you the tools you need to aggressively pursue your next job. With Job-Applications.com, you don't have to rely on traditional job boards which may not even carry local postings because it is simply too expensive to post these types of roles. Instead, you can quickly apply to as many companies within your immediate area. Job-Applications.com makes it easy to apply to retailers like Walmart, Gap, Old Navy, Target, Kmart, BestBuy, Home Depot and Sears as well as restaurants such as Starbucks, McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Chili's, Wendy's and many other quick service establishments. With hundreds of companies and tens of thousands of jobs, Job-Applications.com will help you to quickly find your next career. About Job-Applications.com Job-Applications.com is the leading employment application site designed to enable job seekers to submit more job applications in less time. The site is known for its depth of company application coverage as well as its specific company interview tips and question sections. All services are provided free of charge. Contact: Doug Crawford President Job-Applications.com 330.417.2164 dcrawford@job-applications.com www.job-applications.com SOURCE Job-Applications.comSource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:22 am Handgun-Wielding Darth Vader Robs BankA man dressed as Dark Vader robs a New York bank, wielding a handgun, not a lightsaber.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:07 am Meteorite Impact Crater Found with Google EarthThe massive pock in southwestern Egypt was created no more than a few thousand years ago.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 11:00 am Halo: Reach Xbox 360 Slim bundle is realFROM GAMERTELL - Microsoft announced that there will be an awesome Halo: Reach Xbox 360 slim bundle released in September to coincide with the release of the game. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jul 2010 | 10:44 am Amazon inks exclusive deal with book agentSection: Gadgets / Other, ebooks  The e-book wars have been heating up with the main companies involved releasing new apps, adding new features when possible, and lowering device prices. For the most part, with the arguable exception of the switch to the “agency model,” the war has been good for readers. Now it looks like we might be on the brink of a new battle which could end up being bad for consumers. Amazon has announced that is has a new deal with the literary agent Andrew Wylie. The deal would give Amazon an exclusive for e-books from all authors the agent represents. The full list is here, and includes notable names such as Al Gore and Phillip Roth, it also includes the estates of popular authors including John Updike, William Burroughs and Hunter Thompson. So, if in any time in the next two years you wish to purchase an ebook of classics such as “Naked Lunch” or “Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas” or current books like “An Inconvenient Truth” or Roth’s upcoming “Nemesis,” you need a Kindle or a device with Kindle software. Random House, a publisher of many Wylier-represented books isn’t happy about the situation, and will not purchase any more rights from Wylier until a truce is put into place. This is the first time Amazon has worked directly with an agent, and it seems to make sense for the company. With the possible exception of marketing, e-books don’t seem to require a publisher. As long as they’ve been edited and approved by all involved, e-books can just be pushed out. There’s little overhead involved in e-book publishers as there is in ink-and-paper publishing. For consumers, it means that if this becomes a trend a tablet such as the iPad or a smartphone might be the platform of choice for reading e-books. There’s no point in choosing a specific company’s hardware to purchase if you don’t know if the books you want will be on the device. It might become confusing, but simply launching a different app is much easier than having to switch to a different device, cheaper as well. Or, we could just switch back to books and save the complaints about possible eye-strain and batteries running out. Yeah, the tablet or smartphone idea seems much better, it saves a lot of space and trees. Read [Electronista] Via [CrunchGear] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jul 2010 | 10:24 am Announcing the winners of the Google Online Marketing Challenge 2010This year we held the third edition of the Google Online Marketing Challenge — a global university competition that gives students hands-on exposure to online marketing. Each team receives the equivalent of $200 to work with a local company and create an online marketing campaign. Teams have three weeks to mastermind a strategy before submitting a campaign report to an international judging panel of professors.We’re delighted that 3,034 teams from 60 countries participated in the 2010 Challenge, representing an increase of 39 percent from last year and making the Challenge one of the world’s largest university competitions. The global winners of the Challenge are Lauren Williams, Ganesh Chaudhari, Jeeana Atmarow, Allison Miller, Mohammed Assiri and Hui Min Chua from the University of Western Australia, who promoted the kids’ novel The Adventures of Charlie & Moon. Over the three week campaign, the novel’s website saw a huge jump in visits—nearly 800 percent. The team will visit the Googleplex in Mountain View, California and each of the members will receive a laptop for their great performance in the Challenge. We also had three regional winners: for the Americas, the winning team comes from Carnegie Mellon University in the U.S. and a team from the Warsaw School of Economics in Poland won in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). In the Asia Pacific region, the winners come from the Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. Find more details about our winners here. Since we first held it in 2008, the Google Online Marketing Challenge has grown each year, allowing thousands of students globally to learn about online advertising and help small businesses to improve their online presence. The education they’ve already received becomes real in the Challenge: real money, real campaigns, real businesses and real results. And the hands-on experience with online marketing gives them real skills they can use in their careers. If you’re interested in competing in the 2011 Challenge, register now. We’ll open the sign-up period in the fall. Posted by Alex Gibelalde, Product Marketing Manager   
 Source: The Official Google Blog | 23 Jul 2010 | 10:00 am World's Oldest Dog DebatedA dog jaw bone fossil found in a Swiss cave may be the oldest evidence of human-canine companionship.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 9:49 am BP Trying to Silence Science on Oil Spill?Scientists and academics accuse the energy giant of trying to buy silence to protect itself after the spill.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 9:45 am Tropical Storm Bonnie Raining On South FloridaTropical Depression 3 strengthened into tropical storm Bonnie at 6:15pm EDT on July 22, when it was centered about 200 miles southeast of Nassau, Bahamas. At 5 a.m. EDT today, July 23, Bonnie was 155 miles southeast of Miami and the GOES-13 satellite has been providing forecasters a visible image of Bonnie continually.The visible image on July 23 at 1140 UTC (7:40 a.m.) EDT) from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite called GOES-13 satellite showed Tropical Storm Bonnie's cloud-covered center south of Miami, Fla. GOES satellites are operated by NOAA. The NASA GOES Project, located in Greenbelt, Md. creates imagery and animations of GOES imagery.Tropical storm watch is in effect for the east coast of Florida north of Deerfield Beach to Jupiter Inlet including Lake Okeechobee, and the Northern Gulf Coast from Destin, Florida to Morgan City, Louisiana. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for the Northwestern Bahamas, the Florida east coast from Deerfield Beach southward, including all of the Florida Keys, Florida Bay and along the Florida west coast northward to Englewood.At 5 a.m. EDT, Bonnie's center was located near latitude 24.1 north and longitude 78.6 west, which is about 155 miles southeast of Miami, Fla. and about 165 miles east-southeast of Marathon, Florida. Maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph. Bonnie is moving toward the west- northwest near 18 mph and the National Hurricane Center expects it to continue moving in this direction over the next day or two. Bonnie is expected to pass near the Florida Keys and southern Florida then move over the eastern Gulf of Mexico tonight. Tropical storm watches issued for southern Mississippi and southeast Louisiana as Bonnie is forecast to move that way this weekend.Miami is under a tropical storm warning today. This morning at 8:05 a.m. EDT, a large area of moderate to heavy rainfall was moving over Miami north to West Palm Beach. A flood watch is in effect through the afternoon of July 23 for all of South Florida. For live radar from the National Weather Service, visit: http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=AMX&product=NCR&overlay=11101111&loop=yes.The National Hurricane Center noted that tropical storm conditions will continue of parts of the northwestern Bahamas this morning and then spread over southern Florida, including the Keys. Bonnie is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 1 to 3 inches over south Florida with possible isolated maximum amounts of 5 inches. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible over the northwestern Bahamas. Isolated tornadoes are possible over extreme southern Florida later today. For the latest updates on Bonnie, visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov.GOES-13 will continue to provide coverage in visible images during the daytime and infrared images over night-time hours and will watch Bonnie as she moves into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend. ---Image Caption: This visible image from the GOES-13 satellite on July 23 at 1140 UTC (7:40 a.m. EDT) shows Tropical Storm Bonnie's cloud-covered center south of Miami, Fla. Credit: NASA/GOES Project---On the Net:NASA/Goddard Space Flight CenterSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jul 2010 | 9:39 am Scientists Confirm Role For The NucleolinusWhen searching for long-lost treasure, sometimes all you need is a good flashlight.Such a "flashlight," developed at the Marine Biological Laboratory's (MBL) Josephine Bay Paul Center, has been used to illuminate a long-neglected cellular component – the nucleolinus – and confirm its role in cell division. MBL scientists Mark Alliegro and Mary Anne Alliegro, and MBL visiting investigator Jonathan Henry of University of Illinois, Urbana, present their discoveries regarding the nucleolinus this week in a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.The nucleolinus is a structure observed in the nucleus of many cells, including invertebrate egg cells and some mammalian cells. While it was discovered more than 150 years ago, and other scientists have proposed that is involved in cell division, difficulties in visualizing the nucleolinus inside most cells have kept that hypothesis dormant."Our paper reintroduces (a cell component) that was discovered and forgotten long ago," Mark Alliegro says. "When we saw a couple of interesting things about the nucleolinus, I asked, 'What does it do?' I went to the library and quickly found out that nobody knew."He and his colleagues went on to develop a probe that binds to specific nucleolinar molecules in egg cells of the surf clam Spisula solidissima. Using the label to keep an eye on the nucleolinus, they found that it was associated with structures required for cell division. Follow-up experiments in which the nucleolinus was targeted by a laser resulted in failed cell division and disruption of structures necessary for the process."We've known for a long time that there are elements in the cytoplasm that need to be assembled for the cell to divide," Mark Alliegro says. "But this tells us that elements in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus have to join together to make the apparatus that separates chromosomes [an important part of cell division]."This function of the nucleolinus, which is closely associated with a structure called the nucleolus, could clarify recent studies indicating an important role for the nucleolus in cell division. "When people talk about the nucleolus playing a direct role in cell cycle regulation, it may very well be that it's the nucleolinus," Mark Alliegro says.Mark Alliegro and his colleagues speculate that the nucleolinus may be responsible for recruiting proteins required by centrosomes, which have long been known to play an important role in cell division. "What we're doing now is attempting to answer some functional questions about the nucleolinus in Spisula cells," he says. "But we're also moving it into other systems that are easier to experiment in." They are planning to study the role of the nucleolinus in mammalian cells.The MBL has other close connections with the long but sparse history of nucleolinus research. Former MBL visiting investigators Thomas H. Montgomery Jr. of the University of Texas (in the 1890s) and Robert D. Allen of Dartmouth College (in the 1950s) both studied the structure before it faded back into obscurity. "Of the people that have studied the nucleolinus," Mark Alliegro says, "more have been at the MBL than any place else."Reference: Alliegro, M. A., Henry, J. J., Alliegro, M. C. (2010) Rediscovery of the Nucleolinus, a Dynamic RNA-Rich Organelle Associated with the Nucleolus, Spindle, and Centrosomes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA---Image 1: When the nucleolinus is damaged with an infrared laser, a fertilized Spisula egg cell (bottom right) does not proceed through cell division, and its cell division apparatus (blue and yellow) is malformed. The top left cell shows proper cell division in a fertilized egg with an undamaged nucleolinus. Credit: Mary Anne Alliegro, Marine Biological LaboratoryImage 2: Left: This is a Spisula surf clam egg cell. The nucleolinus (arrowhead) is within the nucleolus (arrow), and both are contained in the nucleus (GV). Middle: When the nucleolus is damaged with a laser, normal cell division takes place. Right: When the nucleolinus is damaged with a laser, cell division structures (blue and yellow) appear as a disorganized cluster, and cell division fails. Credit: Mary Anne Alliegro, Marine Biological Laboratory---On the Net:Marine Biological LaboratoryPNAS ArticleSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jul 2010 | 9:35 am Internet to run out of addresses in less than a yearSection: Web
Read [ReadWriteWeb] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jul 2010 | 9:15 am Ancient Sacrificial Chamber Discovered In PeruArchaeologists have discovered what is believed to be an ancient ceremonial ground that was used for human sacrifices by members of a Pre-Columbian civilization, according to a Thursday report by Emily Schmall of Reuters."There was a great ceremonial hall or passage integrated into the rest of the architecture that establishes the presence of certain figures of the Moche elite and also the practice of complex rituals such as human sacrifice," Carlos Wester La Torre, director of the Bruning Museum in Peru and a dig leader, told Schmall.The Moche people were a primarily agricultural culture "that flourished between 100 B.C. and 800 A.D.," according to Schmall. The discovery of the sacrificial grounds seems to confirm existing theories that the Moche partook of a ceremony known as "the presentation" that featured "ritual killings of prisoners of war." Multiple skeletal remains were reportedly discovered on the floor of the chamber.According to Schmall, "[Wester's] team uncovered a 60-meter-long (197-foot-long) corridor opening up to face three equidistant porticos and five thrones on the archaeological site's main pyramid… The remnants of a mural found within the corridor depict three high priests whose ornamentation confirms the involvement of the culture's political leadership in the ceremony, he said."Most experts believe that the Moche civilization were not politically organized as a single state, but existed in smaller groups that shared a common culture. They are said to have been known for creating elaborately painted ceramics, gold work, huaca monuments and irrigation systems. By investigating some of their structures, archaeologists have been able to establish that the Moche were a fairly sophisticated people and were capable of mass producing a wide variety of pottery. According to a BBC report entitled "The Lost Civilization of Peru," the Moche "were pioneers of metal working techniques like gilding and early forms of soldering. These skills enabled them to create extraordinarily intricate artifacts; ear studs and necklaces, nose rings and helmets, many heavily inlaid with gold and precious stones."They also uncovered a macabre tradition that the Moche engaged in following victory in battle--one that the newly discovered hall likely played a major role in: "The vanquished were ritually sacrificed; their throats cut, the blood drained into a cup and the cup drunk by a God-like deity. It was, the archaeologists slowly realized, a story not of war but ritual combat followed by human sacrifice."---On the Net:Bruning MuseumThe Lost Civilization of Peru (BBC)Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jul 2010 | 9:10 am Tropical Storm Bonnie Halts Gulf Oil Spill WorkJust as the end was seemingly in site, crews working to permanently stop the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico were forced to stop their work and evacuate the scene due to an approaching tropical storm."Due to the risk that Tropical Storm Bonnie poses to the safety of the nearly 2,000 people responding to the BP oil spill at the well site, many of the vessels and rigs will be preparing to move out of harm's way," Admiral Thad Allen, the person in charge of the federal response to the Gulf oil spill, said in a Thursday statement. "While these actions may delay the effort to kill the well for several days, the safety of the individuals at the well site is our highest concern."Tropical Storm Bonnie was located approximately 80 miles south-southeast of the Miami coast early Friday morning, according to Harry R. Weber and David Dishneau of the Associated Press (AP). A tropical storm watch has been issued for most of the northern Gulf coast, and at last report, Bonnie had maximum sustained winds nearing the 40mph mark.According to Weber and Dishneau, "There had been worries that the cap that has mostly contained the oil would have to be reopened and left gushing if a major storm came through. But engineers were confident enough in the strength of the cap that they decided to leave it sealed while most of the ships on the surface were told to leave the area.""Bonnie caused flooding in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti before reaching tropical storm strength later Thursday, and Allen said crews expected sustained wind above 39 mph at the spill site by early Saturday," the AP reporters added.The storm could delay work on the oil well for a week to 12 days, according to reports."Duration of the suspension of relief well activities will be dependent on the weather," BP said in a statement. Company contractors have confirmed that the cap was secure and should be fine.Before the tropical storm halted work, BP and the government had hoped that a relief tunnel would have reached the well by this weekend, which could have resulted in a complete stoppage of the petroleum leak in approximately two weeks.The company has also considered an additional procedure known as a static kill, in which mud and cement would be pumped into the well in order to halt the flow of oil. Allen told reporters yesterday that he has given BP the okay to begin preparations for the procedure, but that he would need to give final approval before the actual static kill was initialized.The Deepwater Horizon rig first exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers. Two days later, the rig started leaking oil into the Gulf, with an estimated 94 million to 184 million gallons seeping into the water over the past three months. It has been called one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history.Also on Friday, the director of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) accused BP of trying to buy the silence of scientists and environmental experts in order to protect its public image in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon, according to BBC and AFP reports."This is really one huge corporation trying to buy faculty silence in a comprehensive way," Cary Nelson said, according to the AFP. "Our ability to evaluate the disaster and write public policy and make decisions about it as a country can be impacted by the silence of the research scientists who are looking at conditions… "It's hugely destructive. I mean at some level, this is really BP versus the people of the United States."According to a copy of the contract that BP is offering scientists, which was obtained by the BBC, the researchers are prohibited from publishing their findings. Likewise, they are banned from speaking about data for a period of up to three years.The AFP spoke with Bob Shipp, the head of the marine sciences department at the University of South Alabama, who says that he and his department were approached by BP attorneys."They contacted me and said we would like to have your department interact to develop the best restoration plan possible after this oil spill," he told the press agency."We laid the ground rules--that any research we did, we would have to take total control of the data, transparency and the freedom to make those data available to other scientists and subject to peer review," Shipp added. "They left and we never heard back from them."---Image Caption: The scene of the wellhead at the source of the largest oil spill response in U.S. history. The Coast Guard Cutter Decisive is patrolling the area and acting as the search and rescue, as well as the hurricane guard. That means the vessel will remain on scene in the case of an emergency to ensure all vessels make it safely out of the area. Coast Guard photography by Petty Officer 1st Class Adam Eggers ---On the Net:BPGovernment Response WebsiteNational Hurricane CenterAmerican Association of University Professors (AAUP)Live radar from the National Weather ServiceSource: RedOrbit News - Science | 23 Jul 2010 | 8:45 am Leaked wireless Halo: Reach Xbox 360 controller is spiffy and sleekFROM GAMERTELL - Xbox.com accidentally leaked an image and product page for a special Halo: Reach wireless Xbox 360 controller. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 23 Jul 2010 | 8:27 am Oil Spill Work on Hold as Bonnie ApproachesTropical Storm Bonnie was expected to reach the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, delaying efforts to fix the well.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 8:18 am BBC News iPhone and iPad app launches in the UK - BBC News
Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 23 Jul 2010 | 8:13 am Apple: White iPhone Delayed Until ‘Later This Year’
Apple has been forced to delay the already-late white iPhone 4 yet again. Manufacturing problems are the reason, and the rumors say that getting the paint thick enough to look good, while still leaving space to fit the thing together is the actual cause. Whatever it is, one thing’s for sure. Apple isn’t happy. In fact, so annoyed is the normally professional PR department that it barely bothered to re-write last month’s press-release. Here they are, side-by-side (or top-by-bottom). June 23, 2010:
And today:
Can you spot the difference? The new press release gains an “®” symbol, a new, much more vague date and the word “proven” has been dropped in favor of “continued”. My favorite is the unchanged last line, which says that the black iPhone is the more popular model. Could that be, do you think, because Apple hasn’t yet sold a single white iPhone 4? The “later this year” part at least gets the PR folks off the hook for a while. Even if things don’t get better at the white iPhone factory, they have over five months before they’ll have to issue another statement. And a good thing too. What with antennagate, the Bumper Program and Apple’s record performance this quarter, the poor poppets at Apple Public Relations have had to write almost one release per week. They could do with a break. Statement by Apple on White iPhone 4 (redux) [Apple] Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com See Also:
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.. 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Jul 2010 | 8:02 am Free iPhone 4 Case? There's an App For ThatApple has started to refund buyers of the $30 rubber-band it calls the Bumper Case. The refund was promised to buyers after Apple offered free bumper cases to iPhone 4 owners to fix the signal-dropping death-grip.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 23 Jul 2010 | 8:00 am Death of Film: Last Roll of Kodachrome ProcessedWhat do you know about Dwayne’s Photo Service of Parsons, Kansas? It is the place where the very last roll of the Kodachrome was processed
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 23 Jul 2010 | 7:45 am Apple Refunds Bumper Case Purchases, Launches Bumper App
Apple has started to refund buyers of the $30 rubber-band it calls the Bumper Case. The refund was promised to buyers after Apple offered free bumper cases to iPhone 4 owners to fix the signal-dropping death-grip. With little fuss, Apple has been refunding customers’ credit-cards for the $30 purchase price plus any tax or shipping. If you paid cash, lord knows how you’ll get your money back. A postal-order or a check, probably. Why not fax Apple to find out? Some have looked at the bumper cases, which perfectly cover the troublesome exposed external antenna-band on the iPhone 4 and nothing else, and seen conspiracy. “Apple knew about the problem all along,” they cry, “the Bumper proves it!” That Apple would realize the problem and, instead of fixing it just try to sell a case seems unlikely. I’m with Daring Fireball’s John Gruber on this one: I think that Apple just wanted a slice of the lucrative iPhone case market. After all, at Apple’s entry-level $30 accessory price-point, a rubber-strip costing a few cents will certainly generate a profit. For those of you who sensibly held-off buying a $30 piece of stationery, you can now get one free. Apple has also launched its iPhone 4 Case Program. This is an actual application, available from the App Store. Download it, log in and order. The Bumper is in there but, as Steve Jobs promised at last Friday’s press event, there are a number of third-party cases too. These actually look pretty good, and come from respected manufacturers like Speck, Belkin and Griffin. All of the cases, from Apple or anyone else, will take 3-5 weeks to ship. iPhone 4 Case Program [Apple] Apple Automatically Refunding iPhone 4 Bumper Purchases [Mashable] Photo: By Mr. T in DC/Flickr See Also:
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter. 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Jul 2010 | 7:33 am Deepest Hydrothermal Vent Offers Alien Life ModelThree distinct types of hydrothermal vents, including the deepest vent yet observed, were discovered along a 100 kilometer long strip in the Caribbean Sea.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 7:14 am Death of Film: Last Roll of Kodachrome Processed
What do you know about Dwayne’s Photo Service of Parsons, Kansas? It is the place where the very last roll of the Kodachrome was processed. Kodachrome, the slide-film that inspired songs, was discontinued by Kodak last year at 74 years of age. The color emulsion was a victim of its own weird processing requirements, which didn’t use the usual E6 chemistry designed for transparency film, and therefore wasn’t worth supporting in the age of digital. The last roll was shot by National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry, who shot the 36 exposures in New York (actually, the last three shots were exposed in Parsons before dropping off the film at Dwayne’s). The pictures will be part of a National Geographic piece in the near future. McCurry’s film may have been the official last roll off the production line, but Dwayne’s will still process any Kodachrome that you might have until December 10th this year. And then it will shut down, forever. People may still shoot analog, but with the death of Kodachrome comes the spiritual death of film. Last Kodachrome roll processed in Parsons [Wichita Eagle via Retro Thing] Photo: Fay Ratta/Flickr See Also: Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter. 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Jul 2010 | 6:24 am Camera+ for iPhone 4 Adds Flash, Exposure Control
Camera+ for the iPhone is another case of a third-party app doing things better than Apple itself. It’s an all-in-one photo-taking and editing application that improves on almost every aspect of the built-in camera app, and it has just gotten a slew of new features with a v1.2 update. While the post-processing tricks are nice (cropping and special effects) it’s the shooting tools which impress. New in this version is flash control, which lets you switch on the iPhone 4’s LED lamp, either as a quick flash or as a continuous light (useful to get an idea of where the shadows will fall). Also very useful is the separation of exposure and focus. In Apple’s app, you tap the screen and the iPhone sets both exposure and focus on that spot. With Camera+, you can set these independently, still by tapping, for finer control. The focus also goes from “tap” to “touch”. This subtle difference lets you smoosh your finger around the screen and the focus point will follow. This lets you follow things without constantly tap-tap-tapping. There also bug fixes and tweaks fixes, most notably a speed increase when shooting, uploading of proper metadata to Flickr and better image stabilization. Best of all, the app is just $2. Available now. Camera+ [iTunes] See Also:
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter. 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Jul 2010 | 5:16 am Dinos Dug Around for PreyFossilized mammal burrows reveal that some dinosaurs dug into these dens in search of furry morsels.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 5:00 am Terrifying ‘Kid-Friendly’ Syringe Disguised as Mouse
Designer Jesper Nilsson took one look at the hypodermic needle and had a flash of inspiration: The skin-piercing sharps need to be more kid-friendly, right? The result of this terrifying insight is the Syrinx, a needle and syringe made to look like a cute little animal. See the picture above to see just how fun it is! The idea is that kids will be less scared of a glinting needle if it is disguised as a mouse wearing sunglasses and with the number 13 painted on its haunch, but what is much more likely to happen is that the poor child will probably grow up with a world-class mouse-phobia. And is a mouse the best they could do? What about making things a little more educational? As the Syrinx is designed to calm children whilst taking their blood, what about shaping it like a giant mosquito, its proboscis now a razor-sharp, surgical-steel spike that pierces the soft pink skin effortlessly and sucks out the blood within. What could be more kid-friendly than that? Prick of The Syrinx [Yanko] See Also:
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.. 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:31 am Subaru Outback's Wi-Fi Connection Not So HotSlow speeds and high cost make this new feature a big disappointment.Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 23 Jul 2010 | 4:22 am Faceplant Adds Missing Features to FaceTime
Unlike the most basic chat client, FaceTime has no list of online contacts, no way to leave a message for an offline user. Faceplant is an app (yet to be approved) and service which fixes this. It integrates with your contacts and checks to see if any of them also has Faceplant installed. If so, they show up in a list, and you can call them from there. If they’re offline, you can leave them a video “voice-mail” to be picked up later. These messages can be sent over 3G or Wi-Fi, and the recipient will get a pop-up notification when they receive it. This looks like a must-have app for iPhone 4 owners, but suffers from the same problem as any such application: As it isn’t built in, people will have to go out and install it. And if me-too versions start to appear in the App Store to confuse people, the necessary critical-mass will never be achieved. Faceplant [Faceplantapp via TUAW] See Also:
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.. 
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 23 Jul 2010 | 3:50 am YouTube Play jury selected and ready to view your work(Cross-posted from the YouTube Blog) Today, we’re unveiling the jury for YouTube Play, which includes some of the world’s leading artists, from international film festival winners and renowned photographers to performance and video artists on the cutting edge of art. YouTube Play jurors include musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson; musical group Animal Collective; visual artists Douglas Gordon, Ryan McGinley, Marilyn Minter and Takashi Murakami; artists and filmmakers Shirin Neshat, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Darren Aronofsky; and graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister, with Guggenheim Chief Curator and Deputy Director Nancy Spector serving as jury chairperson. Over the course of the next few months, these jurors will watch countless hours of videos submitted by the international YouTube community and select the most creative and inspiring work to showcase at the Guggenheim museums in October. Already, this campaign has drawn some remarkable talent, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of your submissions in our quest to find the most creative video art in the world and showcase it alongside van Gogh and Picasso. The deadline for getting your videos in is July 31. For more information about the jurors and to learn more about how to participate, check out youtube.com/play. Posted by Ed Sanders, Senior Marketing Manager   
 Source: The Official Google Blog | 23 Jul 2010 | 3:00 am
|
Time Magazine Editor Josh Quittner and AOL CEO 
I’ve fielded a lot of questions today about the iPhone 4. No, not about the antenna — 
After a bit of a slow start, the Android app ecosystem is now growing at a rapid clip, as it 
“Catalyzed by the introduction of the Apple iPad, the tablet market will kick off with a modest 3.5 million units sold in the US in 2010.”
Of course Weiner says he hired Stubo for other reasons, and won’t comment on the company’s IPO plans. But it’s clear LinkedIn is looking to file for an IPO sometime in the next few financial quarters. Unless, of course, one of the big guys makes them an acquisition offer they can’t refuse.
The caliber of the partnerships that location-based startup 
Fortune’s Daniel Roth asked News Corp. Digital Chief 
Over 70,000 people lost their blogs after the service’s host booted them. The loss of service to Toronto-based Blogetery happened after their host Burst.net discovered they were under investigation by the FBI. Earlier this month Burst was asked for information about Blogetery by the FBI, who were investigating allegations that the blogging service hosted instructions on how to make bombs and al-Qaeda hit lists. Investigators never asked that Blogetery be shut down but Burst immediately did so following the information request. The site’s owner insists they know of no wrongdoing by any of their members and that they are seeking legal representation. Burst.net defended their actions saying Blogetery had been a problem client with a history of TOS complaints and suspensions. 
Experts are warning that the internet will run out of space in less than a year. The problem is that there are a rapidly diminishing supply of IP addresses left under the current IPv4 protocol, which only supports 32-bit addressses. IPv6 supports 128-bits meaning it can provide more than enough room for everyone, but the transition to it has been slow. Major sites such as Facebook and Google are already making the switch but most ISPs are lagging behind. Some are just not taking the issue very seriously, labeling it another Y2K fuss over nothing. Verizon and Comcast however are actively working on deploying the new protocol.
FaceTime is pretty typical of an Apple consumer-level application: it is insanely polished, easy to use and high on the wow-factor, but lacking in the most basic features. That’s just what Faceplant adds.