Archive for the ‘Space’ Category
Distant supernova fascinates stargazers
Astronomers have found the farthest supernova ever detected - a giant star that ripped apart around 11 billion years ago.
Weather could delay shuttle launch
Stormy weather could delay this weekend's launch of the space shuttle Endeavour.
Astronomers have spotted the most distant and oldest star explosions yet in the universe.
Nasa poised for third shuttle launch try
Countdown clocks resumed ticking at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida in preparation for Nasa's third attempt to launch space shuttle Endeavour on a construction mission to the ISS.
China chooses first female astronaut
China could launch its first woman into space as early as 2012, reports state media.
Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category
Agencies outline Mars initiative
The US and European space agencies launch an initiative that could lead to joint missions to explore the Red Planet.
Study pinpoints UK wind hotspots
An Energy Saving Trust study identifies the 'best and worst' locations in the UK for domestic small-scale wind turbines.
'15-year high' for rhino poaching
Rhino poaching around the world is set to reach a 15-year high as demand for the animals' horns grows, conservation groups warn.
Ban criticises G8 climate efforts
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon criticises G8 nations for not going far enough to combat climate change.
A glimpse of ancient dying stars
Snapshots of the most distant supernovae known to astronomy, which exploded 11 billion years ago, have been revealed.
Archive for the ‘Gadgets’ Category
iPhone 3GS Upstream Speed Limited to 384Kbps [Smartphones]
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.While the iPhone 3GS got a download speed boost—to 7.2Mbps—it didn't get any upload power-up, according to PC World: Its upstream speed is limited by its hardware to 384Kbps. But don't get out the torches and pitchforks yet.
Most GSM-based cellphones suffer the same problem: No matter how fast they are at download, they will upload at only 384Kbps, or less, as you can see in our iPhone 3GS network test. This is because the hardware doesn't support the HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access) standard, created by Nokia—the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) refers to this standard as Enhanced Uplink.
Some would say that this is not needed because Enhanced Uplink—which runs at 1.4 and 1.9Mbps—is not supported by AT&T yet, but in Europe there are networks that already support this standard. I would imagine that users of the popular JesusPhone would love to upload their photos and videos to Facebook and YouTube as fast as possible.
On the other side, with AT&T still struggling to get 7.2Mbps off the ground and most of the other networks having problems and slowdowns everywhere, I would be happy if they all just managed to actually deliver their advertised download speeds. [PC World]
Pegboard Device Sinks Carpal Tunnel's Battleship [Health]
A pegboard device developed by bioengineering students from Rice University aims to better diagnose and evaluate carpal tunnel syndrome by restraining the hand and analyzing movements with a customized PDA.
In a five-minute test, a doctor uses pegs to isolate a patient's individual fingers. "You wouldn't think it works as well as it does, but once you are pegged in, you can't move anything but the finger we want you to," Miller said. A loop is fitted around the finger, and when the patient moves it, the amount of force generated is measured. "PRIME gets the peak force," Xu said. "Then the doctor can create a patient-specific file with all your information, time-stamped, and record every single measurement.".
Apparently, most of the tests for carpal tunnel are subjective—so improving accuracy and providing detailed patient-specific information will be helpful for sufferers in the future. It's a good thing too, because in this line of work I will need all the help I can get. [Medgadget via Boing Boing Gadgets]
Amazon Wireless Aims To Make Cellphone Shopping Easier [Amazon]
For many of us, cellphone shopping really means choosing between the major smartphone brands—but for those of us looking at a broader range of devices and plans, Amazon has developed a new site to help make the process easier.
Amazon Wireless offers services like:
•Easy shopping for cell phones and service wireless plans without rebate hassles
•Shopping by carrier, phone feature, price, color and brand
•The ability to purchase a phone and take advantage of upgrade benefits
•Free Two-Day Shipping on a broad selection of phones from AT&T and Verizon Wireless
•Bestseller lists, detailed product descriptions and customer reviews.
The site currently offers a selection of around 130 phones (it's in beta), but right off the bat the fact that carriers are limited to AT&T and Verizon really limits the usefulness of the service. Still, it is another resource worth checking out if you are shopping around. [Amazon Wireless]
Gadget Deals of the Day [Dealzmodo]
Summer moving sluggishly? Dealzmodo here to save you with amazing deals on movies and games! The awesome Metal Gear Solid collection going for $20! Evil Dead 2 for $13? Who's laughing now Ash? Dealzmodo is! Happy thirsty Thursday everyone!
Computers and Peripherals:
• 17" Dell Vostro 1720 Intel Core 2 Duo T6670 2.2GHZ LED-Backlit Laptop 3GB RAM 320GB for $659 plus free shipping (normally $947).
• 15.6" Lenovo G550 Dual Core Laptop with 4GB DDR3 RAM 320GB HDD for $499 plus free shipping (normally $699 - use coupon code USPG5502BU).
• 15.6" Acer AS5516-5474 AMD Athlon 64 Processor TF-20 Laptop for $299.99 (normally $387).
• 15.4" Dell Vostro 1520 Intel Core 2 Duo T6670 Wide Screen WXGA LED Display Laptop for $589 plus free shipping (normally $650).
• 10.1" Acer Aspire One LCD 1.6GHz Netbook (Refurbished) for $259.99 (normally $349.95).
• 23" Dell S2309W Widescreen LCD Monitor for $149.99 plus free shipping (normally $239.99).
• 20" Samsung 2033SW Widescreen LCD Monitor for $95.00 plus free shipping (normally $169).
• 1TB Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.B Internal SATA Hard Drive for $65.99 plus free shipping (normally $89.99 - use this rebate form).
• Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard for $73.99 plus free shipping (normally $89.99).
Gaming:
• Guitar Hero World Tour Complete Band Kit on Xbox 360, PS3, or Wii for $89.99 on PS2 for $79.99 plus free shipping (normally $189.99 - use coupon code SAVER).
• Golf LaunchPad Tour and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008 on PS3 for $114.99 plus free shipping (normally $229).
• NCAA Football 10 on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $53.99 plus free shipping (normally $59.99).
• Red Faction Guerilla on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $49.97 plus free shipping (normally $59.99).
• The Godfather II on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $39.99 plus free shipping (normally $59.99).
• Prototype on Xbox 360, PS3, or PC for $39.98 plus free shipping (normally $54.98 - valid today only).
• Scene It? Box Office Smash with Controllers on Xbox 360 for $29.82 (normally $39.99).
• Dead Space on PS3 for $28 plus free shipping (normally $40).
• Tales of Vesperia on Xbox 360 for $22.49 (normally $59.99).
• Bionic Commando on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $19.99 (normally $59.99 - use coupon code SAVER).
• Major League Baseball 2K9 on Xbox 360 for $19.99 (normally $59.99).
• NBA 2K9 on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $19.99 (normally $29.99).
• Prince of Persia on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $19.99 (normally $29.99).
• Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $19.99 (normally $59.99).
• Wheelman on Xbox 360 or PS3 for $19.99 (normally $39.99).
• Lost on PS3 for $9.99 plus free shipping (normally $19.99).
• Carnival Games with Bonus T-Shirt on Wii for $29.82 (normally $49.99).
• Deadly Creatures on Wii for $19.99 (normally $39.99).
• Rockstar Table Tennis on Wii for $14.99 (normally $39.99).
• Cabela's Dangerous Hunt 2009 on Wii for $9.99 (normally $29.99).
• Clubhouse Games on DS for $14.99 (normally $19.99).
• Metal Gear Solid Essential 3 Games Collection on PS2 for $19.99 (normally $29.99).
• Mecho Wars on iPhone for $0.99 (normally $4.99).
• Wii Charge Station Quad for $39.99 plus free shipping (normally $49.99).
• Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for $39.49 plus free shipping (normally $42.82).
Home Entertainment and Movies:
• 58″ Samsung Touch of Color PN58A650 1080p Plasma HDTV for $1,899.99 plus free shipping (normally $3,999.99).
• 47″ LG 47LG90 Widescreen 1080p LED Backlit HDTV for $1,499.99 plus free shipping (normally $2,799.95).
• 47" Westinghouse LVM47W1 LCD 1080p HDTV for $749.99 plus free shipping (normally $999.99).
• 32" Panasonic VIERA TC-L32G1 720p 120Hz LCD TV for $565.99 plus free shipping (normally $588).
• 22" Samsung Touch of Color T220HD LCD TV for $229.95 plus free shipping (normally $260).
• Mirage OMNI 550 Omnipolar Floorstanding Speaker (single) for $149.88 plus free shipping (normally $179.99).
• Shooter on Blu-ray for $14.99 (normally $29.99).
• The Matrix 10th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Book for $13.99 (normally $34.99).
• Evil Dead II – Dead By Dawn on Blu-ray for $12.99 (normally $29.97).
• The Dirty Dozen on Blu-ray for $11.49 (normally $28.99).
• Crash on Blu-ray for $9.99 (normally $24.99).
• House of the 1000 Corpses on Blu-ray for $9.99 (normally $24.99).
• Reservoir Dogs on Blu-ray for $9.99 (normally $19.99).
• Stargate on Blu-ray for $9.99 (normally $19.99).
• Total Recall on Blu-ray for $9.99 (normally $19.99).
• Universal Soldier on Blu-ray for $9.99 (normally $24.99).
• Harry Potters Years 1-5 Limited Edition Gift Set on HDDVD for $24.99 plus free shipping (normally $149.95).
• The Complete Matrix Trilogy on HDDVD for $11.99 plus free shipping (normally $99.99).
• Eastbound & Down The Complete 1st Season on DVD for $17.49 (normally $29.98).
Personal Portables:
• Amazon Kindle (Latest Generation) for $299 (normally $359).
• 8GB Creative Vado HD 720p High-Def Pocket Video Camcorder for $129.99 plus free shipping (normally $159.99).
• Canon DC310 DVD Camcorder with 37X Optical Zoom (Refurbished) for $119.99 (normally $999.99).
• 10MP Pentax E60 Digital Camera $89.99 plus free shipping (normally $200).
Miscellaneous:
• Family Guy Talking Stewie and Brian for $10 plus free shipping (normally $20).
• Unlimited Skype Calls within US & Canada for $2.50 per month (normally $2.95).
Hobomodo:
• 1-Year of Dog's Life Magazine for $0.
• Huggies Pure and Natural for $0.
• Screening of "Food Inc" for $0.
• Screening of "I Love You, Beth Cooper" for $0 (limited - valid today only).
• Arby's Roast Burger coupon (with Soft Drink Purchase) for $0.
• "Braided Cellophane" by Tobacco MP3 download for $0.
• "Fireflies" by Chris Garneau MP3 download for $0.
• JellyCar on iPhone for $0.
If a deal looks too good to be true, investigate the store and see if it's a good, reputable place to buy. Safe shopping!
[Thanks TechDealDigger, Fat Wallet, DealNews, GamerHotline, SlickDeals, Cheap College Gamers, CheapStingyBargains and TechBargains.]
The Seven Types of Employees You Meet at Best Buy [Satire]
Have you ever noticed that no matter which Best Buy you go into, you end up seeing the same people working there? That's because there are seven types of people that work at every single Best Buy, with no exceptions.
A little known fact about me is that I worked at Best Buy for a couple of years in high school before getting fired for badly, badly abusing the employee discount system. But while there I learned a lot about the types of people that work in such an establishment, and I've noticed the same people in other Best Buys that I've been to since. So here are my list of the seven types of people you'll find there, from a former employee's perspective.
Next time you go to Best Buy, be on the lookout. I promise you'll see at least a couple of these characters.
Illustrations by Dan Meth
Want to ditch this gallery format and see everything on one page? Click here.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.
Car Audio Thug
You'll find this guy in the car audio department. He's got a big plug earring in each ear, some form of facial hair out of a late-90's R&B video and tattoos on his forearms. He tears into the parking lot every day, tires squealing, bass blasting, in a late-model Civic that he's dumped thousands of dollars into. You suspect that if he didn't have a job selling car stereos, he'd be stealing them.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.
Marginally Cute Customer Service Girl
This girl works at the customer service desk or as a cashier. She's maybe 17 years old and is kind of cute, but only when compared to the chubby piles of sadness she's surrounded with. Because of this, she's constantly hit on/sexually harassed by the guys who stock CDs and DVDs. She manages to take this in stride somehow and is almost infuriatingly perky and chipper. The chances of her having hooked up with the car audio thug are very high.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.
Grizzled Old Home Theater/Computer Sales Lifer
This guy has seen some shit. He's a refugee from Lechmere or Tweeter or some other now-defunct retail outlet. He knows the most about the products he sells, which is why all the part-time high school employees send customers with actual questions his way. He's got an air of resigned acceptance about his life, and while he's all-business with customers, he's got no filter with fellow employees. He tells inappropriate jokes and talks vulgarly about the managers behind their back. He has a strictly regimented cigarette break every 2.5 hours that he never, ever misses.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.
Pervy Geek Squad Guy
This guy searches every computer that's in for service for porn, collecting everything he finds on an external HDD that he keeps in the back. He talks in graphic terms about what he'd do to women who he sees enter the store, but when he talks to them he's totally professional. You suspect that he pleasures himself behind the plastic curtains, but you don't want to confirm this. He's got a level 80 World of Warcraft character. Somehow, he and the grizzled old sales guy are buddies and eat lunch together.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.
Sad Department Manager
This guy went to college then, after graduation, moved back home with his parents to save money. He ended up getting a job at Best Buy while he "figured stuff out." It's 10 years later and he still lives in the town he went to high school in, is balding, gained 15 pounds and is the manager of the digital cameras department. He's perfectly adequate at his job, but talking to him for more than 5 minutes just makes you so damned sad.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.
Slick Careerist Manager
This guy wants to go right to the top. He runs team meetings, irons his blue polos, and gets a hard-on when talking about accessory sales and service-plan attach rates. He's climbing the ladder with everything he's got, and he spews corporate nonsense with the passion of a true believer. You've never seen him have an actual human interaction with someone, and you wonder if he even has any furniture in his apartment. He may be a robot.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.
Terrifying Loss-Prevention Guy
This guy is either an ex-con, an ex-cop or a vet. He is jacked yet forced to wear a yellow polo shirt, which creates a false sense of levity when dealing with him. He may seem friendly on the outside, but if you cross him he will snap your neck. He legitimately thinks that it's unfair that Best Buy security guys aren't allowed to carry sidearms. He has so much rage bottled up inside him that you know to just say hello and smile and otherwise steer clear.
Archive for the ‘Programming’ Category
Java technology is both a high-level, object-oriented programming language and a software platform. Java technology is based on the concept of a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) -- a translator between the language and the underlying software and hardware. All implementations of the platform emulate the JVM, enabling Java programs to run on any system with a suitable JVM. Java 6 focuses on platform stability, performance and diagnostics.
jMaki, a lightweight client/server framework
jMaki is a lightweight client/server framework for creating JavaScript centric Web 2.0 applications using CSS layouts, widgets widget model, client services such as publish/subscribe events to tie widgets together, JavaScript action handlers, and a generic proxy to interact with external RESTful web services. While jMaki abstracts much of the JavaScript and CSS by providing defaults for widgets, the JavaScript widgets and CSS are made easily accessible so they may be customized by a designer or page developer. jMaki focuses on the aspects of delivering JavaScript to the client allowing the JavaScript to communicate to various server-technologies including PHP, Java (JSP/JSF), and Phobos in a server-technology neutral way.
Java Application Testing Tools
Many organizations are surprised to find that it is more expensive to do testing using tools. In order to gain benefits from testing tools, careful thought must be given for which tests you want to use tools and to the tool being chosen.
Web Application Testing Tools - Open Source
Many organizations are surprised to find that it is more expensive to do testing using tools. In order to gain benefits from testing tools, careful thought must be given for which tests you want to use tools and to the tool being chosen.
The Groovy project released Groovy 1.0, An agile dynamic language for the Java Platform with many features that are inspired by languages like Python, Ruby and Smalltalk, making them available to Java developers using a Java-like syntax. The final 1.0 version of the language contains significant changes from earlier Groovy implementations, such as a new meta-object protocol, an improved type coercion mechanism, and a new closure syntax.
Archive for the ‘Gaming’ Category
Command & Conquer 4 (PC)
Conclusion to popular RTS franchise to be released in 2010.
Dissidia Final Fantasy (PSP)
Even with a small stature, this hero can save the world.
Alien Breed Evolution (X360)
Team17 has more than Worms in the pipeline.
Brütal Legend (X360)
Check out the hilarious Jack Black in the 4th installment of Brutal Thoughts.
Brütal Legend (PS3)
Check out the hilarious Jack Black in the 4th installment of Brutal Thoughts.
Archive for the ‘Tech Biz’ Category
Live from London: The Europas Awards
The Europas, the tech startup awards from TechCrunch Europe, will be streamed live from this post from 6pm tonight London time/GMT (10am SF, 1pm NYC). We'll kick off with a startup pitch competition, followed by a panel of some of the leading lights in tech consisting of: our own Sarah Lacy, Jolicloud founder Tariq Krim, MyDeco's Brent Hoberman and Michael Birch, co-founder of Bebo. The actual announcement of The Europas winners will be from around 8.30pm GMT onwards. he winners will be announce first on TechCrunch Europe (RSS and Twitter). After that, well, a huge party. Over 300 people are attending from all over the European tech scene. Our streaming partner is TechFluff.tv. If you couldn't get to the awards, if you're somewhere in Europe working on your own startup, then tonight raise a glass, put the projector screen on in the bar and have your very own Europas awards with us. We salute you.
OneRiot Real-Time Search API Now Open To All
For some, it’s useful to go to OneRiot to search for links being tweeted or dugg in real-time. But for a lot of people it’s better if the sites and services they’re already using have the functionality built-in. That’s OneRiot’s intention in opening up its API to the public today.
The site’s API, which has been in use with selected partners for several weeks, will give third-party developers a chance to bake the results right into their sites or apps. One of the big developers that has already been using it is Microsoft, which has a version of its web browser, IE 8, with OneRiot built-in.
Another partner that has been using the API is the desktop social messaging client Nambu. You can imagine that a lot of the clients that offer Twitter functionality may also want to offer real-time link search capabilities, which OneRiot’s API will be perfect for.
Here are four of the main options that OneRiot will offer with the API:
- Realtime Search Results – a realtime stream of related web pages and videos that the social web is buzzing about right now for any search query.
PulseRank Search Results – a feed of search results ordered by relevance using OneRiot’s PulseRank algorithm, PageRank for the realtime web.
OneRiot Trending Topics – a feed of emerging topics heating up across the web right now.
Simple Web Search Interface – allowing developers to provide innovative search integration with minimal investment.
OneRiot CEO, Kimbal Musk, will be participating in our Real-Time Stream CrunchUp this Friday.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Twitter CRM Service, CoTweet, Raises Series A Funding; Launches Public Beta.
CoTweet, the web based Twitter collaboration platform for businesses, has announced a Series A round of funding totaling $1.1 million. The investors are Baseline Ventures, Founders Fund, First Round Capital, SV Angel, Maples Investments and Freestyle Capital.
CoTweet helps companies and brands, like Whole Foods, Microsoft, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and the City of San Francisco’s 311 manage their Twitter accounts as a marketing channel. CoTweet makes it easy to manage multiple accounts and supports group access to the same acounts, so a marketing team can split up Tweeting duties among themselves but still keep a unified public voice on Twitter.
CoTweet also launched into public beta today — meaning anyone can now sign up for the service. Previously, CoTweet was an invite-only service, with invites being hard to snag.
Finally, CoTweet has announced that it has integrated directly with Bit.ly, enabling CoTweet users to access the real-time click tracking and analytics from the URL shortening service. CoTweet launched in 2008, and is based in San Francisco.
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SuperFan Combines Social Gaming With Fan Worship
There has never been a better time to be a “fan” online. Whether it be via Facebook, MySpace, or even through fan-based social networks like TopFans, fandom on the web is taking off now that fans have more ways of expressing themselves. Just look at the recently deceased Michael Jackson, whose Facebook page now has close to 8 million fans, surpassing the fan count of Barack Obama’s Facebook page (6.4 million fans). SuperFan is a new way for people to express their loyalty and admiration for a show, movie, celeb, professional athlete or politician. SuperFan is a social gaming network where users build their network around who and what their fans of and compete with other fans to become the top fan.
Users of the network can become Fans of all their “Faves,” which include everything from ABC’s show Grey’s Anatomy to tennis star Roger Federer. Fans tag their Faves and can then use credits (via a virtual currency) to become the “SuperFan,” which gives them special privileges in controlling the favorite item or person’s profile. The network has enabled a bidding system to motivates fans to prove they are the number one fan.
Fans can earn points as they contributing more to the site. The credits can then be used to send virtual gifts, posting site-wide messages, customizing profiles with skins and colors and becoming the ultimate “SuperFan.” Fans can also create, take and share quizzes about their Faves, create and post to blogs on their homepages, and create battles (posted to the community) between Faves to drive traffic to the their respective pages (think Angelina vs. Jen). Users are also given a compatibility score with other fans on the site, that recommends friends to you base on your mutual Faves.
SuperFan is the brainchild of the co-founder of Tickle (which was bought by Monster Worldwide for $100 million in 2004), Rick Marini. Marini says SuperFan will make money mainly through e-commerce (via virtual currency sales), advertising and afilliate campaigns (SuperFan has partnerships in place with iTunes, Amazon, TicketMaster, StubHub, ThumbPlay to sell products and tickets.) Board members include founder of F*cked Company and AdBrite Philip Kaplan and Napster founder Shawn Fanning.
SuperFan is a innovative and engaging way for users to express their “inner fan” but I worry about how site will amass actual users when many people are already using Facebook and MySpace as fan hubs. Marini says that the site has implemented integration with Twitter and Facebook Connect to allows users to publish news onto their other social network sites, and also possibly catch the attention of potential fans at the same time. Still, MySpace, especially when it comes to music, and Facebook have a relative monopoly when it comes to combining fans with social networks. But Marini counters that on Facebook anyone can create a fan page for a celeb, show, athlete etc, creating sometimes hundreds of pages for one person or item and distorting the ultimate fan experience. Users often don’t know which page is the official one. With SuperFan, all “Fave” pages are pre-set and monitored so fans cannot create new pages but only add to them.
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Office 2010 Promo Video Promises Action, Excitement, Explosions
Office Team Lead: We need something really cool to make people excited about Office 2010.
Some Office Programmer Guy: Can we call Google to hint at ChromeOS to take the heat off of us when we launch on Monday?
OTL: Already done. We need a video.
SOPG: What should it include? A little run-through of the program? Sort of a screencast that folks can watch and understand and then maybe get excited about Office 2010? Maybe we can put some Feist in there? Make it really minimalistic?
OTL: No. We need an action movie.
Archive for the ‘Space’ Category
Cap-and-Trade Loses Billions to Fraud
As negotiators grapple in Copenhagen over how to curtail carbon emissions, Europe's own system turns out to be an ATM for organized crime. According to officials, criminals have gamed the EU's Emissions Trading System for a cool $7.4 billion in purloined tax revenues over the last 18 months.
Climate Talks Spark Mass Protests, Arrests
Tens of thousands of protesters have marched through the chilly Danish capital and nearly 1,000 were detained in a mass rally to demand an ambitious global climate pact, just as talks hit a snag over rich nations' demands on China and other emerging economies.
Zoo to Pandas: Give Us Some Cubs
Australian and Chinese officials urged two bamboo-munching giant pandas, Wang Wang and Funi, on Sunday to consider reproducing during their 10-year residency Down Under.
Americans Binging on Digital Data
Americans now spend three out of every four waking hours being bombarded by some form of information, according to a new study called "How Much Information?" put out by two researchers at the University of California, San Diego. The report says that the average American consumes 34 gigabytes and 100,000 words over the course of about 12 hours every day.
Scientists Spot Earth-Like Planet Nearby
Astronomers find a water-rich planet that's similar in size to our own -- and a mere 40 light-years away. While the so-called "Super Earth" is far too hot to support human beings or other terrestrial animals, the discovery is being heralded as a major breakthrough in humanity's search for life on other planets.
Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category
The real Avatar: ocean bacteria act as 'superorganism'
Bacteria in muddy ocean sediments may shuttle energy back and forth via a network of nanowires – a striking parallel with the movie Avatar
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A quiet sun won't save us from global warming
Even if there's a "grand minimum" in the sun's output over the next century, it won't be enough to counter rising temperatures caused by humans
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Arctic arch failure leads to sea-ice exodus
Dams of ice that usually plug straits leading out of the Arctic Ocean are failing to form, letting sea ice escape to the Atlantic and Pacific
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Innovation: Bloom didn't start a fuel-cell revolution
The Californian company has grabbed the headlines, but fuel cells are already sparking a new era in energy
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The Greener Gadgets design competition aims to inspire more eco-friendly consumer products – see the winners and shortlisted entries in our gallery
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Archive for the ‘Gadgets’ Category
350: Saturday’s climate change number
350. It’s the amount of carbon dioxide that scientists believe is the safe upper limit for our planet. It’s also the name of a global movement that is mobilising the world to take action on Saturday October 24, the International Global Day of Climate Action. The day of action will include actions from almost every country in the world and will call on all governments to take action to reach achieve an “ambitious, fair, and binding global climate deal”.
Two years ago scientists issued a series of studies showing that a carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere of more than 350 parts per million (ppm) would be disastrous for life on earth. Right now the atmospheric concentration of CO2 is 390ppm and the 350 campaign on Saturday will be to call on leaders to set goals to reduce this to under the 350ppm threshold.
Around South Africa there will be a series of events celebrating the 350 declaration. Johannesburg celebrations will include the Jozi 350 Climate Action Day at Emmerentia Dam, and the Tree planting for carbon offset. Cape Town events will include the Human 350 on Table Mountain and the 350 melting iceblocks on Muizenberg beach.
The campaign has also attracted support from a number of prominent people including Bishop Desmond Tutu, who penned an article in support of 350.org which has been published in major US newspapers. In Unity doomed apartheid. Next up: climate change, Tutu wrtites: “In South Africa, we showed that if we act on the side of justice, we have the power to turn tides. Worldwide, we have a chance to start turning the tide of climate change with just such a concerted effort today.”
A full list of SA events can be found on the 350.org website.
SA government rejects GM potatoes
Copyright: iStockphoto
The South African government has rejected the Agriculture Research Council’s (ARC) application to provide genetically modified potatoes to local farmers, saying it was concerned about its safety and economic effect, reports Business Day.
“This is probably the most significant victory of my career,” said Mariam Mayet of the African Centre for Biosafety (ACB), which spearheaded the campaign against the GM potatoes. “For a pro-genetically modified government to refuse a commercial application on safety grounds is quite ground breaking.”
The ACB campaign focused on the ARC’s application for commercial release of its SpuntaG2 potato, which has been engineered to kill the tuber moth, a common pest that damages crops in the field and in storage.
Potatoes SA, fast food outlet McDonald’s, and food retailers Pick n Pay and Fruit and Veg City have also expressed objections to the ARC’s application, saying they were concerned about consumer choice.
Full story: Business Day.
African Centre for Biosafety statement
Hail setback for Project Green
The hail starts to pile up around the back steps.
Living in Johannesburg we’re used to regular summer thunderstorms. So much so that they are the first thing we miss when not in Johannesburg. But Friday night’s version of a highveld thunderstorm was a lot more than we bargained for and Project Green took a heavy knock.
Early on in the afternoon it was obvious a storm was coming, but after countless false alarms with just a handful of raindrops, I didn’t take it too seriously. I did cover as much of the seedling table as I could with fine plastic mesh that I had lying around, just in case, and left it at that.
As with most thunderstorms it started fast and hard. And within a minute or so, when it was obvious this storm was going to be a big one, it was already almost too hard to get outside. A minute or two after that and the hail starting pelting down so we had to watch from the back door and hope things survived the storm.
All told the storm lasted about half-an-hour, but by the end of that time absolutely everything was white with hail, and not a herb (the closest to our back door) peeked above the layer of ice. The front path was almost a foot deep in hailstones and the vegetable garden in the back (at the bottom of the slope) was as much under water as anything.
After half an hour we ventured outside to see the damage. The herbs were smothered, the vegetables underwater and the pots of tomato and green pepper seedlings I had not managed to put under cover were smashed to pieces, just a handful of stems poking out the ice.
The green pepper and tomato seedlings didn't survive the storm very well.
Fortunately the seedling table with its half-length cover had avoided the worst of the storm. I was pleased about that because I had trays full of lettuce, basil, thyme and chillis that were almost ready to go into the garden. I also had a tray full of 288 recently planted seeds of lettuce, parsley, thyme and spinach that had just started to show themselves and wouldn’t have survived the hailstones if they had not been covered. The portion of the seedling table not covered with the extra mesh was a sad sight with whole trays submerged in ice and leaves full of bruises and holes.
The beauty of the seedling table outside is that the seeds get the benefit of the sun and the rain and the gentle breezes mostly prevent them from getting fungal diseases. The downside is that occasionally along comes a storm too big for the baby plants to survive and you can quickly lose a lot of plants. And when that happens you wish you had a greenhouse rather than table with a tiny mesh covering. But, fortunately, these type of storms don’t come along all that often so it’s a risk I suppose you have to take. Although I am now considering having handy a fine, strong mesh covering for the next time a large storm looms.
31 SA beaches to get Blue Flag status
Muizenberg. Copyright ifijay http://www.flickr.com/photos/ifijay/
31 of South Africa’s beaches will be awarded Blue Flag status on Thursday in recognition of their cleanliness and positive environmental management. The 31 beaches span 13 of South Africa’s municipalities and is almost double the number of beaches awarded Blue Flag status last year. Last year just 18 beaches around the country received Blue Flag status, nine of those in the Western Cape.
The Blue Flag award is run by the Foundation for Environmental Education and is given to beaches and marinas that have met stringent standards of water quality, safety, environmental education and information and general environmental management criteria, set by the FEE. Globally almost 4,000 beaches and marinas globally are being awarded Blue Flags.
Of the 31 beaches being awarded Blue Flags tomorrow, seven of them will be in Cape Town, one more than the city received last year. Last year, six beaches were awarded Blue Flags: Clifton Fourth, Mnandi, Bikini in Gordon’s Bay, Muizenberg, Strandfontein and a section of Camps Bay.The Western Cape last year had a total of nine beaches with Blue Flag status with Grotto, Hawston Beach and Stilbaai adding to the City of Cape Town haul.
The 31 beaches being awarded Blue Flag status will be announced tomorrow by Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk.
The vicious hailstorm which smashed up most of my seedlings just over a week ago was followed exactly a week later with another huge downpour. Although this one lacked the hail of the previous one it did last for a good hour and in that time turned the vegetable garden into a small lake. The seedlings, a little more protected by a neighbour’s large tree, weren’t washed away but they were drenched and many of the pumpkin, cucumber and watermelon seeds I had planted a couple of days earlier, were washed out of their seed trays. The more established seedlings like the lettuce and spinach managed to weather the storm and were not too badly off at the end.
But with two of the biggest storms in quick succession the seedlings have endured more than they would like. The storms have also washed out the weaker plants, wiped out seeds and left a real jumble on the seedling table. Because of this I decided to do a clean-up over the weekend and work out which of the plants and seeds were worth saving.
Surprisingly (perhaps) it was the various chilli plants, which have been pretty quiet until now, that seemed to be thriving. I had almost forgotten about the chilli seeds we had planted a month ago but quickly over the past week they have shot up from being barely visible to now being very obviously “there”.
So, on Sunday I washed out 20 small pots from the garage and set about transplanting all the chilli seedlings into their own pots using a mixture of seedling medium (bought from a nursery) and potting soil. After all this time of waiting expectantly for some of the chillies to appear it’s a rewarding feeling to now have 20 pots of chilli. Apart from the mixed hot chillies (a packet bought along the way) I also have Habanero and Serano chillies as well as a collection of sweet peppers.
Archive for the ‘Programming’ Category
New security threat against 'smart phone' users, researchers show
Computer scientists have shown how a familiar type of personal computer security threat can now attack new generations of smart mobile phones, with the potential to cause more serious consequences. The researchers demonstrated how such a software attack could cause a smart phone to eavesdrop on a meeting, track its owner's travels, or rapidly drain its battery to render the phone useless.
Engineer creates unique software that predicts stem cell fate
A completely novel approach to analyzing time-lapse images of live stem cell behaviors has yielded a tool for successfully predicting outcomes of stem and progenitor cells. It will allow scientists to search for mechanisms that control stem cell specialization, the main obstacle in advancing the use of stem cell therapy for treatment of disease.
When cars go to driving school
Posh cars already learn how you like your seat and steering wheel adjusted. The next generation of cars may be smart enough to learn how you drive and warn you when you’re not driving safely.
Leaf veins inspire a new model for distribution networks
A straight line may be the shortest path from A to B, but it's not always the most reliable or efficient way to go. In fact, depending on what's traveling where, the best route may run in circles, according to a new model that bucks decades of theorizing on the subject. A team of biophysicists have developed a mathematical model showing that complex sets of interconnecting loops -- like the netted veins that transport water in a leaf -- provide the best distribution network for supplying fluctuating loads to varying parts of the system. It also shows that such a network can best handle damage.
Computer simulations can be as effective as direct observation at teaching students
Students can learn some science concepts just as well from computers simulations as they do from direct observation, new research suggests. A study found that people who used computer simulations to learn about moon phases understood the concepts just as well -- and in some cases better -- than did those who learned from collecting data from viewing the moon.
Archive for the ‘Gaming’ Category
Daily Fix Video Podcast: 2.26.10
More Mass Effect 2 DLC is on the way, Just Cause 2 Demo coming next week, Lara Croft honored in the UK, and our weekly giveaway.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Rewind Theater
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
We walk you through the new features that are shown off in the trailer released this week.
Archive for the ‘Tech Biz’ Category
Virtual meetups spark real fitness
Becki Coats was embarrassed, so embarrassed that she didn't want to show pictures of herself with her new grandchild.
It was a record-breaking performance that slowed taxi traffic across Seoul on Wednesday when figure-skating darling Kim Yu-na took to the ice in Vancouver at the Winter Olympic Games.
Trek to gauge carbon's impact on Arctic
Two teams of explorers and scientists are on their way to the Arctic for the first international project to measure the amount of carbon dioxide in water beneath the ice.
Web fuels global casting call for Benetton models
Famed for its provocative ad campaigns, including the famous image of a newborn baby still attached to the umbilical cord, fashion brand Benetton has always stayed one step ahead of the fashion pack.
Rivals readying their iPad competitors
It turns out Apple isn't the only company readying a touch-screen tablet computer.
Archive for the ‘SciTech’ Category
Live from London: The Europas Awards
The Europas, the tech startup awards from TechCrunch Europe, will be streamed live from this post from 6pm tonight London time/GMT (10am SF, 1pm NYC). We'll kick off with a startup pitch competition, followed by a panel of some of the leading lights in tech consisting of: our own Sarah Lacy, Jolicloud founder Tariq Krim, MyDeco's Brent Hoberman and Michael Birch, co-founder of Bebo. The actual announcement of The Europas winners will be from around 8.30pm GMT onwards. he winners will be announce first on TechCrunch Europe (RSS and Twitter). After that, well, a huge party. Over 300 people are attending from all over the European tech scene. Our streaming partner is TechFluff.tv. If you couldn't get to the awards, if you're somewhere in Europe working on your own startup, then tonight raise a glass, put the projector screen on in the bar and have your very own Europas awards with us. We salute you.
OneRiot Real-Time Search API Now Open To All
For some, it’s useful to go to OneRiot to search for links being tweeted or dugg in real-time. But for a lot of people it’s better if the sites and services they’re already using have the functionality built-in. That’s OneRiot’s intention in opening up its API to the public today.
The site’s API, which has been in use with selected partners for several weeks, will give third-party developers a chance to bake the results right into their sites or apps. One of the big developers that has already been using it is Microsoft, which has a version of its web browser, IE 8, with OneRiot built-in.
Another partner that has been using the API is the desktop social messaging client Nambu. You can imagine that a lot of the clients that offer Twitter functionality may also want to offer real-time link search capabilities, which OneRiot’s API will be perfect for.
Here are four of the main options that OneRiot will offer with the API:
- Realtime Search Results – a realtime stream of related web pages and videos that the social web is buzzing about right now for any search query.
PulseRank Search Results – a feed of search results ordered by relevance using OneRiot’s PulseRank algorithm, PageRank for the realtime web.
OneRiot Trending Topics – a feed of emerging topics heating up across the web right now.
Simple Web Search Interface – allowing developers to provide innovative search integration with minimal investment.
OneRiot CEO, Kimbal Musk, will be participating in our Real-Time Stream CrunchUp this Friday.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Twitter CRM Service, CoTweet, Raises Series A Funding; Launches Public Beta.
CoTweet, the web based Twitter collaboration platform for businesses, has announced a Series A round of funding totaling $1.1 million. The investors are Baseline Ventures, Founders Fund, First Round Capital, SV Angel, Maples Investments and Freestyle Capital.
CoTweet helps companies and brands, like Whole Foods, Microsoft, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and the City of San Francisco’s 311 manage their Twitter accounts as a marketing channel. CoTweet makes it easy to manage multiple accounts and supports group access to the same acounts, so a marketing team can split up Tweeting duties among themselves but still keep a unified public voice on Twitter.
CoTweet also launched into public beta today — meaning anyone can now sign up for the service. Previously, CoTweet was an invite-only service, with invites being hard to snag.
Finally, CoTweet has announced that it has integrated directly with Bit.ly, enabling CoTweet users to access the real-time click tracking and analytics from the URL shortening service. CoTweet launched in 2008, and is based in San Francisco.
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SuperFan Combines Social Gaming With Fan Worship
There has never been a better time to be a “fan” online. Whether it be via Facebook, MySpace, or even through fan-based social networks like TopFans, fandom on the web is taking off now that fans have more ways of expressing themselves. Just look at the recently deceased Michael Jackson, whose Facebook page now has close to 8 million fans, surpassing the fan count of Barack Obama’s Facebook page (6.4 million fans). SuperFan is a new way for people to express their loyalty and admiration for a show, movie, celeb, professional athlete or politician. SuperFan is a social gaming network where users build their network around who and what their fans of and compete with other fans to become the top fan.
Users of the network can become Fans of all their “Faves,” which include everything from ABC’s show Grey’s Anatomy to tennis star Roger Federer. Fans tag their Faves and can then use credits (via a virtual currency) to become the “SuperFan,” which gives them special privileges in controlling the favorite item or person’s profile. The network has enabled a bidding system to motivates fans to prove they are the number one fan.
Fans can earn points as they contributing more to the site. The credits can then be used to send virtual gifts, posting site-wide messages, customizing profiles with skins and colors and becoming the ultimate “SuperFan.” Fans can also create, take and share quizzes about their Faves, create and post to blogs on their homepages, and create battles (posted to the community) between Faves to drive traffic to the their respective pages (think Angelina vs. Jen). Users are also given a compatibility score with other fans on the site, that recommends friends to you base on your mutual Faves.
SuperFan is the brainchild of the co-founder of Tickle (which was bought by Monster Worldwide for $100 million in 2004), Rick Marini. Marini says SuperFan will make money mainly through e-commerce (via virtual currency sales), advertising and afilliate campaigns (SuperFan has partnerships in place with iTunes, Amazon, TicketMaster, StubHub, ThumbPlay to sell products and tickets.) Board members include founder of F*cked Company and AdBrite Philip Kaplan and Napster founder Shawn Fanning.
SuperFan is a innovative and engaging way for users to express their “inner fan” but I worry about how site will amass actual users when many people are already using Facebook and MySpace as fan hubs. Marini says that the site has implemented integration with Twitter and Facebook Connect to allows users to publish news onto their other social network sites, and also possibly catch the attention of potential fans at the same time. Still, MySpace, especially when it comes to music, and Facebook have a relative monopoly when it comes to combining fans with social networks. But Marini counters that on Facebook anyone can create a fan page for a celeb, show, athlete etc, creating sometimes hundreds of pages for one person or item and distorting the ultimate fan experience. Users often don’t know which page is the official one. With SuperFan, all “Fave” pages are pre-set and monitored so fans cannot create new pages but only add to them.
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Archive for the ‘SciTech’ Category
Daily Fix Video Podcast: 2.26.10
More Mass Effect 2 DLC is on the way, Just Cause 2 Demo coming next week, Lara Croft honored in the UK, and our weekly giveaway.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Rewind Theater
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
We walk you through the new features that are shown off in the trailer released this week.
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