IT-blog

Goolge Chrome Easter Eggs -- chrome rullz!

2008-09-04T23:28:00.002+03:00

We are all exited with release of new internet browser by Google -- Google Chrome, which is still not specific on software development but it's first moves are not bad, especially Google Earth is very interesting software product.
So what is the first surprize with the Google Chrome? Google Chrome is able to show some sort of famous graphics - just type about:internets in address and Google Chrome will show you something. Maybe it's some kind of non easy way of turn on screensaver? Who knows, will see what else will be discovered in Google Chrome in future.

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JavaScript performance says Google Chrome is the fastest browser ever!

2008-09-03T03:30:00.001+03:00

Presented yesterday the very first browser of the Google Corp. is available for downloading a few hours. And of course lot's of people wanted to know how fast is it?
Though it still in beta phase, Chrome showed pretty interesting results. Lars Bak, Google engineer and responsible person for Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine, said Chrome "many times faster than the rivals at running JavaScript, the programming language that powers Google Docs, Gmail, and many other Web applications". That's promising, but what's the real benchmarks? They are very convincing:

• Richards: OS kernel simulation benchmark, originally written in BCPL by Martin Richards (539 lines).

• DeltaBlue: One-way constraint solver, originally written in Smalltalk by John Maloney and Mario Wolczko (880 lines).

• Crypto: Encryption and decryption benchmark based on code by Tom Wu (1,689 lines).

• RayTrace: Ray tracer benchmark based on code by Adam Burmister (3,418 lines).

• EarleyBoyer: Classic Scheme benchmarks, translated to JavaScript by Florian Loitsch's Scheme2Js compiler (4,682 lines).

Update: Google Chrome (ChromeSetup.exe) - is finally available!

2008-09-02T19:56:00.004+03:00

Here is the very First screenshot of Google Chrome (ChromeSetup.exe):

Google Chrome (ChromeSetup.exe)

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Last update on availability: as promised - Google gave us this new browser. It's free for download here http://www.google.com/chrome! Google Chrome rullz!

HP Thync - what can be universal remote control

2008-05-28T23:22:00.001+03:00

Resource Dvice, dedicated, high-tech devices and concepts, posted on their pages conceptual designs for the remote control (PRC), which is called HP Thync.

A special feature is its universality concept, with its help, the idea developer David Chacon (David Chacon), it will be possible to control all devices in the house.

Unlike conventional compact PRC, which is easy to lose in the house, but it is convenient to keep and use just one hand, HP Thync are more and more difficult, because the work involves embedded with the menu and graphical user interface on-screen that is already quite resembles the concept from the movie "Click".

On the timing and the very possibility of commercialization project has not yet been reported.

Source: Dvice

The biggest drawing in the world created by GPS and DHL

2008-05-25T14:12:00.005+03:00

There are all sorts of creative uses for GPS, but here's a fellow who says he sent a self-designed GPS "device" in a briefcase to DHL with express travel instructions. He plotted the shipment's movement and ended up with the drawing you see above. We're a bit confused. First, he says he developed a GPS device with extended tracklog and battery time. Okay, but... using what, exactly?

Also, we've received some things from DHL, and we have a hard enough time just getting them to deliver stuff to the right address, let alone make circles in the Caribbean in the name of art. To be fair, his documentation looks complete, so serious kudos to him if this is all for real. Peep the travel instructions document that he says he gave to DHL along with shipping receipts and video after the break.

Specs of NVIDIA's GT200 chip: 1 billion transistors in just 576 mm2

2008-05-21T02:36:00.001+03:00

GeForce GTX 260/280 GPUs are based on the GT200 (NV60) core and will be built using a 65 nm manufacturing process at TSMC. Nvidia has come up with a huge die measuring 24 x 24 mm, resulting in a die area size of 576 mm2.

This area is almost 100 mm2 larger than Nvidia’s previous 90 nm high-end GPU (G80) and a consequence of 16 processing blocks (G80 came with nine blocks, eight were enabled for GTX models, six for GTS versions) and a new 512-bit memory controller, which replaces the old 384-bit model (the GTS260 will integrate a 448-bit version).

The current G92 or GeForce 8800GT/8800GTS512/9800GTX/9800GX2 CPUs are built in a 65 nm process and end up at a die size of 330 mm2. The original G80 (NV50) GPU, better known as the GeForce 8800, was manufactured in 90 nm and delivered a die size of 484 mm2.

With its new GPU generation, Nvidia is going to continue on the safe route and plan with enough spare transistors for 240 shader units (actually, 240FP+240MADD). Just like ATI's graphics parts and Sony Cell processor, this should not be considered odd. Keep in mind that the G92 chip debuted with 112 shader units and, after production had ramped up, Nvidia unlocked all the shader and texture units to create GeForce 8800GTS512, followed by the 9800GTX and GX2.

The same will be the case with the GeForce GTX 280 and 260. The GPU will have 15 processing units (240 shader processors) available on the GTX280, while the GTX260 will come with 12 units for a grand total of 192 shader processors. This may be an indication for the complexity involved in manufacturing such a part – especially if you think about the fact that Nvidia has a tradition of designing its GPUs completely in software and a massive supercomputer system in Santa Clara, California. The company always has been proud of the fact that every GeForce chip you buy essentially is “first silicon.”

Our sources state that the manufacturing cost of the GT200 die is somewhere between $100 to $110 per piece. It is pricey and you will be getting a lot more processing logic inside this core than with any other semiconductor part in the short history of the IT industry.

Typically, the CPU die spends about 66-80% of its real estate on cache and the remainder on logic; in the world of GPUs it is vice versa. Our sources indicated that the number of transistors on the GT200 will settle somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 billion – north of 900 million and south of 1.1 billion.

The production cost of a chip is determined on the amount of chips that fit on a wafer. In light of the fact that a 300mm (12") wafer carried less than 120 G80 GPUs, Nvidia will see even fewer GT200s, apparently about 100, according to what he heard.

We can't wait to lay our hands on one (or two) of these babies, and we'll share our impressions as soon as possible.

Pants with embedded keyboard for geeks

2008-04-25T07:32:00.001+03:00

Okay, so maybe tapping that space bar repeatedly in mixed company wouldn't be entirely appropriate, but if you've actually managed to mingle with fellow civilians while rocking these, they aren't likely to mind. Dreamed up and designed by Erik De Nijs, these über-geeky pants boast a built-in keyboard that's apparently Bluetooth-enabled.

Beyond that, you'll also find sewn in speakers, a pocket made especially for travel mice of all flavors and a "joystick controller" strategically located just behind the front zipper (saywha?). Hate all you like, we just penned this very post on a pair of these bad boys. Only kidding.

Designer Erik De Nijs, has stitched together this eye catching pair of “Beauty and the Geek” jeans. These “modern shaped trousers which are often worn by youngsters..” are the perfect solution for Googling quick exits while running from the fashion police. Built into the knees are a pair of crotch rocking speakers, around the back you have the added convenience of a back pocket for your “mouse”, and for you gamers, there is a joystick controller located just behind the front zipper. As usual, there are additional pics after the jump.

Intel Netbook Eco PC - how it looks like? See photos below

2008-03-23T01:35:00.001+02:00

As you may noticed now lot's of companies trying to produce small form-factor PCs or notebooks to be like ASUS with their Eee PC. So intel's (almost a clone of Classmate PC) new small and hopefully cheap notebook Eco PC is looking like this:

Sony: The very first product

2008-02-01T15:48:00.000+02:00

When it was founded in May 7, 1946 the first product of Sony was not a Walkman, A Walkman or a television but it was an electric rice cooker.

Brainchild of Ibuka one of the co-founder the electric rice cooker was made by merely interlocking aluminum electrodes which were connected to the bottom of a wooden tub, was a primitive product. The result depended heavily on the kind of rice used and the weight of the water. Tasty rice was a rarity, as the rice cooker produced mostly undercooked or overcooked rice.

Like Zoom? How about 13.4 Gpixel photo?

2007-09-03T15:55:00.000+03:00

So you find images from your new 10 Megapixel shooter clear, well here is a glimpse of the future. The above video is of 13.4 Gigapixel photo. 1 Gigapixel = 1000 Megapixels or 1 billion pixels. The photo is of Harlem, New York city, no matter where you zoom in, it's always crystal clear. It can clearly depict a person's face 20 miles away. I wonder how much RAM the computer is having.

http://view.break.com/360208 - Watch more free videos

Best Computer Viruses Over 25 Years

2007-08-31T23:04:00.000+03:00

ELK CLONER, 1982: Regarded as the first virus to hit personal computers worldwide, "Elk Cloner" spread through Apple II floppy disks and displayed a poem written by its author, a ninth-grade student who was designing a practical joke.
BRAIN, 1986: "Brain" is the first virus to hit computers running a Microsoft Corp. operating system - DOS. Written by two Pakistani brothers, the virus left the phone number of their computer repair shop.
MORRIS, 1988: Written by a Cornell University graduate student whose father was then a top government computer-security expert, the virus infected an estimated 6,000 university and military computers connected over the Internet. Although viruses had spread over the Internet before, until "Morris" none was widespread.
MELISSA, 1999: "Melissa" was one of the first to spread over e-mail. When users opened an attachment, the virus sent copies of itself to the first 50 people in the user's address book, covering the globe within hours.
LOVE BUG, 2000: Also spread via e-mail attachment, "Love Bug" exploited human nature and tricked recipients into opening it by disguising itself as a love letter.
CODE RED, 2001: Exploiting a flaw in Microsoft software, "Code Red" was among the first "network worms" to spread rapidly because it required only a network connection, not a human opening an attachment. Although the flaw was known, many system operators had yet to install a software patch Microsoft made available a month earlier to fix it.
BLASTER, 2003: "Blaster" also took advantage of a known flaw in Microsoft software and, along with the 2003 "SoBig" outbreak, prompted Microsoft to offer cash rewards to people who help authorities capture and prosecute the virus writers.
SASSER, 2004: "Sasser" exploited a Microsoft flaw as well and prompted some computers to continually crash and reboot, apparently the result of bad programming. Although "Sasser" is hardly the last malicious software, the ones since then have generally received less attention as networks install better defenses and profit-minded virus writers try to avoid detection and removal of their works.

DIY: install AMD Barcelona by yourself

2007-08-23T10:25:00.001+03:00

Russian ATM machine works fine on pirated Windows

2007-06-08T18:59:00.000+03:00

Windows Vista may have sold millions of copies but in Soviet Russia our ATM's run on pirated version of Windows.

10 most commonly used online passwords

2007-04-26T15:45:00.000+03:00

In PC Magazine's upcoming May 8th issue they have listed the top 10 most commonly used passwords online. So in case you are using any one of them change it ASAP. Having a hard time deciding on the right password, download the SecurePassword Generator plug in for Firefox.

1. password
2. 123456
3. qwerty
4. abc123
5. letmein
6. monkey
7. myspace1
8. password1
9. blink182
10. (your first name)

22 MPH with the fast Boots from Russia!

2007-03-18T07:31:00.000+02:00

UFA, Russia — Being a star engineering student at the top-notch science university here wasn’t enough to exempt Viktor K. Gordeyev from his physical education class.

Mr. Gordeyev, a specialist in airplane piston engines, sweated it out with everyone else, running laps in lumbering heavy boots in this town in the foothills of the Ural Mountains.

He vowed to find an easier way. Eventually, he found one — or at least came close. Mr. Gordeyev invented a gasoline-powered boot that looks like pogo sticks that strap to your shins, and they work on the same principle as the air-cushioned basketball shoe.

But rather than being dismissed as a crackpot invention, his boots — which use tiny pistons — became classified as a Russian military secret until 1994.

Now, they have been held up as a symbol of both Russia’s deep and rich scientific traditions and the country’s inability to convert that talent into useful — and commercial — merchandise outside of the weapons business.

Many government officials, Russian scientists and economists are focusing these days on the need to generate new sources of growth to diversify the country’s economy away from oil — the unsteady source of Russia’s recent prosperity.

And there is a growing consensus that entrepreneurialism has promise but faces serious obstacles, including no vibrant mechanism to bring together venture capitalists, inventors and entrepreneurs to develop viable commercial products.

In February, President Vladimir V. Putin implored the country’s most prominent businesses to branch out and invest in innovation and science. German O. Gref, the minister of economic development, often says Russia’s scientific base distinguishes it from other emerging market economies in India, China and Brazil, even though Russia is often compared to them.

But as part of a series of pointed articles, the Russian edition of Popular Mechanics magazine argued that Mr. Gordeyev’s thwarted attempt to commercialize the shoes is a symbol of the country’s failure to tap its considerable scientific talent for profitable business ideas.

The dream Mr. Gordeyev conceived in 1974 to run faster and jump higher without getting tired might never have become a popular option for commuters or even caught on as a sport. But unlike the Segway, the American-invented self-balancing scooter, it never had a chance.

Instead, the boots became a military secret, as generals envisioned soldiers running swiftly and effortlessly alongside armored vehicles.

The boots were declassified in 1994, and Mr. Gordeyev and his partners imagined growing rich by selling their invention to a lazy public. Instead, the company went out of business in 2006.

Like the boots, Russian scientists are still trying to gain traction in the capitalist world. A company in Saratov making a novel transport airplane with no tail, called the “flying saucer,” never got off the ground.

Russia also has other examples of good ideas later bungled in the process of commercialization. The Russian inventor of the Tetris video game was unable to patent his invention, and thus lost out on huge amounts of money. Russian engineers invented submersible pumps for oil wells, but failed to invest in their development; now Russian companies buy Western models from Halliburton.

And, in contrast to the United States, venture capital firms and start-up companies in Russia have not congregated near technology universities. Russian computer programmers, successful in Silicon Valley, are best known at home for hacking.

“Venture capital firms are starting to work here, but as a rule, if something comes to their attention it is an exception,” said Igor R. Belousov, a Hewlett-Packard executive who coordinates the company’s research at Russian universities.

Meanwhile, natural resources account for 80 percent of Russia’s export revenue; crude oil and natural gas alone account for 65 percent.

To encourage foreign companies to invest in cities rich in scientific talent, Mr. Gref’s ministry is setting up technology parks with tax breaks in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod and Novosibirsk.

In another example, Boris V. Gryzlov, the speaker of Parliament, said in February that his political party, United Russia, should help Russian inventors find markets for their ideas. The program is called the Idea Factory.

Like so much else in Russia these days, it envisions a big role for the Kremlin in venture capital; some 30 committees would recommend scientists for state grants. That approach is not surprising, given the country’s history of channeling industrial innovation into its military — the first home of Mr. Gordeyev’s shoes.

For now, though, the boots remain a curiosity, without the wider distribution their owners hoped for.

“Everything that would happen in an engine happens when you step down” in the boots, said Rustam D. Enikeev, the dean of the faculty of internal combustion at the Ufa State Aviation Technical University.

A step down compresses air in the shoe as in a typical sneaker, said Mr. Enikeev, who was a designer on the project. But then, a tiny carburetor injects gasoline into the compressed air and a spark plug fires it off. Instead of fastening a seat belt, the institute’s test runner, Marat D. Garipov, an assistant professor of engineering, strapped on shin belts at a recent demonstration. Then he flicked an ignition switch.

Before running down a university corridor, he jumped in place a few times to warm up the engine. Mr. Garipov then ran laps for about 10 minutes, going about 12 miles per hour, with the two-stroke boots emitting small puffs of exhaust.

A test runner once topped out at 21.7 miles per hour, despite the risk of being sent off-balance.

The tanks in the shoes hold a third of a cup of gasoline each and will take the runner three miles; that means the boots get about 70 miles per gallon.

But even after years of research, gasoline-assisted running remains dangerous.

“The worst situation is when the spark fires as the runner just lands, and the force of the blast is absorbed by his body,” Mr. Garipov explains flatly.

The two powerful engines tend to throw a wearer off balance or cause knees to buckle.

Mr. Gordeyev, the inventor, now 61 and retired, disagrees that the boots are dangerous and still has visions of their mass adoption. “We’ve been running in them for years and we haven’t had one trauma,” he said in a telephone interview. “The latest version operates smoothly. It will become a device for moving humanity. It’s a means of personal transportation.”

First, the institute tried to interest the Soviet Army.

“We ran in the corridor of the general staff building, in front of the generals” and the minister of defense, Mr. Enikeev said. “They liked it, and were even a little frightened.”

An order came down for the paratroop command to test the boots, and the design became classified. This gave the university access to government laboratories in Moscow, including those of the space agency.

One result of the Russian space agency testing was a calculation that the energy in calories used to move the two-pound boot at a run would exceed the energy input from the gasoline engine. That meant, it was more tiring to run with the motorized footwear than without it, undermining the original rationale.

Only if the weight could be reduced to below 2 pounds per boot would the wearer have a net energy gain. So far they have failed at this.

After the shoes were declassified in 1994, when capitalism was beginning to sweep across Russia, the inventors decided to market the boot.

A former student, Anfis G. Saibakov, formed a company called Ekomotor to design a user-friendly version. He imagined people might want to commute in the boots, as they do on bicycles or rollerblades. None of this happened.

When Mr. Saibakov demonstrated the boots at Disney World in Florida in 1998, safety came up as a concern, he said, and the company lacked money to fine-tune the product.

“They don’t have characteristics that would allow an ordinary person to use them,” Mr. Saibakov said glumly, admitting that running in the shoes would always mean “taking certain risks.”

“They should work like a Kalashnikov,” he said. “Reliable in anybody’s hands.”

Via NY

Install Windows Vista from a high speed USB 2.0 Flash Drive

2007-03-01T19:00:00.000+02:00

I've been thinking about writing a post about "How to install Windows Vista from a USB Flash Drive" for a while but just never got around to doing it. What got me thinking about it was a post on Josh's board (windowsconnected.com) about running WinPE from a bootable USB Flash drive and it seems to me like there's be a lot of folks that would want to install Windows Vista entirely from a USB Flash drive as well.

WHY INSTALL FROM USB FLASH DRIVE?
Why would someone want to install a client OS from a thumb drive instead of a DVDROM or over the network? One reason: Performance. Installing Windows Vista from a high speed USB flash drive is in my experience the easiest & fastest way to complete a Windows Vista install. This is much faster than using a DVD, gigabit ethernet, or possibly even some external USB 2.0 hard drives, due to differences in access speed & transfer rate. To put this into perspective, y'know how installing Windows on a Virtual PC virtual machine from an .ISO CD image is really, really, really fast? Imagine something roughly just as fast, except for doing installations of the OS on to actual workstations.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Here's some step-by-step instructions on how we do this, some of which was adapted from Josh's instructions, again, kudos to Josh.
Acquire an ultra-fast USB 2.0 flash drive
The drive I and my coworkers recommend is the Apacer 4GB Handy Steno USB Flash Drive HT203, 200X Hi-Speed USB 2.0. It's the fastest USB 2.0 Flash Drive that we've found - it has a read speed of 25MBytes/sec. & a write speed-14MBytes/sec and also works great as a ReadyBoost cache. You can get them from $56.99 each:
http://www.directron.com/ht2034g.html

Incidentally, once you've got Windows Vista up and running, you may want to consider getting an ultra-fast SDFlash card, installing it into your laptop or desktop, and leaving it there as a ReadyBoost cache. Why? It can't hurt and they're so cheap that it's worth getting. I personally got a SDFlash card for every one of my machines - the A-DATA 2GB Secure Digital Memory Card, 150X Turbo SD Card has a read

speed of more than 22.5MB/s and a write speed of more than 15MB/s. You can get them for $19.99 each:
http://supermediastore.com/adata-2gb-sd-secure-digital-card-150x.html
Format the Apacer Flash Drive
Run CMD.EXE and type the following. Note: This set of commands assumes that the USB flash drive is addressed as "disk 1". you should double check that by doing a list of the disks (type "list disk") before cleaning it. If you have multiple hard drives, like an SDFlash drive or a Multibay drive, you could end up wiping your second drive using this command.
(This was a warning that Josh added to his post along with the following commands that I copied from him, so kudos to Josh)

diskpart
select disk 1
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format fs=fat32
assign
exit

Copy Windows Vista's DVD ROM content to the Flash Drive
Simply issue the following command to start copying all the content from the Windows Vista DVD to your newly formatted high speed flash drive.
xcopy d:\*.* /s/e/f e:\

And that's it. Boot up the machine, have it boot off the USB drive, and watch how fast the installation completes. If you thought Windows Vista installed quickly before (usually 20-25 minutes per install of Windows Vista Ultimate Edition) then let's see how you like having Windows Vista install in less than 5-10 minutes. The slowest part of the install will probably be the computer waiting for you to type in information in the setup fields, and even that can be automated using the Windows Automated Installation Kit.

10 Annoying Vista Problems

2007-02-17T05:08:00.000+02:00

Partners are annoyed by the abundance of software and hardware incompatibilities surfacing as Windows Vista is deployed to more early adopters.

The Redmond, Wash., software giant launched Vista and a companion update called Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update to the market on Jan 30.

That update, KB929427, handles some of the more problematic application incompatibilities, but the nightmare is far from over, partners say.

It's typical for these conflicts to appear shortly after an operating system is released. The big problem with Vista is not only the number of incompatibilities with existing applications but also the lack of drivers for critical hardware components and hardware peripherals, partners say.

One partner said he is surprised by the lack of Vista drivers available for basic hardware components that keep a PC running.

"Customers upgrading Vista in place may find getting support for existing hardware very challenging," said Phil Aldrich, North American Microsoft Practice Manager for Dimension Data North America, a $3.1 billion solution provider.

"Tons of vendors haven't done Vista drivers and that's left a big hole in support. I can understand when it comes to printers and scanners, but when we're talking about hard drives, chipset controllers and video cards, things that run the PC, it's surprising," he said. "It's not just peripherals but primary component manufacturers aren't ready, and that unusual compared to the previous releases [of Windows]."

According to various solution providers contacted by CRN, here are the 10 biggest problems faced by early adopters of Vista out of the gate:

1. Lack of available drivers from ISVs causing application conflicts;

2. Lack of available drivers for existing and new peripherals and hardware components;

3. Buggy drivers;

4. New security feature often flags existing applications as suspicious and interrupts service;

5. Few applications aside from Vista and Office 2007 take advantage of user account control;

6. Customers are confused by Office 2007's ribbon-like user interface;

7. The OS automatically recommends which Vista versions is best for each PC's configuration. This will cause small businesses to download different versions of Vista;

8. Benefits of Vista and Office 2007 running together are not obvious. Partners and IT staff need training for maximum ROI;

9. Deployment isn't easy. Partners should use either Business Desktop Deployment tool, "lite" BDD no-charge tool or other tools;

10. Hardware doesn't run Windows Vista well.

Some speculate hardware and software manufacturers have invested little in updating their current products because they expect most customers will buy a new — and associated products — to run Vista.

Aldrich maintains, however, that many installed PCs are properly equipped to handle Vista and Office 2007 and the idea that customers must buy new PCs is a myth.

Partners and IT pros are also facing problems with peripherals.

"There's not enough drivers out there. Peripherals manufacturers are not all up to speed with Vista, so be careful what you buy," said Anthony Rodio, chief marketing officer at Supportsoft, a Redwood City, Calif., partner that provides helpdesk support for Windows Vista to enterprises and consumers. "People want to use the functionality in Vista and there are some multimedia, video and sound devices that support Vista, but many peripherals have to catch up."

He noted, for example, that Microsoft's own recently released Zune is not Vista compatible. And he added that one of his technicians recently bought an up-to-date webcam for Windows Vista and it didn't work.

The lack of available Vista drivers for existing software applications is a nightmare, partners say. They don't understand why Microsoft and its ISVs have dragged their feet for so long in developing drivers for existing applications.

The Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update is a package of updates released on Jan. 30 that fixes application compatibility issues with applications like Adobe Photoshop, AVG AntiSpyware, Google Desktop 4 and Roxio Easy Media Creator 7.,5.

But that Vista patch introduced problems with another version of Roxio one partner is using. He reported it to Microsoft but it hasn't been resolved yet.

"So many things just don't work and won't ever work and that's the problem," said Brian Bergin, president of Terabyte Computer, Boone, N.C. "Smartphones, fingerprint scanners, video drivers and both ATI and nVidia's [cards] are questionable at best, not to mention [that] many business applications don't work. Microsoft did such a horrible job of working with vendors on legacy XP-Windows 2000 application-hardware compatibility that everything is up in the air."

One of the beauties of Vista is the added security, but in order to use it, you must have updated hardware and drivers for applications," said Aldrich. "And none of the large ISVs have done it."

New security features in Vista are compounding the incompatibility issues, Supportsoft's Rodio said.

"Windows security is nice, but it may interrupt some existing applications you are running, like a travel service or something that Microsoft flags as spyware and interrupts," Rodio added. "It will likely disrupt stuff you've done in the past."

Incompatibilities dominate the list of most common complaints registered against Windows Vista since it shipped on Jan. 30, say several partners who support consumers and SMB and enterprise customers.

Many ISVs have pledged to release Vista drivers in the second half of 2007 but partners should expect a flood of support calls for customers who deploy this year, experts say.

Paul DeGroot, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, a newsletter in Kirkland, Wash., said it's not surprising to him that hardware manufacturers are not investing in new Vista drivers for older hardware.

Although some maintain that Vista runs happily on a Pentium 4 with at least 512 megabytes of RAM, he and others expect most customers will migrate to Vista through new PC purchases.

"I'm guessing that most of the hardware manufacturers will initially ship drivers for Vista only for new products that they're shipping about now because there wasn't demand in the marketplace for Vista drivers. In addition, Vista will be heavily related to OEM sales, and the OEMs may be selling compatible accessories with new PCs, so the aftermarket business will see less Vista-specific traffic

MugMouse: drink coffee from your mouse...

2007-01-25T08:42:00.000+02:00

In this jet age where everything is revolved around speed and the pace at which thing work its refreshing to see that some people actually want to slow things down and smell the coffee. Take the case of this amusing invention called the MugMouse. It has been deliberately created as “ SLOWEB peripherals that aims to provide an alternative to the fast global flow of information and is concerned with rhythms of consumption.” Well in layman’s terms it’s just a coffee mug that doubles up as a computer mouse. It works on infrared and it connected by USB cable. You click by pushing the whole mug towards the table, as the bottom the mug is a mouse button. Holding 150 ml of your favorite hot drink (and keeping it that way via a heater), this mug could be the next best thing for those who are content with the slow speed of this mouse.

Though still in a conceptual stage the practicality of the MugMouse is rather questionable, for I’m sure sooner or later there will be coffee spill all over the desks!

Gold-coated nanoparticles act as cancer killers

2007-01-03T18:31:00.000+02:00

Nanotechnology is definitely here to stay. It's being touted in all kinds of scientific pursuits these days. One of the most revolutionary may just be in the realm of fighting cancer.

Nanoshells, as they are being called, are gold-coated nanoparticles that would be placed within tumors and then remotely exploded with infrared light. The good catch is that the nanoparticles don't die but the cancer cells do. More importantly, unlike chemotherapy and radiation, this kind of treatment doesn't harm other cells because it is engineered to target only the cancer cells.

Scientists also say that the nanoshells could be used as infrared imaging devices, perhaps as a first-step microscopic X-ray of a tumor. The one possible danger is that the infrared light is shone through the patient's skin, perhaps causing some form of reaction. But, scientists say, that reaction will be mild compared to the havoc that radiation and chemo can wreck on the body.

This round of nanoshells (which build on an earlier method) is on the cusp of FDA-approved clinical trials and could be soon on the fast track to approval. Initial tests have already shown 100 percent remissions in animals.

Impossible Triangle looks good in real world

2006-12-20T19:43:00.000+02:00

Impossible Triangle is an Optical Illusion but .. it’s could be real.

An exciting new landmark has been created for Perth, in a unique collaboration between a leading WA artist Brian McKay and architect Ahmad Abas. Destined to become a bold icon for Perth, the "Impossible Triangle" has been erected in Claisebrook Square, East Perth.

In 1997, a number of local artists were invited to enter submissions for a major commission for the East Perth redevelopment. Each artist was given a comprehensive brief for the project. The submissions were shortlisted to three. One of the outstanding submissions came from Brian McKay and Ahmad Abas. It was accepted with one amendment. In order to create a bold and visible landmark for the wider community, the size of the sculpture was increased from the planned height of 9 metres to 13.5 metres.

The design striations on the polished aluminium reflects both sunlight and artificial lighting and changes dramatically between sunrise and sunset.

Brian McKay was born in Northam, Western Australia, in 1926. His work spans six decades. After representing Australia in the Children's Art Exhibition at New York's World Fair in 1939, Brian's work has featured in numerous local, national and international exhibitions. Among his many accolades, Brian was awarded the prestigious Australia Council Emeritus Fellowship in 1990 and the Order of Australia medal in 1991, for services to contemporary art and education. Brian has been commissioned for many major works over the years, including internal art works for the Central Park Complex in Perth city and two large works for the Reserve Bank of Perth.

Ahmad Abas is an award winning Perth architect who has had a strong local involvement in the arts, since 1990. In addition to working on major commercial architectural projects both locally and overseas, Ahmad has worked prolifically in design and construction on numerous plays, sculptures, exhibitions and events, often working in collaboration with other leading local artists.

The world's first 2.5 gigapixel digital picture

2006-12-16T22:38:00.000+02:00

Hasselblad may have a camera with 39 megapixels, but when you check out this latest project, it's like saying you have a 32MB MP3 player. Imaging junkies in the Netherlands got together and created a 2.5 gigapixel digital picture, dubbed to the world's largest. To accomplish this, they employed a 4 gigapixel camera. That's giga, not mega.

Just as 1000MB is equal to 1GB, 1000 megapixels are equal to 1 gigapixel. And this camera has four of those. As you can probably imagine, the file size is absolutely gimongous. The original picture was a jaw-dropping 7.5 gigabytes (GB) in size.

Now, it's not like this photo was taken in one fell swoop either: it is composed of 600 individual images that were later "merged". The endeavor took 75 minutes to complete.

Sea Level May Rise 40 Percent Higher Than Predicted, Study Says

2006-12-15T02:53:00.000+02:00

Global warming could push sea levels about 40 percent higher than current models predict, according to a study that takes a new approach to the calculation. Most sea level models predict changes based on what we know about how ice sheets melt and warmer waters expand. These models suggest that by 2100 sea level will be between 4 and 35 inches (9 and 88 centimeters) higher than it was in 1990.

But the physics of how ice sheets melt and how the oceans will expand in a warmer world is still poorly understood. So Stefan Rahmstorf, an ocean physicist at Potsdam University in Germany, took a different approach: He used studied actual observations of changes in sea level collected in the 20th century to make predictions for the 21st century. Current models don't jibe with actual sea level rise during recent decades, Rahmstorf says. So he crafted a formula based on a relationship between global temperature and sea level seen during the past hundred years.

"The more the temperature rises, the faster the sea level rises," he said. In a paper published today in the online advance edition of the journal Science, Rahmstorf applied his formula to 21st-century warming scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). His results predict that by the end of the century sea level will rise between 20 and 55 inches (50 and 140 centimeters) above 1990 levels. "We have much larger uncertainty than we previously thought about the sea level," Rahmstorf said.

Unforeseen Factors

Rahmstorf added that the actual range of uncertainty is probably larger than his calculations suggest. The IPCC numbers are based on an older assumption that the ice sheets over Greenland and Antarctica will melt by a steady amount over time. Recent research suggests, however, that ice sheets are melting faster (related news: "Global Warming Is Rapidly Raising Sea Levels, Studies Warn" [March 23, 2006]). "If something dramatically new happens—something we haven't foreseen—then of course the whole approach [of using observations to make predictions] breaks down," Rhamstorf said.

"We may end up with more sea level rise." Konrad Steffen is a professor of geography at the University of Colorado at Boulder who studies how melting ice sheets and glaciers contribute to sea level. He said one wild card that could impact predictions is the so-called dynamic response of the ice sheets to warming. In the last five to eight years, he noted, the speed at which Greenland's glaciers move toward the sea has sped up dramatically (explore Greenland's changing landscapes with a National Geographic Adventure magazine guide). Scientists think that meltwater, which pools up on the ice, funnels down to the glacier bed. There, the water acts as a lubricant, allowing the ice to slip seaward more quickly. The process may last five or ten years, or it may last decades, Steffen said.

"We have hypotheses on what is happening, but we can't model it for the future," he said. "That is where [Rahmstorf] is correct."

High Water Risk

Study author Rahmstorf notes in Science that a sea level rise of 39 inches (1 meter) is plausible if the 20th-century relationship between temperature and sea level holds true in the 21st century. That much sea level rise would expose major coastal cities such as London and New York to greater storm surges, threatening life and property. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions can impact such sea level rise, he noted.

"By implementing effective climate policy," he said, "we can stay below the lower end of my range [around 20 inches, or 50 centimeters]."

Via National Geographic

A small cute doggy that humping with your PC or laptop

2006-12-13T18:28:00.000+02:00

Well, this is probably the COOLEST USB gadget ever! The Humping Dog is nothing but a little doggie in heat that keeps on screwing your computer once connected… WICKED!!

CUBE-WORKS (Japan) lets you possibility to make a nice present for someone for X–mas or just have your own Humping Doggi! See video how it works when connected via USB…it’s awesome!

Available on GeekStuff4U.com on request.! Only $8.5

Lumus-Optical unveils microdisplay-packin' designer glasses

2006-12-12T20:41:00.000+02:00

While we admire the effort of those gaudy, unsightly microdisplay-equipped goggles to bring big screen theatrics to the front of your face, they aren't likely to win any style contests, nor help you garner any friendly attention. An Isreali company, dubbed Lumus-Optical, is looking to change all that by offering up a relatively normal looking set of spectacles with twin microdisplays and mini projectors.

The firm's latest prototype boasts dual 640 x 480 resolution displays as well as two wee projectors on each arm; the Lumus glasses can accept video inputs via an undisclosed connection, and projects an image akin to a "60-inch screen from 10 feet away." Its Light-guide Optical Element (LOE) technology allows the imagery to be reflected back on to the lenses so users can view them, all while being transparent enough to allow you to focus on the humans, trees, road block, or board room presentation ahead of you. Although it's easy to shrug gizmos like these off as gimmicky and unrealistic, we guess we'll have to see (ahem) for ourselves when these specs are demoed at CES.

via http://www.israel21c.org

1 TB of data on a regular DVD?

2006-12-07T21:07:00.000+02:00

This is the promise of the 3-D Optical Data Storage system developed at the University of Central Florida (UCF). This technology allows to record and store at least 1,000 GB of data on multiple layers of a single disc. The system uses lasers to compact large amounts of information onto a DVD and the process involves shooting two different wavelengths of light onto the recording surface. By using several layers, this technique will increase the storage capacity of a standard DVD to more than a terabyte.

This technology has been developed by Kevin D. Belfield, Department Chair and Professor of Chemistry at UCF, and his colleagues in the Belfield Research Group. So how does this work?
The process involves shooting two different wavelengths of light onto the recording surface. The use of two lasers creates a very specific image that is sharper than what current techniques can render. Depending on the color (wavelength) of the light, information is written onto a disk. The information is highly compacted, so the disk isn’t much thicker. It’s like a typical DVD.

The challenge scientists faced for years was that light is also used to read the information. The light couldn’t distinguish between reading and writing, so it would destroy the recorded information. Belfield’s team developed a way to use light tuned to specific colors or wavelengths to allow information that a user wants to keep to stay intact.

Below is a picture showing how this two-photon 3D optical system reads the data. "This 3D image was reconstructed from successively two-photon fluorescence imaging (readout) of 33 XY data planes along the axial direction (1 micron distance between each image). The principle for this novel two-photon 3D optical storage device was based on a bichromophoric mixture consisting of diaryletheneand fluorene derivative, suitable for recording data in thick storage media." (Credit: Dr. Zhen-Li Huang, UCF)

This research work has been published by Advanced Materials under the title "Two-Photon 3D Optical Data Storage via Fluorescence Modulation of an Efficient Fluorene Dye by a Photochromic Diarylethene" (Volume 18, Issue 21, Pages 2910-2914, Published online on October 30, 2006). Here is a link to the abstract.

This work has also been reviewed by Rachel Pei Chin Won in Nature Photonics under the title "Two photons are better than one" (November 16, 2006). Here are more details about this "Two-Photon 3-D Optical Data Storage" system.
[The researchers] have fabricated a two-photon three-dimensional optical data system using a photochromic polymer. They show that the system is suitable for recording data in thick storage media and for providing a readout method that does not erase existing stored information — they perform 10,000 readout cycles with only a small reduction in contrast. Also, contrary to other techniques, this method allows reading and writing of data at the same wavelength, which is achieved by changing the intensity of the laser light.

Nature Photonics also describes what kind of lasers were used by Belfield and his team.
Although the authors used a relatively expensive femtosecond Ti-sapphire laser to both read and write the information, they suggest that the data could be read using cheaper nanosecond laser diodes with comparable laser intensity, making this high density data-storage system more cost effective.

But when will we able to use DVDs with a terabyte capacity? Not before several years. In fact, the researchers just received a $270,000, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to continue its work.

In the mean time, you can still visit -- virtually -- Belfield's lab. In particular, you should take a look at this page about High-Density Optical Data Storage, from which the above illustration has been extracted, and a photo gallery about One vs Two-photon Excitation.

via Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala, University of Central Florida

Bill and Melinda Gates to Spend All Within 50 Years of Their Death

2006-12-06T23:52:00.000+02:00

The Gates Foundation focuses on problems of our century

This month, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced that within fifty years of the death of the Gates, it would spend all of its assets. The goal for the foundation is to spend the assets in this century improving the foundations and addressing problems in preparation for the next century. The Foundation said this century would be an important focus to address such things as poverty, AIDS and other situations and issues.

Bill Gates earlier this year announced his inevitable step-down from his day to day role at Microsoft to focus more on the Gates Foundation. While many industry insiders were surprised by the announcement, Bill has been increasing his donations over the years leading up to this point. "Global development is a gigantic problem," said Gates at a philanthropy meeting in New York.

In June of this year, Warren Buffet announced that $44-billion of his total wealth will be given to the Gates Foundation. The large gift will be dispersed in phases and not all at once. Gates mentioned previously that he too will be using much of his wealth for philanthropic causes.

Because Bill and Melinda have decided to focus the foundation’s work in the 21st century, we will be spending all of our resources within 50 years after Bill's, Melinda's, and Warren's deaths. The decision to focus all of our resources in this century underscores our optimism for making huge progress and for making sure that we do as much as possible, as soon as possible, on the comparatively narrow set of issues we’ve chosen to focus on.

The foundation will also be split into two, one part handling the assets and the other part doing the actual programs and work. Bill and Melinda as well as Warren Buffet will serve as trustees for the program foundation. Only Bill and Melinda will be the trustees for the asset foundation. Buffet stated that he does not want to be involved with the money or how it is spent.

The P-ISM pen from NEC writes, projects, scans, and more

2006-12-06T23:23:00.000+02:00

Big deal, so you've got yourself a spiffy-looking pen. I don't care if it coated in platinum or white gold, because all it will ever be able to do is scribble on a piece of a paper. The P-ISM "pen-style personal networking gadget package" from NEC does much more than just write. For starters, it can project a virtual keyboard for use with PDAs and other handheld devices. It'll provide you with a glowing red set of QWERTY-fied goodness on whatever desk you happen to be sitting at... but wait, there's more.

The P-ISM, of course, can still do "hand-writing data input functions", but it also includes a very small projector, a camera scanner, and a personal ID key "with cashless pass function." You can even use the P-ISM, apparently, to connect to the internet using the cellular phone function. Wow! Will it do my taxes too?

Police arrest 12-year-old for opening Game Boy present early

2006-12-06T13:36:00.000+02:00

Police in Rock Hill South Carolina arrested an eager teenager for opening his Game Boy Christmas present early. The 12-year-old kid had taken the present that had been placed under the Christmas tree by his 27-year-old mother. On Sunday, the mother and the boy's great-grandmother couldn't find the present and threatened to call the police.

The boy fessed up, but the mother called the police anyways. Two Rock Hill police department officers arrived and arrested the boy for petty theft. While most people would say that it's impossible to steal a gift, the mother argued that the gift hadn't yet been given and still belonged to her. He wasn't taken to jail and was released to his parents.

The mother and grandparents say the kid has had previous disciplinary problems and wanted to teach him a lesson. Police Lieutenant Jerry Waldrop told the Rock Hill Herald that, "In a case like this, if the parents and grandparents are adamant about it and they feel the child has a serious problem, I can't second-guess what the officers did," Waldrop said.

Ppolice report: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1205062xmas1.html

Windows Vista Ultimate for $3.50!!!

2006-12-05T19:31:00.000+02:00

Bangkok (Thailand) - Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system will not launch until January 30, but software pirates around the world are already churning out illegal copies of the recently released RTM Vista. Often these copies are sold for pennies on the dollar when compared to the original price: We were able to purchase a copy of Vista Ultimate, which will retail for $400, for a mere $3.50 (US).

If you have been following the coverage, it is no secret to you that you will have to pay at least $160 to see the sleek AeroGlass 3D interface (available in Vista Premium and up.) Even updates on your new computer could be pricey, as manufacturers will charge an average of about $80 to take their users from Windows XP Home Basic to Vista Premium. No matter how you turn it, Windows Vista will cost you a lot more than your previous Windows XP operating system, at least if you purchase the software legally.

Illegally, you could have downloaded the "release-to-manufacturing" (RTM) version via various P2P networks. If you've missed that chance or if you don't trust such a download, you can also pick up a RTM copy during your vacation in Thailand for a price that is just slightly higher than what you would pay for a blank rewriteable DL DVD.

We bought our Vista RTM copy in a regular store in an upscale mall in Bangkok. Vista, along with other expensive software, was prominently on display at several stores with prices ranging from $2.50 to $5.00 (US).

Photocopies of the front and back box covers are usually displayed along with a three digit number. Customers simply write down the numbers of the software they want to purchase and take them to the store's cashier. After paying in the store, it takes about ten minutes for a runner to bring a freshly burned copy of the software.

According to media reports, every few months the Thai police sends people to raid some of the stores, but the officers often end up empty handed. Since the DVDs are burned off-site, there is often no contraband at the store. In addition, stores appear to be well connected and are often told in advance when the police will raid the mall.

Back at home, we found that we had bought a fully functional RTM version and virus-free of Windows Vista that would allow us to install Vista Basic, Vista Premium, Vista Business or Vista Ultimate. We passed on installing the software, but the back cover paper claims that neither a product key nor activation is required to install the software.

In exchange for the savings, however, there is some inconvenience for the user of a pirated Vista RTM: Users are instructed to set their BIOS date to 2099 before installing the release. The date is set back to the regular time after installation. We were not able to confirm that this hack will pass Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage checks for software updates.

Back in March, Neil MacBride, vice president of legal affairs at the Business Software Alliance, told us that software piracy is a huge problem in Asia and that 79% of the software in use in Thailand is pirated. MacBride said his organization concentrates on the big-time pirates and likes going after businesses that use the software. BSA often publicly names companies if they are caught using pirated software.

How to make watercooling for your laptop in 13 steps

2006-12-05T15:50:00.000+02:00

How to make watercooling for your laptop

step 1Step 1: Don't be a moron
Disclaimer: If you break something doing this it is your own damn fault. You REALLY ought to know better than to mix electronics and water. DUH!
For those of you willing to continue despite the risk to life and limb and inevitable financial loss; go to the next step.

step 2Procure laptop
Get a laptop from somewhere. I happened to have an old compaq presario 700 laying about. It would only run for five minutes then lock up from heat. Soooo, I decided to get my feet, er, wet in the world of water cooling, using the cheapest methods I could think of.
Some of the methods could be done better, much better if you are not a cheapskate like me.
If you are a cheapskate, you could potentially use similar methods elsewhere and save a buck or two.

step 3Get other stuff
Tubing: I used 3/16 ID vinyl tubing from the hardware store, it is strong yet flexible it has an OD of 5/16
More tubing: I used 5/16 ID for this, if you can't see where I'm going with that...
A pump. I got one from ebay $20 shipped with power supply. If I were to do it again... I'd get a proper water cooling pump.
Radiator. I'm using an add-on transmission cooler from O'reilly auto parts. It comes with mounting hardware and looks pretty nice. It should have the thermal capacity of 800 of the laptop's built in heat sinks.
Fans. Whatever. I'm using two thermaltake fans wired in series with a temperature controller. One fan is a smartcool the other is a thuderblade. Both together were $29 shipped from newegg. If I were doing this over, I'd skimp on fans and splurge on pump.
Reservoir. A gerbil water bottle from petsmart. It has a detachable clip on the back and 3/16 tube fits right in the hole where the metal drinking tube went.
Power supply. I'm using a 13.5 v psu for the fans and a 12v psu for the pump (the one that came with it)

step 4Dismantle computer
See manufactures recommendations for how to do this.
Or be like me and just pull out all the screws you find. Whatever.

step 5Prepare cooling block
Most laptops have an integrated cpu cooler block/ heat sink.
Remove this and figure out how to get water through it.
The compaq has a single copper pipe across the top. I cut a section of it off. Then cut off the end. Then I removed the copper mesh inside.
Then I flared the ends of the tube.
Then I stuck tubing on them by heating them gently and stretching them over the pipe. I borrowed this method from Bard Lund Johansen.
The tubes are also glued/caulked on using a 'household welder' adhesive.
Just for good measure a short (1/2 inch) length of 5/16 tube was slid over the top to keep it all snug.

While the block is off you MAY want to try lapping the cooler. That is up to you. It is VERY time consuming, and I just don't know about the gain. BUT I did it, so... just look at that shiny cpu cooler.
I think I lapped it even more after i took this photo.

step 6Route tubes
Find some way to route tubes to the outside.
This will almost certainly take some cutting.
Plan your route carefully and avoid sharp bends.
Bonus: Use the stiffness of the tubing to support the now much heavier screen.

step 7Mount stuff on back of screen
I opened up the screen (be careful, lcd's are fragile) and drilled some holes. Then I threaded the mounting zips that came with the trans cooler through the holes.
Then I cut some foamies brand (from wally world) pieces of foam to little squares and punched holes in them. These are to stand the radiator away from the back of the screen.

step 8Mount Rad and Fans
Now get that radiator nice and comfy using the zips.
Then place a gasket made of foam on top of the rad for each fan. This will keep your air moving to/from where you want.
put the fans on.
Attach and snug everything using the round clips for the zips (they work like a two-piece zip tie)
Marvel at being 3/4 of the way there.

step 9Mount other stuff
Now that the radiator is mounted you have to attach your pump and reservoir.
Of course, you already spent all your time agonizing of the mounting and routing locations (didn't you?) so this part just means attaching the hoses and sticking everything down with heavy duty (outdoor strength) double stick tape.
Now, a word on attaching an routing tubes:

At first I was using small plastic elbow bends to make sharp corners with my tubing, but those limited flow too much. So I went with the method used here: http://folk.ntnu.no/bardlund/hack.jsp
Bard told me to heat the tubing gently and bend it and stretch it.
I heated using my gas stove.
I bent the 5/16 tubing by placing a thick copper wire inside, and holding it near the flame to GENTLY heat it. I then held the section of tubing in cool water for 1-2 minutes so it cooled fully. Then I removed it and attached it to whatever. This way I could make elbow bends that fit over the 5/16 inlets and outlets of the pump and rad. They don't reduce flow and they look pretty nice. The other advantage is you can just shove the smaller tubing right inside for a water tight fit. If you're nervous, just use some glue.

step 10Wiring
This is tricky and may take some playing with.
I'm using two separate wall wort power supplies for the pump and the fans. Do whatever works for you. Be careful and don't blow up your expensive fans like I did (D'oh!).
If you have a computer power supply now might be the time to press it into service, as it has a choice of voltages to play with.

step 11PRAY
Fill it with water.
Use distilled water.
Turn it off and pull the battery (you should have done that long ago, but just in case)
flip the switch
Watch for leaks (there will be leaks)

step 12Fix leaks and reassemble system
Fix all the leaks and put everything back together.
Keep the cooling system running with no leaks for at least 24 hours before powering up.
Be prepared to troubleshoot odd problems.
My reservoir kept leaking, I discovered that it was building up lots of air pressure inside and blowing out the glue seal. I installed a needle valve from a lawnmower carburetor, that seemed to fix it.
If any one has other solutions, let me know.

step 13Enjoy
Enjoy your new stable running system
Install Ubuntu
Post instructable
revel in being the first person you know with a water cooled laptop.
try to figure out how to cool the ram in the laptop
Plan another one... this time battery powered and self contained.....
drink beer

Via http://www.flickr.com/photos/14815197@N00/

Enigmatic relic was an eclipse calculator

2006-12-02T22:32:00.000+02:00

The mystery over the purpose of a sophisticated geared "calculator" built in the 2nd century BC has finally been solved.

The so-called "Antikythera mechanism" was found in 1902 by sponge divers exploring a shipwreck off the Greek island of the same name, but its exact use had puzzled scientists.

The relic consists of numerous fragments, including brass gears embedded in thick mineral encrustations. The device is thought to have once been housed in a wooden box about the size of a carriage clock and is more complex by far than any other machine known to have existed on the planet for the following 1000 years.

Now a team led by Mike Edmunds at Cardiff University in Wales has shown that the Antikythera mechanism was designed to predict solar and lunar eclipses from the relative positions of the Earth, Moon and Sun.

Edmunds's team used an industrial CT scanner to map out the gear trains within the mineral-encrusted fragments. The scans allowed them to determine how the components fit together and to work out their function. The team also found fragments of previously hidden text engraved on the metal.
Long tradition

"The real significance of this is just how sophisticated the device was – much more complex than a modern wristwatch," says Edmunds. "It is beautifully designed and must have come from a long tradition of making these kinds of devices."

The team is constructing a virtual model of the mechanism, which they hope to have completed within a few months.

But questions still remain, says Edmunds. There are various written references to devices like the Antikythera mechanism and yet no other examples are known. One reason may be that the bronze from which the machine is made would have been extremely valuable and so similar devices may have been melted down.

"It may be significant that the only example we have has come from a shipwreck and so couldn't have been melted down," Edmunds says, adding that the only examples of bronze statues from the same period also come from shipwrecks.

Top 10 reviews of the week

2006-12-02T18:30:00.000+02:00

Here's our weekly roundup of the new products CNET reviewers liked most.

1. 2007 Porsche Boxster S 2dr Convertible (3.4L 6cyl 6M)

Editors' rating: 8.4

The good: The 295 horsepower six-cylinder engine in the 2007 Porsche Boxster S gives strong and usable power at any speed, with the handling and six-speed manual transmission equal to the spirited driving this car calls for.

The bad: The available CD changer mounts in the trunk, and satellite radio isn't available.

The bottom line: With its superior handling and power, the Porsche Boxster S begs to be driven hard. A full array of cabin electronics is available for navigation, music and cell phones, but this package could benefit from an in-dash CD changer.

2. Pioneer VSX-82TXS

Editors' rating: 8.3

The good: Pioneer's high-end 7.1-channel A/V receiver is tightly packed with a full range of top-notch features, including a Faroudja HD scaler that converts all analog video inputs to your choice of 480p, 720p or 1080i resolutions over the receiver's HDMI output. It offers three 1080p-capable HDMI inputs and highly accurate autosetup. The THX Select2 certified receiver is also XM-ready and--with the included connecting cable--offers iPod compatibility.

The bad: Densely packed menus will intimidate novices. Analog-to-digital video conversion has some issues which may bother discriminating videophiles.

The bottom line: With an extensive feature package, rock-solid build quality and awesome sound, the Pioneer Elite VSX-82TXS is a worthy combination of everything we expect in a high-end A/V receiver.

3. Niro 800

Editors' rating: 8.1

The good: Ingeniously designed "1.1" single speaker plus seriously potent subwoofer virtual surround home-theater system; compact digital amplifier; optional subwoofer amp boosts bass performance; simplified cable hookup.

The bad: Uninspired styling; no video switching or HDMI connectivity; you supply the DVD player.

The bottom line: Niro's home theater sound is in the top tier of virtual surround systems and is especially recommended for buyers who will be spending as much time listening to music as watching DVDs.

4. LG enV (VX9900)

Editors' rating: 8.0

The good: The LG enV offers an impressive feature set, an easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard and decent call quality.

The bad: The enV's streaming-video quality could be better, and the boxy design has its quirks. Also, its external display is small and not very useful.

The bottom line: The design still isn't perfect, but the LG enV is a high-quality messaging and multimedia cell phone.

5. V-moda Vibe

Editors' rating: 7.7

The good: The stylish V-moda Vibe headphones amplify the audio from the sound source, and they come with several fun or useful accessories. Overall sound quality is very good.

The bad: The V-moda Vibe headphones are a bit overpowering on the low-end; may be uncomfortable for some users.

The bottom line: The V-moda Vibe headphones are a great option for style-conscious bass-addicts looking for some worthy portable headphones.

6. Canon Pixma MP960

Editors' rating: 7.7

The good: Fast prints; high-quality text, graphics and photo prints; built-in duplexer; loads of image enhancement options; capable of batch negative/slide scans.

The bad: Scan quality needs to be improved; PictBridge port can't double as USB port; no built-in networking; expensive.

The bottom line: If you have the money to burn, the Canon Pixma MP960 is a great choice for photo hobbyists who need fast prints and great print quality. We prefer this model to its comparably priced competition.

7. Motorola Razr V3m (Sprint)

Editors' rating: 7.3

The good: The Sprint Motorola Razr V3m offers a trendy design, decent call quality and a notable list of features, including Bluetooth, a speakerphone and support for EV-DO networks. Its menu design and EV-DO offerings are superior to Verizon's Razr V3m.

The bad: The Sprint Motorola Razr V3m suffers from poor speakerphone quality, a low-resolution display and no analog roaming. The location of the memory card slot is poor, and the phone's interface was rather sluggish.

The bottom line: The Sprint Motorola Razr V3m offers a few differences from the Verizon Wireless Razr V3m, but overall, it's roughly the same as its competitor.

8. HP Pavilion m7690n Media Center TV PC

Editors' rating: 7.3

The good: Lowest-cost PC, desktop or otherwise, with an HD DVD or Blu-ray drive (in this case, HD DVD); strong configuration for playing HD movies also lends itself to gaming and Windows Vista; wireless networking included.

The bad: HD DVD player begs to be brought into the living room, but the midtower desktop design says otherwise; limited room for expansion; too many promotional shortcuts and icons on the desktop; no HDMI output, only dual-link DVI.

The bottom line: We'd rather see an HD DVD drive in a living room-style case, but if HP had to build it into a standard desktop, at least the Pavilion m7690n Media Center TV PC is powerful, and it's also affordable. It will play both high-definition movies and 3D games, and it's ready for Windows Vista--for less than $2,000. No other PC we know of can make that claim. If you're in the market for such a system, this is a steal.

9. Motorola Krzr K1m

Editors' rating: 7.3

The good: The Motorola Krzr K1m is downright sexy and offers Bluetooth, EV-DO support and good call quality.

The bad: The Motorola Krzr K1m suffers from metallic music quality, poor streaming videos and sluggish performance. Also, it offers a lower-resolution camera than on the GSM Krzr K1.

The bottom line: Although it's oh-so pretty, the Motorola Krzr K1m doesn't offer any new features. Plus, multimedia performance wasn't reliable.

10. Samsung SPH-M610

Editors' rating: 7.3

The good: The Samsung SPH-M610 has an attractive design, a fantastic internal display and admirable performance. It also offers a solid set of features, including Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera and EV-DO support.

The bad: The Samsung SPH-M610's volume was a tad low, its external display is too small, and it lacks stereo speakers. Also, the microSD card slot is in a bad location.

The bottom line: Despite some minor performance and design issues, the Samsung SPH-M610 is a strong addition to Sprint's lineup and a great choice for a slim phone.

Seagate: "We're building a product that helps people buy more crap - and watch porn."

2006-12-02T14:30:00.000+02:00

Seagate CEO Bill Watkins will probably be known as the most brutally honest hard drive executive in history. During a dinner conversation with Fortune's senior editor Jeffrey O'Brien, Watkins said, "We're building a product that helps people buy more crap - and watch porn."

Of course, Watkins said what everyone knew all along, but it takes someone with guts to blurt it out.

Seagate is mainly know for their Barracuda line of drives, but the company also makes a variety of portable drives from the Pocket Hard Drives to the Mirra Personal Server. The company recently acquired competitor Maxtor and continues to sell Maxtor's DiamondMax line of drives.

Spy shots of Nokia's 870 Internet Tablet!

2006-11-28T21:07:00.000+02:00

We knew it was shiny, but that was about it. Now we've got ourselves a few more angles of Nokia's upcoming 870 Internet Tablet, and a few more specs to be getting on with.

As noted last time around, Nokia's main addition here is a fancy new webcam, which can apparently rotate to face towards or away from the user. According to our anonymous tipster, things have pepped up quite considerably under the hood, and internal memory has been bumped to 180MB, but the architecture is relatively unchanged.

The 870 runs the exact same Internet 2006 OS as the 770, so no update love there. There is a fancy new integrated deskstand, however, along with a much-appreciated SD slot behind the battery cover in addition to that old RS-MMC slot which remains in the same easily-accessible spot.

As you might've guessed from the pics, there's no more slide-in "dock" casing for this new version, but Nokia is including a fancy leather case, along with a microphone/headset for getting your VoIP on.

Overall, the new version looks to be quite the svelte little number, and while we mourn the continued lack of a physical keyboard, we're sure we can find a few ways to have a good time with this little thing whenever it launches. Catch the rest of the juicy shots after the break.

Thieves Steal $1.9M Worth of Microsoft Xbox 360 Consoles

2006-11-26T19:55:00.000+02:00

The police are searching for at least three thieves responsible for stealing thousands of Xbox 360 game consoles

Around $1.9M USD worth of Microsoft Xbox 360 game consoles have been stolen from a U.K. depot center located in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. An initial shipment of consoles worth $1.4M USD was stolen from a depot center. Police later revealed that there was another theft on Thursday morning after two vehicles flagged down a truck that was carrying around $500,000 worth of Xbox consoles.

According to U.K. police, At least three men, believed to be driving a Range Rover and Rover Saloon, were involved with the truck jacking. Police have successfully recovered the stolen truck. An investigation is underway to see if the two thefts are related.

Police believe the consoles are being stolen so that they can be sold on the black market for the Christmas holiday shopping season. The Xbox 360 retails from $386 to $579 in the UK and is a top choice for consumers, according to The Times of London.

The police have made statements to the public warning them that anyone purchasing stolen consoles could find that their warranty is no longer valid. Also, the Staffordshire police department put out the following statement to viewers in the UK: "We are appealing for information from anyone who is offered games in suspicious circumstances, such as in a pub, at a car boot sale or off the back of a lorry."

Approximately 4,000 consoles were stolen in the heist by rough estimates.

450 GB on usual paper? Piece of cake!

2006-11-25T14:47:00.000+02:00

According to a report from the Arab News, a university technology student named Sainul Abideen has invented a method of storing massive amounts of digital data on a plain piece of paper that he claims could store many times the capacity of the best Blu-ray or HD-DVD discs. In fact, Abideen says that his Rainbow technology can enable him to store up to 450GB on a piece of paper. As far as a real life demonstration of a 450GB paper goes, the technology still needs development.

Abideen claims that that his Rainbow system is better than a binary storage because instead of using ones and zeros to represent data, Abideen uses geometric shapes such as squares and hexagons to represent data patterns. Color is also used in the system to represent other data elements. According to Abideen, all that's required to read the Rainbow prints is a scanner and specialized software.

The reporter at Arab News claims to have seen 450 pages of fully printed foolscap being stored on a 4-square inch piece of Rainbow paper. The reporter also claimed that he was shown a 45-second video clip that was stored using the Rainbow system on a plain piece of paper. Interestingly, 45-seconds of video isn't a lot, and if the Rainbow system can store up to 450GB, then we need to be watching full length high-definition videos from a piece of paper.

One of the major advantages of the Rainbow system is the fact that it should cost a lot less to produce than typical polycarbonate DVD and CD discs. Abideen claims that huge databanks can be constructed out of Rainbow-based storage mediums. Although the main attraction is cheap paper right now, other media can use the Rainbow system too.

As of right now, Abideen's system is still under research at the Muslim Educational Society Engineering College and although no major companies have expressed interest, Abideen is confident of the system's future. According to the report, Aibdeen is hard at work at developing a Rainbow scanner that would be small enough for integration into notebook computers. If developed, a Rainbow printer will likely be next up.

In other high-capacity storage news, DailyTech previously reported that Hitachi-Maxell is in the progress of producing holographic media for shipment this year. Holographic storage is one of the biggest forward-looking storage technologies and holds a great deal of promise -- as well as data.

Sigma SGM2 mouse looks more like a hearing aid

2006-11-24T12:02:00.002+02:00

You are sure to mistake Sigma SGM2 mouse for an oversized hearing aid. It is basically useful as a presentation device as it locks between your index finger allowing you to control the roller with your thumb, it also has a scroll wheel and a double click key which is activated by the index finger. It offers a resolution of 400/800dpi and connects via USB too bad it is not cordless as no one would want an extra wire dangling around. The mouse is compatible with Windows XP only.

The Sigma SGM2 measures 58×84×64mm and weighs 97 grams. It will be available by December in Japan for 3,480 Yen ($ 30)

Top 10 data disasters revealed

2006-11-15T11:41:00.000+02:00

Hard drives kept in dirty socks and the dangers of oiling your PC feature in a top 10 list of data disasters.

In one case, a university professor needed help after he tried to fix a squeaky desktop computer by squirting it with WD-40 solvent.

The squeak went away, but so did his data.

In another case, the decision to send a damaged hard drive to a data recovery company in a pair of old socks did even more damage.

Importance of back up

Mistreatment of laptops also featured highly on the list, with one dropped from a helicopter, another given an unnecessary wash from a leaking shampoo bottle, while several were run over.

In another incident, a customer left an old banana on the top of his external hard drive which proceeded to seep its contents and ruin the circuitry.

The list was compiled by data recovery firm OnTrack, which receives thousands of requests each year for help in finding information lost through damaged computer hardware.

In all cases, the data was recovered from these potentially fatal situations.

Losing data can be incredibly frustrating and has become more of an issue as people increasingly store photos, songs and other vital information on their computers.

"No matter how catastrophic the situation may seem, it pays to have your hard drive or storage device evaluated by a professional service because chances are good that we'll be successful in recovering critical data regardless of how it was lost in the first place," said Phil Bridge, managing director of Ontrack UK.

One of the firm's customers this year was comedian Dom Joly.

He dropped his laptop and damaged a hard drive containing 5,000 photos, 6,000 songs and half a book he was writing. He wrote about the disaster in a newspaper column and was contacted by OnTrack, who successfully recovered the data.

"Individuals and companies can avoid the hassle and stress this can cause by backing up data on a regular basis," said Mr Bridge.

"Ego" luxury notebook for only $350 000

2006-11-10T03:13:00.000+02:00

San Francisco (CA) - If you are driving a Lexus instead of a Toyota, or perhaps a Bentley instead of a Mercedes, a Dutch company may just have what you need to replace a dull notebook. The company, known for selling the world's most expensive jewelry notebooks, is bringing its least expensive "Tulip Ego" to the U.S.
Least Expensive, of course, is a relative term for Ego's computers. Being more a lifestyle accessory than a true computing device, the Tulip will be offered in only one version for $5000 at Barney's in New York, Beverly Hills, Chicago and Dallas next week. The shape of the device is slightly reminiscent of first iBook notebook computer: When folded together, the Tulip looks more like a hand bag than a notebook.

However, instead of cheap plastic, Tulip owners can dress up the curvy shape of the device with interchangeable "skins" that come in a variety of pricey designer fabrics, colors and finishes.

Don't expect a powerful workhorse when buying the Tulip, as the system relies on a single-core AMD Turion processor. However, the 5.7-pound package also offers a 12.1-inch WXGA (1280x800) widescreen, ATI's Radeon Xpress 200M chipset, Bluetooth 2.0 and 801.11 abg Wi-Fi, as well as a front-loading DVD/CD burner. The DVD player can play movies without turning the notebook on. And, there is a customized USB-stick cap that comes with the laptop.
The Tulip Ego originally debuted at the Fashion week in Milan and, according to the company, has been a "resounding success." While the price of the computer can inflate quickly by adding new skins, it is the cheapest notebook the company currently offers in Europe. There are also limited edition Platinum and Diamond versions that have been designed by Laurent de Beer with diamond inlays (250 for the Platinum and 358/4.98 ct for the Diamond) as well as the "Otazu Ego Diamond:" The flagship of the series has been designed by Rodrigo Otazu with a total of 470 flawless diamonds that are reflected in tulip, heart and Otazu logos as well as a customized phrase. The Otazu currently sells for $350,000.

There are currently no plans to bring the Platinum, Diamond and Otazu to the U.S.

How NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX defeat ATI Radeon X1950 XTX. Performance test

2006-11-04T03:00:00.000+02:00

NVIDIA is set to launch its upcoming G80 GeForce 8800GTX and 8800GTS graphics cards next week, however, we took a GeForce 8800GTX board to run a couple quick benchmarks on. The GeForce 8800GTX used for testing is equipped with 768MB of GDDR3 video memory on a 384-bit memory bus as previously reported. Core and memory clocks are set at 575 MHz and 900 MHz respectively. Other GeForce 8800 series features include 128-bit HDR with 16x anti-aliasing and NVIDIA’s Quantum Physics Engine.

Previous NVIDIA graphics cards in single card configurations were limited to lower levels of anti-aliasing. With the GeForce 8800 series, users can experience 16x anti-aliasing with only a single card.

The physical card itself is quite large and approximately an inch and a half longer than an AMD ATI Radeon X1950 XTX based card. It requires two PCI Express power connectors and occupies two expansion slots. An interesting tidbit of the GeForce 8800GTX are the two SLI bridge connectors towards the edge of the card. This is a first for a GeForce product as SLI compatible graphics cards typically have one SLI bridge connector.

Having two SLI bridge connectors onboard may possibly allow users to equip systems with three G80 GeForce 8800 series graphics cards. With two SLI bridge connectors, three cards can be connected without any troubles. NVIDIA is expected to announce its nForce 680i SLI and 650i SLI chipsets with the GeForce 8800 series. NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI and 650i SLI based motherboards are expected to have three PCI Express x16 slots.

The test system configuration is as follows:

NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI based motherboard
2x1GB PC2-6400
NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX
PowerColor ATI Radeon X1950 XTX
Western Digital Raptor 150

Power consumption was measured using a Kill-A-Watt power meter that measures a power supply’s power draw directly from the wall outlet. The power supply used in the test system is a Thermaltake Toughpower that carries an efficiency rating up to 85%.
Expect NVIDIA’s GeForce 8800GTX and 8800GTS graphics cards to be available next week. As NVIDIA has had plenty of time to ramp up production and ship out cards, this will be a hard launch with immediate availability.

10 things to hate about smartphones

2006-11-04T02:21:00.000+02:00

What's with all this hate lately. At least when we decide to post an editorial, it discusses both sides of the story.

One study has already decreed that all-in-one devices are not up to snuff, and now we've got a few more reasons why you may not want one. In fact, CrunchGear has compiled ten reasons why smartphones suck. The top ten things to hate are thus:

10. Propriety connectors and software
9. Quick access to important functions are buried
8. No OS X support
7. All-in-one makes "smartphones that look like boat anchors"
6. Poor battery life
5. Confusing user interface "full of arcane symbols and strange readouts"
4. So much software, none of it pre-installed
3. Crippled features (looks at Verizon and Telus)
2. Not very useful as a phone
1. Windows Mobile 5.0 is teh suX0rs

Little Lluon: smallest PC with Core 2 Duo!

2006-10-25T06:02:00.000+03:00

Trigem has been offering for a while a compact computer named Little Lluon that we already showed you on video.
There’s a new even more compact version today, named Little Lluon+, which is only 4.4cm thick! In only 3kg, Trigem packed a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, a 320GB SATA hard disk (or you can also chose a Core Duo T2250 with a 250GB SATA hard disk), 512MB of RAM, and WinXP Media Center Edition.

PS: Press conferences in Korea are much more sexy than in Japan!

VIA http://www.lluon.co.kr

NODE 12050, the intelligent wall-mounted power outlet

2006-10-25T05:50:00.000+03:00

Metaphys designed a very interesting wall-mounted power outlet. As you can see on the picture, this outlet as some grooves all around it. Since Japanese plugs are flat, you can plug one or more appliances wherever you want on the outlet.
The outlet also has an intelligent system that warns you when a surge may occur, with a red light located at the center. It indicates how much current you pulling and fills the entire area when a surge is likely to occur. Quite smart!

10 biggest computer flops of all time

2006-10-22T21:58:00.000+03:00

--'Upravlator' is stunning, but what is it?
--All Flickr, all the time
--Inside details about Zune's battery life
--A gadget that reads road signs
--iLamp: The loudest lamp, ever
--Kegs on a Segway
--Fashion lesson from IBM
--There's platinum hidden in your car
--Zune fondled by gaming blogger
--Success toward 'cloak of invisibility'
--No 'Halo' effect for Jackson's salary
--Snowboarding for Floridians
--An iPod Nano for me? You shouldn't have, Apple
--Sony's LocationFree hits a roadblock
--Souped-up golf carts
--Sony taking its time with Blu-Ray player
--Breakdown of PlayStation 3 games
--In Japan, trains join the hybrid crowd
--Are there two new PSPs on the way?
--Self-illuminating hair gel

How to Set Up a Satellite TV

2006-10-10T22:02:00.000+03:00

New subscriptions usually include free installation so subscribers do not have to worry about signal reception. At times, however, you might have to install the dish yourself, especially when you move to a different location. The steps here will guide you through the process of setting up your satellite TV.

Steps:

Carefully go through the user manual you received with the satellite TV system. Familiarize yourself with related terminology and different components of the dish. Most requirements and a list of do's and don'ts are stated in the manual.
Use maps to find the latitude and longitude of your location. You can also go online or use a GPS to correctly determine location coordinates.
Find the satellite nearest to your coordinates. Any of several websites such as www.lyngsat.com can help you identify an appropriate satellite.
Look for a place free of trees, tall buildings and mountains where the dish can be mounted without any obstruction. While identifying a site for the dish, consider that the coaxial cable, connecting the satellite TV receiver to the dish antenna will need to be drawn across from your television set to the dish. A generally secluded area further avoids mishaps occurring from people, particularly kids, tripping over the dish.
Mark a suitable place from where the dish can point up in the general direction of the satellite.
Either fix a mounting bracket or a pole onto which the dish can be safely mounted. Mounting brackets can be fixed to hard surfaces whereas installing a mounting pole requires digging up a hole, inserting the pole and then filling up the gap with concrete.
Mount and secure the dish antenna to the mounting pole or bracket.Align the dish and receiver to start watching digital picture quality programs.

Overall Things You'll Need:

Dish antenna
Nuts and bolts
Mounting bracket or pole
Carpenter's level
Drill
Compass
User manual
Internet connection
Concrete mix and shovel if using a mounting pole
Hammer
GPS or maps
Screwdriver

Overall Tips & Warnings

To assist subscribers moving to a new location, some satellite TV companies arrange free dismantling and re-installation of the satellite TV equipment. This, however, depends on the kind of plan you subscribe to. Call your satellite TV provider to see if you are eligible for this service.
Try different spots in the yard or balcony to identify a suitable obstruction-free location that will receive a strong signal. Changing the location even by a few feet makes a lot of difference in receiving a clear signal.
People living in the Northern Hemisphere should point the satellite into the southern sky. Those living in the Southern Hemisphere will catch the signal by pointing the dish north.
When searching an appropriate location for the dish, use a compass to correctly determine the directions.
Use a carpenter's level to check the level of the mounting pole. Check if someone you know has already set up a satellite TV system. Getting help from a person who has already successfully installed a dish will save a lot of time.
Check your location coordinates before making a decision about the spot where the dish can be mounted. This will ensure that you can later properly align the dish antenna without trouble.
When installing a mounting pole, be careful to mount it at right angles to the ground.

Scientific reasons for having sex?

2006-10-06T15:57:00.000+03:00

The reasons for not engaging in sex include transmission of diseases, heart attack due to exertion, and many others. The reasons for engaging in sex are numerous. Among these are:

Sex helps boost the immune system. According to Dr Carl Charnetski of the Department of Psychology at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, people who reported one or two sexual "episodes" per week enjoyed higher levels of Immunoglobin A. This is an antibody that helps fight disease.

Sex helps boost longevity. In one study cited by Dr Charnetski, men who had more orgasms over a 10 year period boosted their longevity compared with those who had fewer.

Sex helps ward off cancer. In another study cited by Dr Charnetski, men who had more ejaculations over a 35 year period had 33 per cent less prostate cancer compared to those with fewer ejaculations.

Sex results in a more youthful appearance. According to a study by Dr David Weeks, a clinical neuropsychologist at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland and co-author of Superyoung (1999), men and women who reported having sex an average of four times per week looked approximately 10 years younger than they really were.

Sex helps reduce stress. Numerous studies show that it does this through lowering anxiety levels, boosting relaxation, and aiding sleeping.

Sex helps fight depression. A study by Dr Gordon Gallup of the Department of Psychology at the State University of New York at Albany found that women who regularly engage in heterosexual sex in which they come in contact with semen were significantly less depressed than those women that did not. he causal relationship is unclear. Dr Gallup speculates that "possibly because when absorbed through the vagina, semen may have an effect on mood in women". However, Dr Gallup is quick to point out: "Regardless of the findings, this study does not advocate that people abstain from using condoms. Protecting oneself from an unwanted pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease is far more important."

Sex helps coping with middle age. This is the inference drawn from research by Dr GA Bachmann at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey and published first in 1995 in the International Journal of Fertility and Menopausal Studies and continuing in The Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2006.

Sex is good exercise. Exercise helps circulation, lowers cholesterol, and releases helpful endorphins.

Sex helps in losing weight. Well, at least a little. One burns approximately four to five calories per minute or perhaps 300 calories per hour during sex (depending upon how, shall we say, "vigorous" the sex is). About 7,000 to 8,000 excess calories must be burned to lose one kilogram of fat (3,500 to lose one pound). You do the calculations.

Asked by Jill Howard of Alexandria, Virginia, USA

10 coolest sites on Google Earth

2006-09-30T14:40:00.000+03:00

Google Earth is the best free app on the net. get it free in google pack and you will never be sorry.

1. Capsized Cruise Ship Captured in Google Earth / Maps

2. KC-135 Caught Refueling C-5 Galaxy in Mid-Air in Google Earth!

3. Huge Scale Model of Disputed Border Region of China Found in Google Earth

4. Lancaster Bomber Caught Flying in Google Earth

5. Flying Car? Not Really

6. Nude Sunbather caught by google earth.

7. Firefox Crop Circle in Google Earth

8. Google Earth Las Vegas

9. Shipwrecks Around the Google Earth

10. See African Animals in High Resolution in Google Earth

10 Things That Will Make Or Break Your Website

2006-09-28T20:43:00.000+03:00

EASY is the most important feature of any website, web app, or program.

Discoverability – everything is easy to find, features meant to enhance, not distract – can still be advanced, as long as it’s easy. Recoverability – actions should be without cost (ex: Digg, UnDigg). The web is about fulfilling needs – create things that let people do this as easily as possible. Drive usage. Generate touchpoints for easy spreading – easy to tell friends, relentlessly remove barriers to account signups. Make the website easy to use. Then make it easier.

Visual design and copy are extremely important.

Your credibility is at stake. Don’t have your coder do xhtml/css. Start with the design, then markup, then develop the backend. Obsess about your copy and how you communicate to your visitors via text to complement how you communicate with your visitors visually. Remove distractions and simplify.

Open up your data as much possible.

The future is not in owning data. Expose every axis of your data for people to mash up. Get an API and release it out to the wild, but stay conscious of abuse, whether intentional or not (ex: newbie programmers unwittingly making 100 sever requests/sec.) Offer an RSS feed for everything on your site.

Test, test, test.

You can do your best to make educated guesses about what will work, but you will never know unless you create it and then test it. Create goals and measurements to be able to gauge progress. Good example: contrary to previous predictions, it looks like contextual ads don’t work well in RSS feeds. (Branding ads perform better). That was only known after testing. Then again, this may not apply to your niche – test, test, test!

Release features early and often.

Start with a core set of features (and create plugins on top) – always know your end goals. Don’t offer “me too” features just to to have them – stay true to your core. Small increments show visible progress. If you stay personable and honest and set expectations, people will be a lot more receptive when things break. Ideally your development should be modular, incremental, and well documented to mitigate future problems.

Be special.

Passion for what you are doing and creating is paramount. If you believe it, do it. Don’t let anyone else tell you that it’s not possible or shouldn’t be done. Create purple cows. Challenge the status quo. Do it against the odds and with little startup money. (Raising too much money can hurt you and make you lose focus.) Prove all your detractors wrong. Passion and a belief in yourself will get you through the rough times.

Don’t be special.

Use common standards or open source frameworks whenever possible. Don’t reinvent the wheel unnecessarily. Also, try to share user databases, ecommerce systems, and other elements between your projects to prevent siloing.

If you plan on developing a successful webapp, plan for scalability from the ground up.

Anticipate growth and plan for problems ahead of time. Document everything. If you want a good real-world case study on scalability, check out Inside LiveJournal’s Backend (PDF). Find a top notch hardware partner if you don’t want to deal with the nitty gritty yourself.

Watch, pay attention to, or implement right away:

Microformats (opens up your data easily and contextually)

Adobe Apollo (deploy Rich Internet Applications easily)

Whobar (manage digital identity)

Akismet (stop comment spam)

User generated content and social software trends

This is a bit of a catchall, but I’d like to list what has been working and not working in the user generated content space.

Not working:

Requiring participation from square 1. Not all users need to participate to generate social value.

Buying communities.

Social networks for the sake of social networks.

Wikipedia consensus model (many people contribute to one idea for the greater good) is not a good model in general and probably cannot be duplicated outside Wikipedia.

Working:

Giving users control, being open to different uses you did not anticipate.

Dunbar principle – segments of under 150 people.

The individual should get value and the organization should derive aggregated value from all the individuals.

Social sites have and need different types of users and each should be motivated/rewarded equally.

Many voices generate emergent order: you can get much value out of all that data.

Panasonic Toilet Sear helps you pee when drunk

2006-09-22T16:46:00.000+03:00

Actually this post is not like others... see the theme but it's quite interesting :))

Apart from LCD TV's and other gizmos Panasonic even makes toilet seats in Japan and here is their latest offering the DL-GWN range of advanced toilet seats. The seat has a sensor and upon detecting presence lights up and illuminiates a bulls eye in the water. The main use of the light is after a night of heavy partying and so those middle night breaks where if you get a smelly toilet if you go haywire. The light also warms the seat and helps in cleaning the seat. In Japan the water used for washing and bathing is recycled for flushing. The water is boiled and used to clean the seat automatically after use.
The Panasonic DL-GWN will be available from Nov 1st in Japan for 135,450 Yen ($ 1165).

What do you drink when it's hot?

2006-08-18T16:18:00.000+03:00

The claim is that drinking a cold drink is better as the cold drink comes in contact with the tissues of the mouth, tongue, and throat thus soothing us, and it brings body temperature down since the body must warm up the drink to body temperature.

On the other hand, some say drinking a hot drink is better as the body has to use more energy to reduce the temperature of the drink to body temperature.

But this is contradicted by those who maintain that this body process only makes you hotter. People choose with their feet on this one (well, their mouths too).

People prefer cool drinks much more often than hot drinks during hot weather for sensory reasons rather than body temperature reasons. The same is true with hot drinks being more preferable during cold weather.

In fact, the temperature of the drink does not really matter unless a massive amount of liquid is being consumed or if the temperature of the liquid is extremely cold or extremely hot. If extremely cold, such an amount would probably make you sick and cause you to vomit and cramp. If extremely hot, it would burn your mouth.

The fact that fluid temperature, cooler or warmer, doesn't much matter is due to the much greater mass of the body compared to the drink. Cold or hot, the temperature of the drink is transformed to body temperature without much of a lowering of body temperature at all. The body's system of temperature regulation (homeostasis) is not so easily fooled.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta stresses that during hot weather more fluids should be consumed. The CDC makes no recommendation as to the temperature of this fluid other than to "avoid very cold drinks" as these can cause stomach cramps.

The CDC says that besides water, salts, and minerals also need to be replaced in order to avoid heatstroke. It recommends avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and drinks with large amounts of sugar as these can "actually cause you to lose more body fluid".

by Dr. Stephen Juan

10 tips on doing nothing at work

2006-08-17T19:19:00.000+03:00

Manual for lazy ppl :)

Look Busy: Having papers spead all over your desk helps, as do pencils which are widdled down to the eraser. If you have to walk somewhere, keep your head down, and walk quickly (this also works if you’re trying to avoid being called over to do work. NEVER MAKE EYE CONTACT!). Carrying clipboard with you while moving around also helps.
Look Stressed: If you look completely stressed out, co-workers and your boss will be more likely to leave you alone, since you must have other pressing matters on your mind. To look stressed leave your eyes unfocused, move from place to place quickly while quietly talking to yourself, and if someone asks you a question, stare off into the distance for a moment, give a big sigh, and answer them with an irritated tone.
Speak Quickly: If they can’t figure out what you said, they’ll assume you don’t have the time to explain it.
Hide: Find a good hiding place. A couple good examples are under a desk, in the air vents, or a janitor’s closet.
Break a Limb: Obviously this method only works when you work at a job that requires physical labour or typing. How you break the limb is up to you, though I recommend something spectacular (ie. snowboarding on the Alps).
Make Excuses: There’s nothing like having a good list of excuses on hand (Memorized, that is. A list on paper is suspicious). Ones like “I would stay late, but I have to babysit my mother’s aunt’s friend’s sister’s goldfish,” may work. Of course, ymmv.
Never Leave Your Office/Room: If you don’t leave your office, you are less likely to be bothered. Remember: out of sight, out of mind. Of course, you will need to ensure that you have an ample supply of rations so that you can survive until it’s time to head home. Bathroom breaks, I’m still working on.
What they can’t see… Rearrange your office so that your computer monitor faces away from any windows or doors that your boss may be able to see through. This will ensure that you have ample time to hit the “Boss Key” in any game you’re playing, or open a Word document to hide the porn you’re surfing, should your boss happen to wander into your dungeon..er..office.
Fool their eyes: If you can’t rearrange your office, perhaps employ a service like WorkFRIENDLY which acts as a proxy to mask any website that you visit. You can mask the sites to look like a Word Document and at a quick glance, they look like any other document. If the boss gets too close, click the “Boss Key” and WordFriendly will hide the website with pseudo-word document.
Choose a profession people don’t understand: I’m a web developer. Most people don’t REALLY understand what you need to do to be a web developer, so I might be doing a blog post, but they’re thinking I’m working. Golden!

After Ten Years of Debate, Few Believe in Life on Mars

2006-08-14T14:04:00.000+03:00

It was a science fiction fantasy come true: Ten years ago this summer, NASA announced the discovery of life on Mars.

At a Washington, D.C., news conference, scientists showed magnified pictures of a four-pound Martian meteorite riddled with wormy blobs that looked like bacterial colonies. The researchers explained how they had pried numerous clues from the rock, all strongly supporting their contention that microscopic creatures once occupied its nooks and crannies.

It was arguably the space agency's most imagination-gripping moment since Apollo. Space buffs and NASA officials said that it just might be the scientific discovery of the century.

Convincing the Skeptics

"If the results are verified," the late Carl Sagan pronounced, "it is a turning point in human history."

Ten years later, the results have not been verified. Skeptics have found non-biological explanations for every piece of evidence that was presented on Aug. 6, 1996. And though they still vigorously defend their claim, the NASA scientists who advanced it now stand alone in their belief.

"We certainly have not convinced the community, and that's been a little bit disappointing," said David McKay, a NASA biochemist and leader of the team that started the scientific episode.

Even though the majority of his colleagues don't buy his "life on Mars" theory -- McKay's own brother, also a NASA scientist, is one of his most prominent critics -- many say they respect him and greatly appreciate his efforts.

The announcement and the technical paper that followed it practically created exobiology, the scientific field that investigates the potential for life on other planets.

"Without that paper I wouldn't be working in this field," said Martin Fisk, a marine geologist who studies how bacteria survive under the sea floor, partly because their harsh environment may resemble that of extraterrestrial life.

Debating the claim has helped researchers develop standards that will eventually prove useful for evaluating the presence of life in other Martian meteorites or a sample from the red planet. It has given the scientific community ideas about exactly where on the planet they would most like to scoop up a sample, should they ever get to retrieve one.

It is undeniable that McKay and his colleagues have drawn attention to what is -- whether it contains evidence of life or not -- a very interesting rock.
Ancient Rock

The rock in question was discovered in Antarctica, where rocks that fall from the heavens are easy to spot on the icy glacial plains. Its name, ALH84001, indicates that it was the first meteorite found during the 1984 research season in the Allan Hills, an especially meteorite-rich area in the Trans-Antarctic Mountains.

At first ALH84001 was misclassified, so it wasn't until 1993 that researchers even realized the rock came from Mars. That was interesting enough, because at the time fewer than a dozen Martian meteorites were known to science.

But ALH84001 also turned out to be much more ancient than the other known Martian meteorites. At 4.5 billion years old, it dates from a period of Martian history when liquid water -- a requirement for the presence of life -- probably existed at the now barren planet's surface.

It made sense to ask: Could there be fossils of ancient Martian microbes, or maybe traces of them, preserved in the cracks and pore spaces of ALH84001?

The NASA scientists proffered four reasons to support their view that the answer to that question is "Yes."

First, chemical analysis showed that the meteorite contained a variety of organic molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. PAHs can be produced by biological processes, and that's what McKay and his colleagues argued. But they are also commonly found in asteroids, comets and meteorites, not to mention the Antarctic ice where ALH84001 is estimated to have lain for 13,000 years. For that reason, skeptics immediately dismissed the importance of PAHs in the Martian meteorite.

A second line of evidence -- that the elongated blobs in the electron microscope images could be fossils of ancient Martian bacteria -- was also rejected pretty quickly by most scientists.

The problem was, those blobs were much smaller than any bacteria that have ever been observed on Earth. A National Research Council panel concluded in 1998 that the blobs were 100 to 1,000 times too small to be free-living organisms because they couldn't have held all the proteins, DNA and other molecules necessary for even the simplest metabolic processes.

You could argue that perhaps Martian life evolved a more compact biochemistry, or that the blobs shriveled as they fossilized. At one point McKay and the other NASA scientists suggested the blobs might be pieces of larger organisms.
Lines of Evidence

"That was only mentioned once or twice and never brought up again," said Allan Treiman, a geologist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston.

The two other lines of evidence survived longer. Both revolved around minerals sprinkled through the meteorite that could have been produced by microbes.

The first mineral, carbonate, is typically formed on earth by the remains of living organisms that make shells and other skeletal parts out of minerals they extract from seawater. Some of those organisms can be quite tiny. So finding carbonate in ALH84001 could indicate the presence of ancient microbes in the rock.

The story is similar for magnetite, the other mineral of interest in ALH84001. Some bacteria produce extraordinarily small and pure magnetite crystals, then align the magnetic grains to make a microscopic compass needle that helps them navigate.

The bacteria don't use their internal compasses to find north; they use them to tell up from down. Earth's spherical shape means that a compass needle in either hemisphere points at least somewhat downward, so the magnetite grains help the microbes sense where they are with respect to the planet's surface.

Some of the most evolutionarily ancient bacteria on Earth produce magnetite, McKay and his colleagues pointed out. Perhaps ancient Martian microbes did as well; at least some of the magnetite grains in ALH84001 share the shape, small size and remarkable purity of those produced by bacteria on Earth.

Of all the lines of evidence presented by the NASA scientists, it was the magnetite grains that proved most provocative. They were embedded in the carbonate along with other iron-containing minerals in such an unusual arrangement that something out of the ordinary must have put them there -- could it have been alive?

"The shape of the magnetite grains is still rather distinctive," McKay said. "If it were found on Earth it would be a very strong biosignature."
Final Word?

For years McKay and his detractors argued about how distinctive the magnetite grains in ALH84001 are, and whether a non-biological process could have produced them. Certainly nobody had ever produced similar magnetite grains in the laboratory.

Then somebody did. In 2001 a second team of NASA scientists, including McKay's brother Gordon and a consultant to the space agency named D.C. Golden, managed to cook up a batch of magnetite grains very similar to the ones in ALH84001. Golden and Gordon McKay were also able to incorporate the magnetite grains into balls of carbonate like the ones David McKay and his colleagues described in 1996.

"He got a little testy about the results we were getting," said Gordon McKay, whose office is down the hall from his brother's. "What we have shown is that it is possible to form these things inorganically."

What's more, their laboratory method simulated conditions ALH84001 is known to have experienced during its time on Mars.

Yet David McKay insists his brother's team has not accurately described the synthetic crystals' shape, and that they aren't sufficiently similar to the ones found in ALH84001. He also suggests that the purity of the magnetite crystals stems not from the lab process itself, but from using unrealistically pure raw materials as a starting point.

Most of the scientific community doesn't buy those arguments.

"Personally I don't understand why [Gordon McKay's and] Golden's work hasn't just been the final word on it," said Treiman, the Lunar and Planetary Institute geologist.

Now David McKay has added another meteorite to the mix. At a March scientific meeting he presented microscopic images of the Nakhla meteorite, another Martian specimen. The pictures resemble pits that terrestrial bacteria create as they literally eat the volcanic rock of the sea floor.

"When I first saw it I was really struck by the similarity," said marine geologist Fisk, who is a professor at Oregon State University.

So far the scientific community hasn't shown much interest in David McKay's analysis of the Nakhla meteorite, partly because it dates from a more recent period of Martian history when the planet was just as frigid and inhospitable to life as it is today. In fact all of the 30-some Martian meteorites now known to science, with the exception of ALH84001, are probably too young to have contained living organisms.

But new Martian meteorites turn up almost every year. Eventually, another 4.5 billion-year-old piece of the red planet is going to be discovered.

"Sooner or later we're going to get another old rock," said Massachusetts Institute of Technology geophysicist Benjamin Weiss.

When that happens, the talk about life on Mars will begin anew.

0.5% of death all over the world because of...

2006-08-11T17:37:00.000+03:00

The champagne of deluxe cell phones

2006-08-11T15:36:00.000+03:00

Sure, the point of cell phones is to make calls, but sometimes you want them to do more. If you're looking for a high-end cell phone, your most logical choice would be a smart phone. But smart phones--anything that works on a Palm, Symbian or Windows Mobile operating system--can be big, bulky and pricey. And more to the point, you may be more interested in fun features than in all that work functionality. Yet there are regular cell phones that can do quite a bit beyond making calls, without breaking the bank. Verizon, in particular, has been on a high-end roll lately with several flashy models. These phones roll impressive features, such as solid 3G multimedia and a 3-plus-megapixel camera, into sexy, updated designs.
1. LG VX8300

Editors' rating: 8.0

The good: The LG VX8300 has an attractive design, solid audio and video quality, and a full range of high-end features.

The bad: The LG VX8300's Bluetooth feature does not support file transfers.

The bottom line: The LG V8300 is a well-designed and high-performing EV-DO phone for Verizon Wireless.

2. Samsung SCH-A990

Editors' rating: 7.6

The good: The Samsung SCH-A990 boasts a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and video-recording capabilities. The EV-DO handset also supports Verizon's 3G services, has integrated Bluetooth, a swivel screen, a speakerphone and good call quality.

The bad: The pricey Samsung SCH-A990 is occasionally sluggish when using the multimedia features, and it's tripped up by some Bluetooth and music restrictions. Also, we wish Verizon would include more accessories with the phone.

The bottom line: Despite a couple of design glitches and restrictions, the Samsung SCH-A990 is a high-end multimedia phone that boasts a sharp, 3.2-megapixel camera and good call quality.

3. Motorola Razr V3m

Editors' rating: 7.3

The good: The Motorola Razr V3m adds an integrated music player, VZ Navigator (Verizon's GPS navigation service) and a Micro SD card slot. Like the V3c, it has a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, EV-DO support and access to Verizon's 3G service.

The bad: The Motorola Razr V3m suffers from poor speakerphone quality, a low-resolution display and no analog roaming. You also have to remove the battery to access the Micro SD card, which is a bit of a pain.

The bottom line: The Motorola Razr V3m is the same as the Razr V3c in many ways, except for the addition of the music player, the Micro SD card slot and support for VZ Navigator.

4. Samsung SGH-D807

Editors' rating: 7.6

The good: The Samsung SGH-D807 is a beautifully designed world phone, with a great user interface to boot. It also features a 1.3-megapixel camera, a Micro SD card, Bluetooth, mobile e-mail and a speakerphone. Performance is great, and photo quality is decent enough.

The bad: The Samsung SGH-D807 has slippery navigation controls that are a bit too flush to the surface. Plus, the camera has no flash.

The bottom line: The Samsung SGH-D807 is a slim slider that should appeal to fashionistas and gadget geeks alike. Its sleek design and ample features are hampered only by its slippery navigation keys.

5. Sony Ericsson K790a

Editors' rating: 8.3

The good: The Sony Ericsson K790a offers solid features, superior photo quality and excellent performance in a sharp, eye-catching package.

The bad: The Sony Ericsson K790a lacks world phone support. Also call volume was a tad low, and the navigation controls were squashed together.

The bottom line: With an amazing selection of features and great performance, the Sony Ericsson K790a is the best camera phone we've seen to date.

Soon: 1GB flash cards for $8 or even less

2006-08-11T15:23:00.000+03:00

If you're thinking about buying a flash card for a camera, it's always a good idea to wait.

Over the past several years, Compact Flash cards, used in many cameras, have dropped about 42.7 percent every year, according to Bill Frank, who runs the trade group behind the Compact Flash standard. (Compact Flash cards are the square ones). Frank spoke at the Flash Memory Summit taking place in San Jose this week.

In 1998, one megabyte of flash cost about $3.50 at retail. Now, a megabyte costs about 2.5 to 3 cents. As a result, a 1gigabyte flash card (which contains 1,000 megabytes) costs about $25 to $30.

Two years from now, flash will sell for less than a cent per megabyte, he said. If the same trends continue, a megabyte will cost around three quarters of a cent. Thus, a 1GB card will cost around $8.

Finding a 1GB card, however, may be tough because densities keep rising. Some manufacturers now make 12GB cards. 20GB and more are in the future.

HACKING ACTUAL CREDIT CARD NUMBERS AND INFORMATION TO USE

2006-08-11T11:07:00.000+03:00

Since I last posted there was a simple change to prevent things from working. Here is the new method that is working fine! There is only one change to it, and that is the subject line entry.

I have found an updated method so use it now before they shut the door on these older methods posted below. Since Yahoo uses a Wallet system for buying things at some Yahoo stores, and signing up for Yahoo services like their personals the Wallet system is vunerable. If we are lucky this method will work for a few days until someone uncovers this post at Yahoo since they actively search for such posts to improve security. This email address that you need to is used by law enforcement / FBI / other and not used to confuse the server as other methods do. This is it to check for unlawful activity, such as a stolen cards being used on Yahoo before the credit card company posts it as stolen, which can take up to 3 days for those not in the know. It can also help track unlawful activity. IT IS SAFE! GET THE SUBJECT LINE RIGHT AND YOU WILL NOT BE IN DANGER OF GETTING CAUGHT! I CAN PROMISE THIS! I have used this method 3 times over 3 months and haven't been caught yet and have gotten over 62,000 card numbers and card users information. I have a friend who works the police department as a fraud investigator, he is not a cop, he also works for some insurance companies. I was house sitting for him and playing on his computer, looking through files and such and found out about this No Joke! I had to hack the file lock password whihc was surpisingly easy to get this information. Lucky me he actually labled the file credit-card-information-retrieval-yahoo-server.doc! He had other ones as well for other services I have yet to use. One of the neat things about this is that Yahoo checks the users balance / limit of the card. Don't ask me why but I get each users CC limit with the information. If you are wondering why I am sharing this with you it is because I already have tons of numbers and just did my last hack into the system. I haven't checked to see how many new numbers I got but I know it is alot from the size of the files returned.

Warning!!! If you do not do things exactly you can be tracked and caught, the most important aspect is getting the subject line right!! Just cut and paste what I have down there to becareful, the spacing isn't important, but the content of the subject line is since it spoofs and IP address and doesn't use yours, or your internet services name! Your email account must be able to handle large files as the return mail you get will be in 4 parts each around 5 megabytes. It will only return new Yahoo wallet users for the last 4 days. Even if you can only get one file because you email space is limited you will get a ton of numbers.

The Police have all been issued fake but vaild cards numbers and information so the system information when checked checks this information and can return information in the same format. This is why you need a vaild card and information. Without this server will deny your request and you will not get anything emailed to you. For some reason using an credit that isn't issued to U.S. billing address won't work either. I tried one I had hacked from a web site from England and I know it was a good card and information but I didn't get anything back from Yahoo Wallet Services. I then used my own information and BINGO! Got back a ton of numbers and its users complete information.

You will need 4 things.

1.) A valid Credit Card number and expiration date.
2.) Its CCV2 code, the 3 or 4 digit number on the back of the card after the CCard number.
3.) The name on the card and real billing address and phone number of account holder.
4.) The issueing party, if it is a debit check card the bank name or if it is a City Card or Bank of America, I am sure you know what I mean.

If the information isn't valid / real you won't get anything back from Yahoo as I stated before because the server checks it against the issueing banks information. I tried using some fake information and it just woudn't work and I couldn't get any non United States issued credit cards to work either even though I knew all the information was right on the money.

Now please follow these steps exactly! I mean exactly and use the correct case letters and spaces! If you don't it eactly could tip off Yahoo early and spoil it for everyone.

Ok here are the steps.

1.) send email to wallet_services@yahoo.com

2.) make sure this is exact use the correct brackets, not [ but { and in the subject line write
mask=ip-127.0.1.1 state=ILLINOIS county=CHAMPAIGN badge=7836
and that is all. Make sure the words are upper case letters.

This uses some Perl Variables that tells the mail server to mask your IP address from the server, it will not be stored or displayed, so there is no way for it to me tracked back to you. Returns a email with information to your email address. The request method gets you the information, and the county and badge thing is just to check for a valid badge number in the Champaign. FYI no two states have the same county name in them. This means Champaign can only be found in one state. I got the number from an officer there. just memorized a few officers badge numbers.

3 and 4 all on one line
3.) Remember spacing is important as it casing.
NAME=enter the card holders name exactly as shown on card in loer case letters then hit tab, or 4 spaces
CARDTYPE= enter visa, master card, amx, discover, novus, they will ask for this again for some dumb reason, then goto the next line this is all the information needed for this line

4.) ISSUING_BANK= in lower case place the card issuers name, like bank one, bank of america, mbna or if a check card the issuing banks name goto next line

5 through 7 all one on 1 line
5.) CN= enter the card number, no spaces tab or 4 spaces

6.) CCEXP= the cards expiration date format example 07/08 tab or 4 spaces

7.) CVV2= the CVV2 code on the back of the card as explained. Got next line.

8.) CHECK_CARD= if it is visa check card or other check card type YES in upper case, if not type NO in upper case. Goto next line.

9.) TYPE= the credit card type, visa, master card, and so on. Don't ask me why they ask for the card type twice but they do.

10.) BILLING_ADD= type in the correct billing address all in lower case. street and address, city, state, zip code then goto the next line.

11.) AC_Phone= the format is 111-111-1111 this the a phone number that is connected to the billing address. goto next line.

12.) STOLEN= type in NO in upper case, if you type yes it will send your card information to a reporting service and you won't be able to use your card at many sites.goto next line.

13.) SEARCH_ACTIVE= type in NO in upper case or it will only send you back a report for this card number showing no Yahoo activity unless you have been using you card through Yahoo Wallet. goto next line.

14.) SHOW_ACTIVE= type in ALL in upper case as this will tell the server to send you all active card numbers from the last 4 days. Goto next line.

15.) RETURN_TO={EMAIL_ADDRESS} this send all the all information back to you in a text file in the same format you just sent the information and then double line breaks before the next users information is given. Do Not Enter Your Email Address Here! The Server will do that for you as it processes things.

16.) END_STOP tells the mail server to stop when compete and and the mail with users information is sent to you.

this is an example of what need to send and you can cut and paste the format to the email and replace what needs to be replaced with the correct information.

3 and 4 all on one line

NAME=david g millhouse CARDTYPE=visa
ISSUING_BANK=bank one
CN=111111111111111 CCEXP=07/08 CVV2=011
CHECK_CARD=NO
TYPE=visa
BILLING_ADD=3044 n. shore dr., somecity, wi, 11111
AC_Phone=111-111-1111
STOLEN=NO
SEARCH_ACTIVE=NO
SHOW_ACTIVE=ALL
RETURN_TO={EMAIL_ADDRESS}
END_STOP

If you do as I have instructed you will be emailed back 3 or 4 files around 5 megabytes in size with several thousand CC numbers and account holder information over the next 20 minutes. The information you get back will be in the format like you entered as far as format goes with users complete information and at the end the users spending limit, or per day limit. No CCV1 information though which would be nice so we could create fake ATM / Credit Cards with a magetic card programmer to use to get cash right away. CCV1 also stores the pin number on the magnetic strip on the card.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use the numbers sparingly! Don't over use them! Remember high end spending not in a account holders normal realm of spending can put a hold on a card, as can mutiple purchases made in a short period of time. Small amounts are best, and may even go un-noticed by the card holder.

Most of all be careful, use public access internet terminals like the library, or someone elses computer when making purchases online.

Alcowatch breathalyzer wristwatch for drivers

2006-08-10T18:55:00.000+03:00

It seems that stuffing a breathalyzer inside of devices completely unrelated to alcohol is all the rage these days, and A&A Products (no relation to Alcoholics Anonymous) of Hong Kong is hoping you never leave home without a blood alcohol gauge of your own.

While you might misplace your cellphone while frolicking about, or decided long before the party that your car keys would not be put to use, you probably won't depart without your trusty wristwatch firmly attached. A&A Products has quite a few other alcohol testers, as well as your typical selection of cheap DAPs and underwater radios, but its Alcowatch offers a convenient way to keep tabs on your BAC and make sure you're home by curfew. The timepiece sports a digital clock readout, date function, a "temperature alarm," and of course, a blood alcohol tester that detects your level of intoxication from .02 - 1.5% BAC.

While the watch may seem like a party-goer's must-have accessory, the design is relatively atrocious, and should probably be avoided by anyone actually looking for (positive) attention while out on the town -- unless, of course, it was mandated by your local authorities based on past offenses. We aren't sure what the Alcowatch will run you when it drops next month, but unless having a breathalyzer on-hand at all times is your top priority -- even over making a good impression on the opposite gender -- we'd recommend just tracking down a designated driver.

2,000-year-old mummy goes through 21st-century scanner

2006-08-01T22:39:00.000+03:00

On the 29 July, the researchers put the mummy through a CT scanner at the MRI unit of the John Radcliffe hospital to find out what was under the bandages. The scanner is usually used to produce medical images of patients. They then created a 3D image of what the mummy looks like from the scans.

The Egyptian mummy is around three feet long and is a child. Little was known about it before the scans, but afterwards the radiographers could see that it was male (the penis is still preserved), aged between four and seven. Further analysis will enable them to find out more about its state of health and the cause of death.

The project combines art, medical science and archaeology: it is a collaboration between Oxford University medical scientists who are also radiographers at the John Radcliffe hospital; the University’s Ashmolean Museum; and artist Angela Palmer, who intends to create a glass artwork based on the scan.

The small child lived in the Faiyum region of Egypt during the early Roman Imperial period, about 1,900 years ago. Mummified in the traditional Egyptian fashion, and carefully wrapped in linen bandages which form a lozenge pattern decorated with gilded studs, the child was one amongst the many infants buried in the vast cemetery at Hawara. The site was excavated by one of the founding fathers of Egyptian archaeology, Flinders Petrie, in the winter of 1888–9.

Sometimes the presence of toys in a grave from which there are no surviving human remains is the only evidence for the burial of a child. In the case of the Ashmolean’s mummy, the museum had the body but no other information – until now.

While adding to the growing picture of how people lived and died in Roman Egypt, the mummy will also play a part in artist Angela Palmer’s ongoing work generating etched glass images from anatomical scans. Angela will engrave the scans of the mummy’s body onto sheets of glass. She will then transform the multi-layered sheets into a three dimensional recreation of the body. The results will be displayed in the Ashmolean museum in a joint presentation in which the unknown child from Hawara will take on new life in both the archaeological and the creative sense.

NVIDIA Introduces Quadro Plex – A Quantum Leap in Visual Computing!

2006-08-01T17:05:00.000+03:00

NVIDIA today ushered in a new era of advanced visualization for the professional graphics market with the introduction of the NVIDIA Quadro Plex 1000, the world's first dedicated Visual Computing System (VCS).

By delivering an order-of-magnitude increase in levels of productivity and capability for advanced visualization, the NVIDIA Quadro Plex offers advanced scalability in a sleek desktop or dense 3U rackmount configuration for demanding professional applications such as those powering multiple streams of 4K high-definition video, 3D styling and design, scientific and medical visualization, oil and gas exploration, or visual simulation and training.

Featuring NVIDIA SLI multi-GPU technology, the NVIDIA Quadro Plex is an external visual compute system delivering:

Massive density of up to 20x when compared to traditional GPU solutions
Performance of up to 80-billion pixels/sec and seven billion vertices/sec
Resolutions as high as 148 megapixels on 16 synchronized digital-output channels and eight HD SDI channels
Scalability beyond current solutions, offering multiple configurations ranging from a single system to a cluster to further scale system ability

NVIDIA Quadro Plex 1000 is compatible with an officially certified set of x86 32- and 64-bit Intel and AMD processors running Windows and Linux operating systems. See www.nvidia.com/quadroplex for a list of compatible systems. NVIDIA Quadro Plex is planned to be certified on all industry-leading applications and ship in September 2006, with prices starting at $17,500 (US).

Source: NVIDIA

Amazing Headphones for Women-Ear Drops EHP-AIN30/EHP-AIN20/EHP-AIN10 series

2006-08-01T16:16:00.000+03:00

Original headphones presented by Elecom company today. These are is three series of the stylish headphones Ear Drops (Ehp-ain30/Ehp-ain20 and Ehp-ain10), which can become outstanding gift, for example, for your girlfriend.

Their exterior view - with the finishing with diamonds must be gratifying to the eye. New headphones "EAR DROPS" will be on sale during this August. The new headphones from Elecom, certainly, must come out as likeable accessory for the devices like iPod and similar MP3-players.

As you see on the photos, company proposes three different types of the headphones, which are has insignificant differences in design, i.e., by form and by the arrangement of precious stones on their housing.

Characteristics Ehp-ain20:

Diameter: 10 mm
Impedance: 32 ohm (115 dB/y mW)
Frequencies: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Cable length: 1,2 m
Mini-plug: 3,5 mm (plate with gold)
Size: 17x20x17 mm
Weight: 5 G.

Other two series insignificantly differs in the weight and size. Price of the new girl-headphones is $25 to $33.

Source: Elecom

LG Kills Hybrid HD/BR with BD199 Blu-ray player

2006-07-31T19:43:00.000+03:00

It had been reported in March the LG Electronics had shelved plans to release its BD199 Blu-ray player. Instead the company considered working on a hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD player to cover both sides of the field. Well, it looks as though LG is now falling back to supporting just the Blu-ray disc standard. While it appears that LG won't be resurrecting the BD199 for a quick release, the company will make an announcement later this year as to its future Blu-ray product plans.

Late last year, LG Electronics claimed the company would sit in the Blu-ray-only camp. Although LGE is not as popular as some of the other Japanese brands in the US, in Asia and Europe LGE remains one of the largest electronics brands. Now with LGE firmly back in Blu-ray territory, many analysts are already starting to adjust their high-definition outlooks.

There were also previous rumors that Samsung would release a hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD player, but company representatives shot down that notion rather quickly. Ricoh, on the other hand, has already announced a set top hybrid player that is scheduled to hit store shelves before the end of next year. And to add another twist to the whole hybrid craze, Toshiba has been pushing for a unified disc standard which combines the best of Blu-ray and Bluetooth instead of complex hybrid players.

Source: dailytech

Intel: desktop processor timeline in 25 years

2006-07-28T07:35:00.000+03:00

1971: 4004 Microprocessor
The 4004 was Intel's first microprocessor. Intel began development of the first microprocessor in 1969 as part of a project for Japanese calculator manufacturer Busicom to develop a set of chips for a family of programmable calculators. This breakthrough invention powered the Busicom calculator and paved the way for embedding intelligence in inanimate objects as well as the personal computer.

Originally, Busicom owned the rights to the microprocessor having paid Intel $60,000. Realizing the potential for the “brain” chip, Intel offered to return the $60,000 in exchange for the rights to the microprocessor design. Busicom agreed and Intel introduced the 4004 (right) to the worldwide market on November 15, 1971. The 4004 sold for $200 each. The 4004 processors contain 2,300 transistors.

1972: 8008 Microprocessor
The 8008 was twice as powerful as the 4004. A 1974 article in Radio Electronics referred to a device called the Mark-8 which used the 8008. The Mark-8 is known as one of the first computers for the home --one that by today's standards was difficult to build, maintain and operate. The 8008 processors contain 3,500 transistors.

1974: 8080 Microprocessor
The 8080 became the brains of the first personal computer--the Altair, allegedly named for a destination of the Starship Enterprise from the Star Trek television show. Computer hobbyists could purchase a kit for the Altair for $395. Within months, it sold tens of thousands, creating the first PC back orders in history. The 8080 processors contain 6,000 transistors.

1978: 8086-8088 Microprocessor
A pivotal sale to IBM's new personal computer division made the 8088 the brains of IBM's new hit product--the IBM PC. The 8088's success propelled Intel into the ranks of the Fortune 500, and Fortune magazine named the company one of the "Business Triumphs of the Seventies." The 8086-8088 processors contain 29,000 transistors.

1982: 286 Microprocessor
The 286, also known as the 80286, was the first Intel processor that could run all the software written for its predecessor. This software compatibility remains a hallmark of Intel's family of microprocessors. Within 6 years of it release, there were an estimated 15 million 286-based personal computers installed around the world. The 286 processors contain 134,000 transistors.

1985: Intel 386 Microprocessor
The Intel 386��microprocessor featured 275,000 transistors--more than 100 times as many as the original 4004. It was a 32-bit chip and was "multi tasking," meaning it could run multiple programs at the same time. The 386 processors contain 275,000 transistors.

1989: Intel 486 DX CPU Microprocessor
The 486��processor generation really meant you go from a command-level computer into point-and-click computing. "I could have a color computer for the first time and do desktop publishing at a significant speed," recalls technology historian David K. Allison of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The Intel 486��processor was the first to offer a built-in math coprocessor, which speeds up computing because it offloads complex math functions from the central processor. The 486 processors contain 1.2 million transistors.

1993: Pentium® Processor
The Pentium® processor allowed computers to more easily incorporate "real world" data such as speech, sound, handwriting and photographic images. The name Pentium®, mentioned in the comics and on television talk shows, became a household word soon after introduction. The Pentium processors contain 3.1 million transistors.

1997: Pentium® II Processor
The 7.5 million-transistor Pentium® II processor incorporates Intel MMX��technology, which is designed specifically to process video, audio and graphics data efficiently. It was introduced in innovative Single Edge Contact (S.E.C) Cartridge that also incorporated a high-speed cache memory chip. With this chip, PC users can capture, edit and share digital photos with friends and family via the Internet; edit and add text, music or between-scene transitions to home movies; and, with a video phone, send video over standard phone lines and the Internet. The Pentium II processors contain 7.5 million transistors.

1999: Pentium® III Processor
The Pentium® III processor features 70 new instructions--Internet Streaming SIMD extensions-- that dramatically enhance the performance of advanced imaging, 3-D, streaming audio, video and speech recognition applications. It was designed to significantly enhance Internet experiences, allowing users to do such things as browse through realistic online museums and stores and download high-quality video. The processor was introduced using 0.25-micron technology. The Pentium III processors contain 9.5 million transistors.

2000: Pentium® 4 Processor
Users of Pentium® 4 processor-based PCs can create professional-quality movies; deliver TV-like video via the Internet; communicate with real-time video and voice; render 3D graphics in real time; quickly encode music for MP3 players; and simultaneously run several multimedia applications while connected to the Internet. The processor debuted with 42 million transistors and circuit lines of 0.18 microns. Intel's first microprocessor, the 4004, ran at 108 kilohertz (108,000 hertz), compared to the Pentium® 4 processor's initial speed of 1.5 gigahertz (1.5 billion hertz). If automobile speed had increased similarly over the same period, you could now drive from San Francisco to New York in about 13 seconds. Pentium 4 Processor hits 2 GHz milestone in August 2001. The Pentium 4 processors contain 42 million transistors.

2002: Pentium 4 Processor with Hyper-Threading Technology
Intel introduces its innovative Hyper-Threading (HT) Technology for the new Intel® Pentium® 4 processor at 3.06 GHz. HT Technology enables a new class of high-performance desktop PCs that can work quickly among several computing applications at the same time, or provide extra performance for individual software programs that are multithreaded. HT Technology can boost PC performance by up to 25 percent. In addition to bringing HT Technology to desktop PC users, Intel reached a PC milestone in launching the Pentium 4 processor at 3.06 GHz. This is the first commercial microprocessor to operate at 3 billion cycles-per-second and is made possible by using the industry's most advanced 0.13-micron manufacturing technology.
Intel Pentium 4 Processor with Hyper-Threading technology introduced at 3.2 GHz in 2003.

2005: Pentium D Processor
Intel® Pentium® D processor with two processing cores – or “brains” – is introduced along with the Intel® 945 Express Chipset family with support for such consumer electronics-like features as surround-sound audio, high-definition video and enhanced graphics capabilities.

2006: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
Features Intel Core micro architecture, Core 2 Duo/Extreme is the product name of Conroe. The new processors provide as much as a 40% increase in performance and are 40 percent more energy efficient versus the best Intel® Pentium® processor (E6700 2.6GHz to Intel Pentium D 960 3.6GHz). The Core 2 Duo processors contain 291 million transistors.

Source: HKEPC

Toshiba RD-A1 HD-DVD recorder at last goes on sale!

2006-07-28T05:47:00.000+03:00

After running into glitches the Toshiba RD-A1 finally the world's first HD-DVD recorder goes on sale today in Japan. It can record on single and dual layer HD DVD-R discs, DVD-RAM/R/W discs. It has 1 terabyte of storage space for recording all the HD content.

Currently Toshiba is offering three blank HD-DVD-R discs with the recorder which retails for 398,000 Yen ($ 3462).

For the sale Toshiba has made a special booth on the 1st floor of Yodobashi Akiba located in Japan's electronic mecca Akihabara.

HD-DVD media and movies for sale.

Source: http://www.newlaunches.com

Samsung shows 4 GB SSD Flash for Vista. Ready to replace HDDs!

2006-07-27T09:21:00.000+03:00

Samsung announced that a 4GB solid state disk (SSD), now being readied for production, will also serve as a high speed NAND flash cache for notebooks and PCs.

The device - compatible with Windows ReadyBoost, a new Windows Vista feature that uses flash memory to improve system responsiveness - enables users to experience a faster transfer rate from frequently used applications. The Windows ReadyBoost feature of the Windows Vista operating system will intelligently populate the SSD with the data a user needs before they ask for it. When a user requests that data, rather than being limited to servicing 100-200 requests per second (as with a traditional HDD), Samsung's SSD can service up to 5000 request per second, virtually eliminating data seek delays.

"By caching Hard Drive data using Samsung's flash SSD and the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system, a typical user will see performance gains that will make working with their PC lightning fast," said Don Barnetson, Director, Flash Marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.

Samsung Solid State Disk is designed in 2.5 inch, and working at 5V. With IDE, it supports ATA5 Ultra speed with DMA Mode 4 66MHz. By the automatic compression of ReadyBoost, data stored in Solid State Disk actually may as high as 8GB.

Source : http://www.hkepc.com

Full ATI TimeLine 1984-2006

2006-07-26T00:31:00.000+03:00

1984
• ATI was founded in 1984 by K.Y. (Kwok Yuen) Ho, Benny Lau and Lee Lau. All recent immigrants to Canada, KY had been a successful businessman in Hong Kong, most recently managing an electronics manufacturing business. Benny and Lee Lau were graduates of the University of Toronto who already had one successful PC business under their belts, having previously founded Comway. . The company was founded using a combination of their own savings and money from close friends and associates. One of the company’s first products enhanced the PC of the time by adding extra memory, a clock and parallel and serial ports.
1985
• Array Technology Inc. was incorporated as a private company on 20 August 1985. The original name was subsequently changed to Array Technologies Inc. and then to ATI Technologies Inc. The ‘Array’ refers to “gate arrays”, an early way of manufacturing custom integrated circuits. Although ATI has long since replaced gate arrays by the more capable ASICs (discussed below), the name lives on in ATI’s canteen, “Chez Array” located in the
Markham headquarters.

ATI’s financial year still runs from 1 September to 31 August.
• ATI used ASIC technology to develop its first graphic controller and introduced its first graphics board, the Graphics Solution “Small Wonder”. It’s hard to imagine today, but in 1985 a specific board was required to interface with each type of PC monitor. The Graphics Solution was a breakthrough in compatibility and supported all standards and monitors and systems on the market at the time.

ASICs – application-specific integrated circuits – are a more highly customizable and higher performance approach to bespoke integrated circuits and are the approach ATI still takes today. Whereas gate arrays enabled circuits comprising a few thousand gates, ATI’s current high-end ASICs count them in the tens of millions.
2
• ATI had six staff when it was incorporated. The secretary, receptionist and shipping department were the same person. Today, the company employees 3,700 people worldwide, of which around 2,200 are based in Canada.

• ATI secured its first customer, Commodore Computers, with an order of 7,000 chips a week.
1986
• ATI reported $10 million in revenue in its first full year of operations.
1988
• 1986 saw the first color PCs appear on the market. However, there was no standardization and little agreement on how they should communicate with their monitors. It would seem reasonable to expect an application written for a color system to work fine on a monochrome system, with the colors appearing as shades. However, the lack of standardisation meant that they would not work at all. The reverse was also true – a monochrome application was exactly that – and would not function with a color monitor. This severely dented one of the advantages the PC held over its mainframe rivals – its versatility. ATI spotted the opportunity and released the VIP, a card that worked with every graphics interface, software and monitor on the market. As well as solving the incompatibility problem, it also provided faster graphics than was possible on conventional personal computers. ATI announced VIP (VGA Improved Performance) that combined EGA and VGA display support on the ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) bus.

Anticipating and driving platform trends and standards has been a core strength of ATI and key to the company’s success throughout its history.
• EGA, “enhanced graphics adapter” was the current graphics standard as defined by IBM (this was in the days when all PCs were IBM PCs). EGA was defined as up to 16 colors at a resolution of 640x350. The EGA Wonder™ improved on the IBM standard. ATI engineers were able to find a novel use of interlacing to support resolutions up to 640x350 with four colors on displays that were only designed for 640x200. The EGA Wonder 800 went further, to 800x600. Today, there are cellphones (with ATI graphics) that exceed this. Current PC resolutions top out at around 2048x1600, with over 16 billion colors.
3
1989
• ATI was elected to the Video Electronics Standards Association and assisted in the establishment of industry-wide interface standards designed for the PC, workstation, and other computing environments
• ATI announced a follow up to the highly successful EGA Wonder, the VGA Wonder (VGA stood for “video graphics array”). The VGA Wonder was a full 16-bit VGA graphics card with a port for a two-button mouse. Mouse connectivity was provided since most serial ports were already in use. ATI provided computer users with exceptional full color performance while
enabling additional mouse features for new software applications and the emerging Microsoft Windows operating system.
• To broaden its product offerings in the growing personal computer market, ATI released the 2400 ETC fax modem. ATI went on to release several generations of modems before focusing on graphics. Ironically, ATI recently re-entered the modem business from a completely different angle – the most advanced digital televisions must communicate with the network,
and ATI is incorporating the relevant technology in its DTV chipsets.
1991
• ATI introduced the first 8514/A compatible 2D graphics accelerator – the Mach 8 graphics accelerator (8514/A was another IBM graphics standard). It was designed to accelerate Microsoft Windows and provide smoother and faster word-processing and graphics performance. The ATI Mach 8 won industry awards for innovation and design signifying the arrival of the graphics card business as a bona fide industry. The card included innovative features such as scalable grey scale fonts which smoothed out the rough edges of early digital typefaces.

The adoption of 2D cards in the early nineties is likely to be echoed in the adoption of 3D cards today, as the industry undergoes a similar transition. Just as the adoption of Windows increased the need for 2D acceleration over and above that built into the standard PC, the introduction of Windows Vista (codename Longhorn) in 2006 will generate a need for 3D accelerators. Gamers have always required the latest graphics hardware, but the transitions from (text-based) DOS to Windows and now from Windows to Windows Vista make hardware accelerators necessary for regular PC users.

• ATI continued to diversify its product strategy with the introduction of the VGA Stereo F/X add-in sound and graphics card. The product combined a CD-ROM drive interface and ATI graphics accelerator card to enable true 4 computer multimedia capabilities without using extra valuable slots. CDROM drives are standard today (in fact, they are gradually being phased
out in favour of DVD and dual-layer DVD drives). However, being able to add what was considered high-end multimedia functionality in just one precious expansion slot was a significant innovation. ATI has continued to push the functionality of its add-in boards, as currently exemplified by the award winning All-In-Wonder series of TV/graphics cards.
1992
• ATI released mach 32™, an SVGA (“Super VGA”) graphics controller and 32-bit “true color” graphics accelerator. The components were integrated into one chip to reduce manufacturing costs and price to the consumer.

• ATI released the first VLB (VESA Local Bus) products and, after that, PCI (peripheral component interconnect) bus products. A “bus” is a standard way for components inside a PC – including add-in cards - to communicate with each other and the PC proper. Many PC buses existed at the time including 8- and 16-bit ISA, IBM Microchannel, EISA, and VLB to name a
few. ATI enabled high quality video in a low cost marketplace by providing chips that supported all these standards internally. ATI even produced boards with multiple bus connections to reduce the number of products..
• ATI established ATI GmbH in Munich, Germany as the company began to
extend its footprint overseas.
1993
• ATI and Intel unveiled the shared frame buffer interconnect (SFBI) specification that defined a method for combining full-motion video, graphics and other multimedia functionality into a single, integrated multimedia subsystem. This development was essential to the eventual
introduction of future products like the All-In-Wonder.

• ATI introduced the ATI-68890, the first PC TV video decoder chip. It included an SFBI interface. This was the first step in a march that led directly to today’s Theater 550. Twelve years on, PC/TV convergence is a familiar phrase, but not so in 1993. The ATI-68890 marked the beginning of ATI’s leadership in TV on the PC.

• ATI introduced the first graphics card to feature Multimedia Video Acceleration (MVA) – the Graphics Ultra Pro VLB high-performance VESA local bus card. This new solution accelerated video image scaling for better video playback in Windows. This was the first successful consumer card that accelerated video playback by adding hardware inside the main graphics chip.
5
• ATI made its initial public offering, and raised C$100 million on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE now TSX), trading symbol: ATY. ATI later also listed on NASDAQ (1996).

• ATI announced the first product to combine full-motion video and highperformance graphics on a single card -- VIDEO WONDER

• ATI shipped the industry’s first video graphics card for the PCI bus interface. The PCI bus provided local connection for other buses, such as ISA, EISA, or VMEbus; I/O expansion; and eliminated the need for motherboard redesign with each processor revision. Eventually, graphics technology overtook the capabilities of the PCI bus (although it remained useful for other components), and it was replaced by AGP (Advanced Graphics Port). AGP expanded through three new flavours (2x, 4x, 8x) before finally (in 2004) being deprecated in favour of the now current PCI Express standard, which is sufficiently versatile to encompass the needs of
graphics cards and less demanding peripherals such as sound or networking cards.

1994
• ATI introduced video capture boards, the VIDEO BASIC and VIDEO-IT!, that simplified the capture of high-quality, full-motion video for Windows applications.

• ATI introduced the first graphics boards, based on the Mach64 chip, to accelerate full-motion video with hardware bitmap zoom and YUV to RGB color-conversion.

1995
• ATI announced the first ever PCI-based graphics card to be supplied to Apple Computer Inc. as an OEM product – the XCLAIM GA graphics accelerator for Apple's PowerPC platform. ATI also became the first graphics company to ship Mac-compatible graphics boards. Today, ATI has around 80% market share at Apple, and ATI products ship in everything from the Mac mini to the PowerMac G5 on the desktop, from the iBook to the PowerBook notebooks, and even in Xserve server products.

• ATI announced an agreement with United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) and other joint ventures to build a semiconductor manufacturing facility in Taiwan. This investment allowed ATI to secure its share of worldwide foundry capacity for the future benefit of its customers. Although ATI has since focussed on its core competencies, subcontracting semiconductor manufacturing to others, UMC remains an essential part of ATI’s semiconductor development today.

• ATI became the first in the graphics market to support synchronous memory with the ATI-264CT, an advanced, full-featured 64-bit multimedia accelerator. This product paved the
way for watching high resolution video on the PC.

• ATI became the first to provide an MPEG video card. MPEG THEATRE was a low-cost, plug and play MPEG-1 video playback ISA board. It could be used to upgrade any 386, 486 or Pentium PC.

1996
• ATI released the world’s first consumer 3D chip – 3D Rage. This chip combined 3D features with all the capabilities of ATI's mach 64 2D accelerators in addition to full-screen, full-motion MPEG video playback.

Sales that year exceeded one million chips. Starting a pattern that continues today, ATI quickly followed it with a version optimized for notebook computers.

• ATI collaborated with Intel on the Accelerated Graphics Port architecture that was designed for low-cost, more effective implementation 3D graphics performance in PCs.

• ATI announced the first gaming and multimedia tuner for Macs -- XCLAIM VR.

• As an industry first, ATI announced the first product that let home computers be connected with conventional large-screen TV, ImpacTV.

• ATI introduced the first graphics accelerator board to deliver both powerful 3D acceleration and a TV-out capability, the 3D XPRESSION + PC2TV.

1997
• ATI improved DVD playback performance on PCs at higher resolutions with the 3D RAGE™ II+ DVD chip, the first graphics accelerator with motion compensation DVD software.

• ATI became the first graphics company to release products (3D Rage Pro) with full support for the Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP 2X)

• ATI acquired Tseng Lab’s graphics assets, including 40 engineers. This acquisition enabled ATI to increase its output of new graphics chips. Concurrent team development allowed the company to deliver more solutions in a shorter period of time.

• ATI became the first graphics company to ship a combination graphics and TV tuner card, enabling users to receive and capture analog TV signals – All-In-Wonder. This family has won dozens of awards, and is still in production today, making it one of the PC industry’s longest running and most successful products.

1998
• ATI was the first company to introduce a complete set-top box referencedesign -- Set-top-Wonder CE. The Windows CE-powered set-top box featured ATI's latest 2D, 3D and video acceleration and PC to TV convergence technology by combining key high performance entertainment functions at a low cost.

• ATI announced the Rage Theater, the industry’s first video in/video out chip. It greatly reduced the board area and cost of multimedia products, by including an SPDIF output for high quality audio output from PC DVD playback. The chip was designed to deliver high-quality, cost-effective video decoding and encoding capabilities for set-tops and multimedia PCs.

• ATI surpassed $1 billion in revenue.

• ATI shipped its 10 millionth AGP chip

• ATI acquired Chromatic Research Inc. to develop system-on-a-chip (SOC) products for numerous multimedia applications including set-top boxes as well as other consumer electronic devices. This acquisition paved the way for the development of ATI’s Xilleon chip, an SOC device for digital TVs.

• K.Y. Ho, ATI President & CEO, was selected as Canada's Entrepreneur of the Year by Canadian Business magazine

• ATI began trading on NASDAQ and affirmed the status of the company among major high-technology firms. ATI would later join the elite group that make the NASDAQ -100 in 2003. ATI is one of only two Canadian firms in the NASDAQ-100; the other is RIM.

1999
• K.Y. Ho, ATI President & CEO, was selected as one of the top 25 business leaders in the world by Business Week Magazine

• By 1999 ATI had shipped over 2 million boards with TV tuners, including the Video It, Video Basic, ATI-TV, and the All-In-Wonder, making it a leader in the PC TV segment..

2000
• ATI completed its acquisition of ArtX, Inc. of Palo Alto, California, a leading developer of high-performance graphics for both PCs and consumer appliances (ArtX was already developing the “Flipper” chip for the Nintendo Gamecube). The acquisition moved ATI into the consumer electronics market, adding key technologies for consumer devices. ATI’s current CEO, Dave Orton, was ArtX’s President at the time, and joined ATI as President and COO.

• ATI launched RADEON as the world’s powerful and feature-packed graphics processor. This new chip marked ATI's entry and market leadership in the high-end gaming and 3D workstation segments.

2001
• ATI acquired workstation graphics processor pioneer FireGL Graphics, formalizing its entry into the high-performance workstation graphics segment of the PC graphics industry

• In 2001, ATI changed its desktop business model, shifting its emphasis from selling boards to selling the chips to board manufacturers. This increased margins and reduced exposure to risks such as memory inventory – each board required a significant amount of memory, and DRAM prices are famously unpredictable.

• ATI acquired Hydravision desktop management software application from Appian Graphics. The Hydravision application provides users with an interface for simplified management of multiple displays. It is now possible to drive up to five displays from one PC equipped with an ATI motherboard and two ATI 3D cards. Users who want multimonitor more than they want 3D gaming can now use Hydravision with ATI’s FireMV products (see 2004).

• ATI unveiled Nintendo Gamecube technology at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and officially entered the game console graphics market.

• ATI introduced Xilleon 220 as the world's most highly integrated system-onchip for set-top-box, digital TV and consumer products manufacturers for a variety of uses around the world. It would become a cornerstone product of ATI’s Digital Television business unit.

2002
• ATI Technologies Inc. was elevated to permanent membership in OpenGL standards board, reaffirming ATI’s status in the computer graphics industry.

• ATI entered the handset market with the Imageon 100 -- an advanced display co-processor for PDAs and Smart Phones. This product led to design wins with major handset manufacturers. It illustrates one of ATI’s core skills – anticipating and acting on industry trends. Cameras on
cellphones (a typical Imageon application) were almost non-existent at the time but ATI chose to invest in the technology anyway, perceiving a growing market. Today, ATI sells around ten million Imageon chips a quarter.

• ATI acquired NxtWave Communications, giving ATI the digital reception television technology to provide complete solutions for PC and TV customers. ATI is now the world’s largest provider of silicon for integrated digital televisions.

• ATI introduced the Radeon 9700, the world’s first DirectX 9 graphics chip. DirectX 9, a standard introduced by Microsoft, was the most radical advance in graphics in over ten years, and required full floating-point support. ATI actually had the Radeon 9700 in stores three months before Microsoft was ready with DirectX 9. The 9700 and its derivatives led to massive market share gains for ATI.

• ATI announced the world's first mobile graphics solution with programmable pixel shaders – Mobility Radeon 9000. This mobile part would lead to many design wins with leading notebook manufacturers.

2003
• ATI announced agreements with both Microsoft and Nintendo to develop graphics solutions for future game consoles. The announcements were worded cryptically to satisfy the need for secrecy in this fiercely competitive market. However, it was later possible for ATI to reveal that they were for as the graphics chips for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Revolution game consoles.

• ATI acquired its APAC distributor to give it greater customer reach into the Asian markets.

• ATI demonstrated the world’s first graphics processor to incorporate a PCI Express (PCIe) interface, the current PC interconnect standard, at the Intel Developers Forum (IDF) in San Jose. Once again, ATI anticipated correctly the needs of its customers as they approached the transition to PCIe (from PCI/AGP), this time with the result that the company won virtually all the PC desktop and notebook business from OEMs in this product cycle.

• ATI was added to the NASDAQ-100 Index. ATI stock was also included in the NASDAQ-100 Index Tracking Stock (Amex: QQQ).

• ATI became the first company in any industry to launch high-volume products using the 0.13um low-k semiconductor production process. On this occasion, anticipating a technology shift allowed ATI to improve performance by 15% without increasing power consumption, a development that proved particularly attractive to notebook manufacturers. At its peak, ATI was consuming the vast majority of the industry’s capacity for manufacturing 0.13um low-k devices.

2004
• ATI announced the first 3D gaming chips for cell phones -- Imageon 2300 that enabled game developers to create visually rich 3D gaming experiences. The first product using this device was launched by LG in early 2005.

• ATI leveraged its low-k expertise to introduce a high-performance graphics solution for notebook PCs – the Mobility Radeon 9700. This was the first notebook chip that gave desktop-like performance to users on the go.

• Dave Orton became ATI’s new CEO.

• ATI announced the the industry's first mobile PCI Express graphics processor -- Mobility Radeon X600. ATI's mobile PCI Express solutions are employed by more than 16 of the industry's leading OEM and ODM designers including, Acer, Arima, ASUS, Clevo, ECS, eMachines, FIC, Gateway, HP, Inventec, LG, Mitac, Samsung, Quanta, Uniwill and Wistron.

• ATI announced the world's first PCI Express multimedia video card -- All-In- Wonder X600 Pro. Powered by the Radeon X600 graphics chip, the video card was designed for home theater, video editing and gaming enthusiasts.

• ATI shipped more than 5 million chips for HDTVs and set-top boxes. As of the most recent statistics, ATI estimates that it has 85 percent market share for Theater and NXT demodulators and a 40 percent market share for Xilleon MPEG decoders and display processors. Together, the front and back ends represent almost all the intelligent (non-commoditized) silicon in an HDTV.

• ATI introduced its FireMV range of products, cards designed not for 3D gaming but 2D performance with multimonitor setups, such as those required by traders. Configurations up to four quad FireMV cards have been tested (so driving 16 monitors simultaneously) but more are
theoretically possible. This represents a major new market opportunity for ATI, and leverages investment made in other parts of the business.

2005
• Mercury Research declared ATI to be the world's largest discrete graphics supplier in 2004.

• ATI acquired cable modem silicon intellectual property and staff from Terayon Communication Systems, Inc. This acquisition allowed ATI to develop more competitive feature-rich solutions for the DTV marketplace.

• ATI announced 1 million Radeon XPRESS chipsets shipped to desktop PC, notebook and motherboard manufacturers around the world. ATI’s chipset business continues to grow extremely rapidly and is an area of great promise for the company.

Today
ATI started twenty years ago as a graphics company and, twenty years later remains committed to that goal – to give users the best possible visual experience. The number of platforms has increased in the intervening two decades. And ATI has taken its core graphics competency and leveraged its experience to move into the markets that those new platforms represent:

• Cellphone
ATI developed skills and technologies to reduce power consumption for notebook graphics. These have proved invaluable as ATI aggressively entered the cellphone market. The current state of the art cellphone graphics chip (ATI’s Imageon 2300) consumes about 75mW, peak. In
contrast, state of the art desktop parts consume roughly one thousand times as much power.

• HDTV
ATI built its TV experience and knowledge base through TV-on-the-PC products. It has used them to become the largest supplier of HDTV silicon technologies. This is a market that is set to grow explosively over the next couple of years. About $5m was spent on digital TVs in 2004, out of a market of around $30m. But the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated that all TVs sold in the US by the end of 2007 must be digital ready, requiring the market, by law, to grow at least six fold.

• Game console ATI has long been a performance leader in PC graphics and this has attracted the attention of the console vendors. No details of Nintendo’s next generation console are yet available, but it’s clear from the technology ATI has developed for the Xbox 360 that it expects to be a leader for some time to come.

TOP-performance card based on R580 - Radeon X1950XTX! Photo of the day: ATi Radeon X1950XTX Final Sample

2006-07-25T23:27:00.000+03:00

Great job done by folks from HKEPC. They published final sample photo of the newest TOP-performance card based on R580 - Radeon X1950XTX!

Driven by ATi R580+, ATi Radeon X1950XTX is the next trump card from ATi. Its model code and PCB version are 215BAABKA31FG and 102-A91501-00 respectively. Same as R580, it has 16 Pixel Shader pinelines, 48 Pixel Shader processors, and 8 Vertex Shader engine. Features at GDDR4 memory, it’s equipped with 512MB 2GHz DDR. Sources indicated that ATi Radeon X1950 Crossfire is releasing on the same date with XTX version. Similar to the XTX version, the PCB version of the CrossFire version is 102-A98801-00. Both of them are available in late Aug. the final version of ATi Radeon X1950XTX is shown as below, the design of heat sink is a little bit different from those widely spread previously.

Radeon X1950XTX is the replacement of the old king, Radeon X1900XTX, and targeted on nVidia Geforce 7900GTX 512MB. The price of the CrossFire version the same as XTX and is set at $399 to $499.

Source: HKEPC

ATI reinforcement: X1650 against G73

2006-07-25T05:31:00.000+03:00

Since nVidia released Geforce 7600 family (G73) in match, its corresponding rival Radeon X1600 was facing a strong enemy with lower cost and better performance, forcing ATi to recall a weakened R520 version Radeon X1800GTO (R520LE) for the level. In long term, ATi is going to release new Radeon X1650 family.

Radeon X1650 is composed by RV560, RV530 and RV535 chipset, where RV560 is correspond to the top model 1650XT. They are manufactured by TSMC with 80nm process, featured 8 Pixel Shader Pipelines, 24 Pixel Shader Processors (12 for RV530), 128Bit memory controller with 1.4GHz DDR support, 600MHz clock speed and build-in Compositing CrossFire Engine. It is no more master/salve card for CrossFire. Expected to be available in October, its price is set between $149 and $199.

After the launch of Radeon X1650XT, source hinted that Radeon X1600XT and Radeon X1600Pro would be renamed as Radeon X1650Pro and Radeon X1300XT with no any change in specification. Besides, the 80nm version of RV530 is available in October, codenamed RV535 and manufactured by TSMC. With a lower cost, ATi would definitely become more compatible. Radeon X1650 Pro is expected in $99 to $119, while Radeon X1300XT is expected in $79 to $99.

Source : http://www.hkepc.com

Intel to launch Merom, Conroe on Thursday

2006-07-24T23:50:00.000+03:00

Santa Clara (CA) - Intel today confirmed that it will introduce its Core 2 Duo processor will officially launch this Thursday at an event held at the firm's Santa Clara headquarter. Several hundred journalists and analysts are expected to attend the event.

Other than previously expected, Intel will launch the desktop version Core 2 Duo E6000 series ("Conroe") in tandem with the mobile version Dore 2 Duo T7000 series ("Merom"). Internal roadmaps dated from March of this year indicated that Intel had planned an August launch for Merom, with about four weeks of distance to Conroe.

Source: http://www.tgdaily.com

AMD drops desktop processor prices by 47%, not by 51%

2006-07-24T05:57:00.000+03:00

While AMD has told journalists over the past year that it does not believe that it will have to react in any way to the launch of Intel's Core 2 Duo processor, the company today informed vendors about a rather dramatic price reduction in anticipation of Intel's new processor later this week. Confirming rumors that spread through the Internet in the past week, AMD cut the tray prices of most of its desktop processors, which the company believes will ensure that Athlon and Sempron processors will remain the best value on the market when Core 2 Duo debuts.

While most Sempron processors and all regular single-core Athlons are now priced well below the critical $100 mark - the Sempron 2800 model sells for $52 - the focus of the price reductions are clearly the socket AM2 products which already determine AMD's desktop product portfolio. A look into the new price list reveals that Intel's Core 2 Duo processor has forced AMD to give up its previous solid standing in the upper-end mainstream market and open up a huge price gap between the high-end FX-62 processor - now priced at $860 - and the Athlon 64 X2 5000+ model, which currently is AMD's fastest mainstream processor and now sells for $312.

Compared to the rumored price drops of the past week, the 7/24/2006 price list, AMD may have made last minute changes and applied a more conservative price reduction model. While the decrease is substantial across the board, the reductions may not be enough to enable AMD to claim an overall price-performance leadership. According to findings published by TG Daily last week and according to a price list we received from Israel today, especially the 4200+, 4600+ and FX-62 models do not achieve this goal. For example, the 4200+ model would have to be priced below $213, but is indicated to sell for $225. The gap widens with the 4600+ version (below $241 required, actual price $290) and may raise eyebrows with the FX-62, which now sells for $860, but would need a price tag below $425 to achieve a price-performance leadership position over Intel's Core 2 Duo processor.

While we have to wait for an official U.S. price list some AMD processors appear to represent a great value, especially the X2 3800+ and X2 5000+ models. It is obvious that AMD will face a dramatic drop in average processor pricing at least over the next two quarters and it remains to be seen, if the new price points will result in enough additional sales to make up for the reductions.

Source: http://www.tgdaily.com

ATI Radeon X1950XTX and X1950 CrossFire Edition

2006-07-22T10:40:00.000+03:00

This week ATI sent an advisory out to its OEM partners announcing the details of the new Radeon X1950 and X1900 graphic cards. Both of these new cards are based on the same R580 core, but with some fundamental differences.

R580, the 48 pixel-shader processor version of the R520 (Radeon X1800), was announced this past January. R580 features a robust memory controller capable of utilizing several different types of memory, including GDDR4 which was not even available when the Radeon X1900 was first announced. Since then Hynix and Samsung have both jumped on the GDDR4 train with revenue shipments beginning several weeks ago. The new GDDR4 variants of R580-based Radeons are now called Radeon X1950. Radeon X1950 will retain all of the features of the Radeon X1900, and really only have the added benefit of a new cooler, GDDR4 memory and different frequency clocks.

Radeon X1950 at launch will come in two flavors: a high clock "XTX" version, and a CrossFire version. Both cards feature 512MB GDDR4, and the only major difference between the two is that the CrossFire X1950 houses the composite engine and input interfaces for CrossFire. Just yesterday, ATI issued an advisory to its partners claiming "Clock frequencies for RADEON X1950 family products are pending and will be provided at a later date." However, in March of this year ATI released a new policy for AIB partners to overclock X1000 series cores with some discretion. While we can already confirm some partners are planning 650MHz core versions, there is still a distinct possibility that higher clocked cards are also in the works. Memory clock frequencies have not been announced either, though Samsung announced its GDDR4 is already capable of 3.2GHz in 8x512Mbit configurations.

The new Radeon X1900 is a low-cost version of the existing Radeon X1900 that only uses 256MB of GDDR3, enabling the card access to the $300 price point. The Radeon X1900XT 256MB will use the same clock frequencies as other Radeon X1900XT cards: 625MHz core and 1.45GHz memory.

ATI's advisory documentation claims the Radeon X1950XTX will begin sample availability on August 7, with the CrossFire sampling beginning exactly one week later. Sampling of the Radeon X1900XT 256MB will begin immediately.

Radeon X1900 and X1950 will be replaced by another ASIC core, dubbed R600. R600 is expected to be 80nm with new design features above and beyond the R520 and R580 series.

Source: http://www.dailytech.com

AMD will acquire ATI for $5.6 bln next week!

2006-07-22T08:01:00.000+03:00

Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is considering a $5.6-billion (U.S.) takeover bid for ATI Technologies Inc., a leading manufacturer of computer graphics chips, sources say.

ATI stock is rising today on rumours that AMD will make a friendly offer of between $21 and $23 as early as next week.

The board of directors at Sunnyvale, California-based AMD have approved a takeover offer, according to an investment banker familiar with the talks. Other sources in the financial industry said AMD executives have been spotted at ATI's Markham, Ont. head office.

ATI shares are changing hands at $16.12 on the Nasdaq exchange, up 39 cents from yesterday's close, with twice the trading volume typically seen in the stock. At these prices, ATI sports a $4.1-billion market capitalization.

There has been considerable industry speculation that AMD may pursue an acquisition of ATI Technologies, although such an outcome is by no means certain, said a report this week for analyst Eric Gomberg at investment bank Thomas Weisel Partners.

In light of AMD's technology road map, and specifically its Torrenza technology, we believe that such a merger would not be so far fetched.

AMD would make an offer at a 20-to-40-per-cent premium to ATI's current share price, Mr. Gomberg estimated. ATI and arch-rival Nvidia Corp. dominate the market for the chips that run computer games. AMD and its major competitor, Intel, both buy ATI products.

Other industry watchers were less convinced an offer was coming, or that such a union made sense for AMD. One analyst described such a deal as a breathtakingly bad idea from a strategic perspective.

AMD has whipped Intel from one end of the school yard to the other over the last three years and done so without a graphics business of its own. Acquiring a graphics capability would be an expensive distraction and would offer AMD almost no advantage, the analyst said.

ATI has maintained closer ties to Intel over the years than AMD, and that relationship would be troubling for ATI to dismantle.

The closeness of the two means ATI gets an early look at some of the standards and technology that Intel, the world's biggest chip maker, is working on. If AMD acquired ATI, expect Intel to send ATI to the back of the bus, the analyst said.

In addition, Intel has left a lot of the lower-margin business of chipsets to ATI as Intel wrestles with capacity constraints. As a result, integrated chipsets account for about 25 per cent of ATI's revenue today, up from just 10 per cent a year ago.

Intel would likely move to repatriate that business if AMD acquired ATI.

Another messy factor to consider is that Intel and ATI have cross-licensed some of their intellectual property, raising the possibility that some of ATI's technology would end up in a competitor's hand after a deal.

Stupidity is no barrier to tech mergers, the analyst said. �This deal would be out of strategy for AMD and out of focus.

Other people watching the chip sector wonder if AMD is being forced into making an acquisition because it fears Intel may use graphics to lock it out of markets in the future.

If AMD has got a whiff of something that Intel is doing far enough out and now realizes it needs graphics IP to compete, then a deal makes sense, a second analyst said.

Source: globeandmail.com