April 2008 Archives
"NEW YORK - AOL made key mistakes that pushed down display-advertising sales and resulted in the Time Warner Inc. unit's first quarter of flat ad revenue since it began staking its future on the boom in online ads, executives said Wednesday.
AOL's troubles integrating $1 billion worth of corporate acquisitions into a single "Platform-A" should serve as a warning for Microsoft Corp. as it pursues an unsolicited bid for Yahoo Inc. now worth more than $40 billion.
"If Microsoft does buy Yahoo, a much larger company to digest (than the ones AOL has acquired), it will be many quarters" before the units operate tightly, said David Hallerman, a senior analyst with the research group eMarketer. "It's so hard to make that kind of change, to really integrate, when there have been all these silos."
Overall, AOL revenues fell 23 percent in the three months ending March 31, compared with the same period in 2007, according to Time Warner. With advertising making up only half of AOL's revenue, the 1 percent growth in advertising was not enough to offset the 38 percent plunge in subscriptions.
The 1 percent increase at AOL also was low compared with its rivals. During the first quarter, Google Inc. saw a 40 percent increase in online ads, Microsoft a 39 percent jump and Yahoo 7 percent."Link to full article
"Microsoft's board of directors met Wednesday to evaluate options in its attempt to acquire Yahoo, The Wall Street Journal reported.
An announcement of the board's conclusions could come after the meeting, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the situation.
Microsoft is evaluating an offer of as much as $32 to $33 per share, well over the present $29.12 value of Microsoft's offer, but "major Yahoo shareholders" are angling for $35 to $37 per share, the paper reported."Link to full article
"As noted in our sixth edition of iDesign, Apple rarely partners with other companies to develop new products, but when it does, there's a reason. Harman Kardon, for instance, used its audio expertise to develop crystalline globe speakers for Apple's G4 Cube and iMac computers, while sporting giant Nike was picked to broaden the iPod nano's athletic appeal with the Nike + iPod Sport Kit and related apparel. But iPod accessory collaborations have been few and far between, and only one other company is known to have worked so closely with Apple: Belkin, creator of the iPod's first Voice Recorder and Media Reader accessories, as well as their sequels and many, many other iPod and iPhone add-ons."Link to full article
"The Traveler-ER USB drive is designed to give travelers a secure way to carry their medical records, emergency contact info, and other sensitive data.
advertising
Anyone who's travelled outside their native country--or even within their native country--has probably had this thought cross their mind: in the event of an illness or accident, will doctors or emergency medical personnel be able to get medical information they need? Details like allergies, medications, insurance information, and emergency contact details? Sure, travelers can carry this information with them in a notebook or other using other conventional means, but that increases exposure to identity theft or other mis-use of the information."Link to full article
"The charge levied at drivers wanting to drive through London may have cleared roads, but the £8 toll has done little for the air.
A new study has found that levels of pollution in the city's congestion charging zone changed little before and after the city implemented the toll. Some pollutants even rose.
But expanding controls to the rest of London should cut back on smog, says Frank Kelly, a researcher at King's College in London, who presented the analysis this week at a Health Effects Institute conference in Philadelphia.
"If one enlarged that area, then you would be able to have a small but important impact on air quality and presumably health," he says.
Something still in the air
In 2003, London began hitting drivers with a £5 toll to enter a 21 square kilometre patch of the city centre. The toll has since increased to £8. By 2006, the number of cars on the road had fallen by a fifth, while the number of public buses - exempted from the toll - jumped by 25%.
"The scheme never really had air quality or people's health in mind," says Kelly. But to gauge whether the fee might improve the air, his team collected air quality measurements over two years before and after London began levying the charge.
Kelly's team noticed little change in pollutants such as smog, diesel soot, and carbon monoxide. Levels of nitrogen oxides increased slightly - Kelly thinks this was because of filters on diesel buses that trap soot, yet spew out the gases."Link to full article
"Gene mutations linked with osteoporosis have been identified independently by teams in the UK and Iceland.
Earlier unsubstantiated reports have linked genes to the bone-weakening disease but the new studies are the first to conclusively identify the mutations.
Both teams found the mutations by screening for hundreds of thousands of random mutations - called single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs - in DNA samples from thousands of women, both with and without osteoporosis.
The two mutations reported by the British team are so common they might be worth screening for. "They're both present in more than one in five white people, suggesting a potential role in screening," says Tim Spector of King's College London, and principal investigator in the study. "In theory we could start screening right away."
Having both mutations raises the risk of osteoporosis by up to 50%, and of bone fractures by up to 30%.
Spector said that screening women over 60 could help identify those needing treatment to avoid fractures. Screening teenagers could identify girls who could avoid future disease through lifestyle changes, such as drinking more milk and exercising more."Link to full article
"Toshiba TVs (in Japan) will be the first to feature good old Dubbly's newest technology, Dolby Volume, a smart system aimed at leveling off eardrum-shattering sources and content--hopefully eradicating the twin evils of loud-ass TV commercials and poorly-mastered MP3s. Here's how it works:
The system "continually monitors (or 'listens' to) the audio at all times and performs content-dependent processing...[on] all types of audio." The processing isn't just straight-up compression, it's more of a smart EQ that takes dialogue and music into concern, and adjusts many frequency bands. This has the benefit of keeping funky artifacts out of the process, but it does of course take more horsepower to do, hence the slow roll-out. The first TVs to have it will be Toshiba's REGZA ZH500 and ZV500 series LCD HDTVs, which will be out in Japan next month. No word yet on the US arrival."Link to full article
"PARIS (Reuters) - French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen is looking to make a bit of extra cash by putting his old bullet-proof car up for sale on eBay.
Le Pen, who stunned France in the 2002 presidential election when he finished second, put his party headquarters up for sale earlier this year after humiliating defeats in presidential and legislative elections last year left his group deep in the red.
Another drain on Le Pen's finances was the 10,000 euro ($15,580) fine he incurred in February when a court found him guilty of "contesting crimes against humanity" for saying the Nazi occupation of France was "not particularly inhumane".
Asked why the car was up for sale, a National Front spokesman said: "Money, money, glorious money."
With a little more than nine days left before the eBay auction (www.ebay.fr) finishes, the 1991 Peugeot that has ferried Le Pen around during his campaigns has been bid up from the one euro starting price to 3,510 euros.
"Following its replacement, we are putting up for sale Jean-Marie Le Pen's armored Peugeot 605, used daily by him, including during his last presidential campaign," the posting on the eBay site (ebay.fr) said.
"To be considered as a collector's item, no jokers.""Link to full article
"A congressional proposal designed to stiffen penalties and enforcement against pirates and counterfeiters moved a step closer to becoming law on Wednesday.
As expected, the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a copyright holder-backed enforcement proposal known as the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property, or Pro-IP, Act, which is chiefly sponsored by the committee's chairman, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.).
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the committee's ranking member, said the U.S. Department of Justice is filing more intellectual-property cases than ever--217 in 2007--but suggested that's still not enough. The bill's passage shows "there is a bipartisan commitment to ensure the next president and succeeding administrations have the resources, organizations, and strategies that are required to protect our vital national and economic interests," he said in a statement."Link to full article
"The Wikimedia Foundation has instituted a restructuring of its board of trustees, in the process adding two "chapter" board seats and formalizing Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales' position as the "community founder" board member.
Valleywag on Wednesday first noted the changes.
First, according to Jan-Bart de Vreede, the board of trustees' vice chairman, the board is expanding from its current 8 seats to a total of 10.
The big change, de Vreede wrote, is the expansion of the board through what he termed "chapter-selected" seats.
"This has been under consideration for a long time, and we are glad to finally be implementing it, de Vreede wrote. "We want to acknowledge that the chapters are an important player in the fulfillment of the Wikimedia Foundation's mission and that they therefore deserve a voice in the governance of the Foundation. Please note that the two chapter-selected seats are not intended to represent the interests of the chapters vis-a-vis the foundation. The chapters are being asked to pick trustees who they feel will represent the interests of the Wikimedia Foundation and help it fulfill its mission as well as it possibly can.""Link to full article
"First Solar exceeded expectations once again in its most recent quarter and told investors that revenue for 2008 would likely come in at $975 million to $1.05 billion, higher than the $900 million to $950 million range provided earlier.
The company--which specializes in cadmium telluride solar cells--reported revenue of $196.9 million for the first three months of the year, more than double the $66.9 million in revenue garnered in the first quarter of 2007. Net income went to $46.6 million, or 57 cents a share, well above the $5 million for the first quarter of 2007.
Production for the year will also climb to between 420 megawatts and 460 megawatts, higher than the earlier estimates of 400 to 430 megawatts. The increase in production is being facilitated by new factories going up around the world.
The company's stock this morning is trading at $294 a share. The company went public for $20 a share in November 2006. A year ago, we dubbed First Solar the Google of solar because of its rapid, yet steady growth. The term prompted self-described financial experts to whine and ring their hands. The stock was at $200 at the time. Instead, First Solar weathered the stock market downturn and is now 50 percent higher than it was then. Revenue and profits have continued to climb quarterly on year-to-year comparisons. Granted, it's trading at a high price-to-earnings ratio, but the price is what it is."Link to full article
"It should come as no surprise that a vast majority of us trust our friends' recommendations about products or services, but according to a study, a strong majority also trust the product reviews of anonymous online commenters.
These are some of the findings of a study from the book Groundswell, by Forrester Research analysts Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, highlighted in a post on the book's blog this week.
According to their study, 83 percent of respondents believe in friends' recommendations, a number higher than those who put stock in newspaper, magazine, or TV reviews (75 percent).
More surprising, perhaps, is that 60 percent of the respondents said they trust online reviews left by complete strangers on retailers' sites.
And why do people take the word of those they've never met?
"They don't--not as individuals," Bernoff wrote. "But they do in groups. Strangers are assumed not to have an ax to grind. If 100 people on eBags say a laptop bag is great, then it is great. If they say it's inferior, then it is inferior.""Link to full article
"esearchers at HP Labs have solved a decades-old mystery by proving the existence of a fourth basic element in integrated circuits that could make it possible to develop computers that turn on and off like an electric light.
The memristor -- short for memory resistor - could make it possible to develop far more energy-efficient computing systems with memories that retain information even after the power is off, so there's no wait for the system to boot up after turning the computer on. It may even be possible to create systems with some of the pattern-matching abilities of the human brain.
A mathematical model and a physical example that prove the memristor's existence appear in a paper published in the April 30 issue of the journal Nature.
"To find something new and yet so fundamental in the very mature field of electrical engineering is a big surprise," said R. Stanley Williams, an HP Senior Fellow and director of the Information and Quantum Systems Lab (IQSL)."Link to full article
"Looks like it wasn't the HD DVD/Blu-ray battle that was keeping potential customers away from high-definition video players after all.
The NPD Group released some of its retail sales tracking data Wednesday that showed sales of Blu-ray standalone players (not a PlayStation 3, combo player, or PC with Blu-ray drive) had mostly decreased since the beginning of the year.
Standalone Blu-ray player unit sales in the U.S. decreased 40 percent from January to February and saw a very slight increase (2 percent) between February and March, according to NPD.
HD DVD players fared even worse--player unit sales dropped 13 percent from January to February, and 65 percent from February to March--which was expected. Toshiba stopped production of HD DVD units in February, and the format's promotional group disbanded in March."Link to full article
"The real Mario was scary and so is this UK based company's resemblance to the gaming mascot. SuperMario Plumbing & Heating have cleverly avoided notices from Nintendo's lawyers by removing the space from the name. So does the plumber come dressed in a red shirt with an assistant wearing a white shirt. Well you have to be in Edinburgh to find this out."Link to full article
"For some reason, this Micro Orb spy camera makes me think of Columbo-star Peter Falk. Perhaps if the TV detective had been fitted with a 1.5-inch sphere capturing 30fps MPEG-4 video (with sound), gathering evidence might've been even easier. On sale in mid-May, the video camera has a three hour rechargeable battery and can record up to six hours of footage onto a 2GB microSD card."Link to full article
"You may remember Kleer, the wireless technology that boasts better specs than Bluetooth, at least as far as audio quality is concerned. It's only appeared in a few products (most notably RCA's JetStream player), but today Kleer's catalog adds one more: a pair of earbuds called Opera.
Made by Korean "company" DigiFi, the Opera is a headset that wraps around the back of your head -- the 'buds are still tethered together, but there's no cord going from your ears to your iPod. Instead, you plug a Kleer wireless transmitter into your player's headphone jack and you're good to go. In fact, up to four people, each with Kleer earbuds, can tune into the same transmitter. The price of all this cable-free rocking: $98 for one kit (earbuds and transmitter).
That's still a tad higher than I suspect most people will pay for headphones, but this could be just what Kleer needs: An reasonably affordable way for people to make their iPods wireless -- as opposed to some kind of wireless iPod alternative or a pair of high-end 'buds. If you hate headphone cords and care about sound quality, look for the Opera when it's released worldwide in June."Link to full article
"Got an extra million dollars hanging around? Put down a $100K deposit on the upcoming Cirrus "The-Jet," a tiny single-engine aircraft that doesn't exist yet. Full-sized models are now touring the world, and when it does fly, the personal jet will go 345 mph, up to 25,000 feet, and have a range of 1000 miles.
Like all Cirrus airplanes, The-Jet will have a parachute in its nose, giving you extra assurance that you won't be included in the ranks of "doctor-killer" aircraft casualties. Cirrus has reportedly leased a hangar in Minnesota to begin building the 7-seat (if three passengers are babies) jets, and plans to manufacture the small planes out of lightweight carbon fiber."Link to full article
"Earlier this year we stumbled upon a widely circulated You Tube video (at least in tech circles), in which a man is seen ruthlessly abusing a poor LCD monitor. The protagonist starts by letting a child draw on the screen with a black permanent marker. Taking matters into his own hands, the man then proceeds to take a pen-knife to the surface of the screen, followed by multiple strikes with a hammer. The abuse of a perfectly good LCD monitor isn't what struck us about this particular video, however. The unique element that caught our eye and set it apart from similar videos is that the LCD monitor survived the episode completely unscathed. The monitor was ASUS' LS201.
After seeing the video, we had to test this screen for ourselves."Link to full article
"Linux is finally starting to make inroads into mainstream computing, as evidenced by the Eee PC and the HP Mini-Note ultraportable laptops. It should come as no surprise that vendors are starting to embrace Linux with open arms, due to its low-cost of entry. VIA Technologies is the latest Linux lover with its launch of the VIA Linux Portal beta Website, intended to provide support to the open source community for development of Linux drivers for VIA-based platforms. A VIA press release stated:
"The VIA Linux Portal will initially offer graphics drivers for the VIA CN896 digital media IGP chipset for the new Ubuntu 8.04 LTS distribution. Documentation and source code for these drivers will be released over the coming weeks, with official forums and bug tracking scheduled for implementation later this year. The VIA Linux Portal will also adhere to a regular release schedule that is aligned with kernel changes and the release of major Linux distributions.""Link to full article
"Wayport, a corporate Wi-Fi provider, announced today that it is now providing Wi-Fi in over 10,000 McDonalds restaurants in the United States--of which, 9,300 are available for access by customers (for a fee, of course). Wayport starting providing Wi-Fi for McDonalds restaurants in 2004."Link to full article
"Mac users have long been left out in the cold when it comes to awesome gaming peripherals from the likes of Razer; not any more. Razer has announced a Mac version of their popular Death Adder gaming mouse. Essentially it is the same mouse with Mac versions of the drivers and software, both necessary to enjoy the full functionality of the device.
We are starting to see a lot more gaming hardware come out for the Mac of late, which might mean that the gaming set start to take the platform a little more seriously.
The price of the Death Adder is $60.00."Link to full article
"OCZ Technology today announced the Special Ops Edition DDR3 Series, available in both PC3-8500 and PC3-10666 kits featuring the high densities and stability gamers demand. These DDR3 kits are ideal for users advancing to the next generation of memory platforms, offering the speeds, density, and reliability required for the latest DirectX 10 PC titles. Featuring a unique camouflage motif heatspreader design, the DDR3 Special Ops Edition Series was designed for gaming systems in need of a reliable upgrade as well as some extra style."Link to full article
"There was a time when mobile phone makers could just calmly sit back after a hard day's work, not worrying that a random stranger might introduce their newest and top secret products to the curious public. Sadly for them, that time is over. For now we have another round of those old "Leaked!" story headlines, and this time it's a Nokia, which is not surprising at all.
In this story, it was a Howard Forums user who was calm and collected as he introduced some product shots of a still unannounced handset, the Nokia 6025 to other users. According to him, it will be released by June, with an exclusive contract with Verizon."Link to full article
"A laser-guided robot wheelchair that automatically docks with the user's vehicle and loads itself into the back could give disabled drivers more freedom.
Using the new system, the user opens the door of their van and presses a button to lower the front seat so they can climb in. A remote control is then used to drive the chair round to the back of the van.
From here on, a computer inside the vehicle takes over. Using radio signals and laser guidance, it positions the chair onto the forks of a lift that hauls the wheelchair on board, and closes the door.
The process is reversed once the driver reaches their destination."Link to full article
"A mammoth black hole has been discovered fleeing its host galaxy at high speed, according to a controversial new study. The galactic eviction may be the result of a violent merger between two black holes.
Most galaxies the size of our own Milky Way or larger are thought to harbour a supermassive black hole, weighing millions or billions of times as much as the Sun, at their centres. When galaxies merge, these black holes may spiral in towards one another and collide.
The mergers severely disturb the surrounding space, sending out ripples in the fabric of space called gravitational waves, according to Einstein's general theory of relativity.
Computer simulations show these waves tend to be emitted more in some directions than in others. This causes the resulting larger black hole to recoil in the opposite direction from the waves, with speeds of up to 4000 kilometres per second. In some cases, that may be enough to kick the black hole right out of the merged galaxy."Link to full article
"Mounting mirrors on the Moon and using them to signal across space could let ET know we Earthlings are here.
Ever since radio broadcasts began we've been trumpeting our presence to nearby parts of the galaxy, so far without reply. To improve the chances of being found, Shawn Domagal-Goldman and Jacob Haqq-Misra of Pennsylvania State University in State College reckon we should cover half of the Moon with mirrors.
When angled to catch the Sun's rays, the mirrors would increase the amount of light the Earth-moon system reflects by 20%, they say, more than enough to catch the eye of a vigilant alien astronomer. Domagal-Goldman proposes using a code of prime number flashes - just as aliens used to get in touch in Carl Sagan's book Contact. This will ensure the flashes aren't mistaken for natural variations in brightness.
As a bonus, the underside of the mirrors could be covered with photovoltaic cells. When the mirrors aren't busy flashing they could be flipped to allow the cells to make electricity, which would be beamed by microwaves back to Earth. "You could help solve the climate crisis, too," says Domagal-Goldman, who presented his idea last week at the 2008 Astrobiology Science Conference in Santa Clara, California, US."Link to full article
"a list of punters' most useless gadgets has been compiled.
The inventory was made after Reevoo.com questioned 4500 British shoppers about which gadgets they thought were the most pointless.
Electric nail-files led the poll and, although no reasons were given, many people could be put off by the gadget's ability to file your nails away to mere stumps at the flick of the switch.
Laser-guided scissors and electric candles fell into second and third place, respectively. The humble Soda Stream - a 1970s attempt at making fizzy drinks a ridiculously laborious process - fell into fourth place."Link to full article
"HELSINKI (Reuters) - Offering unlimited music downloads to phone buyers will make money for Nokia as well as record labels, the handset maker said, dismissing talk the move would come at the expense of profits.
"We expect to make money both from our traditional device sales, as well as from the 'Comes With Music' service," said Liz Schimel, head of Nokia's music business. "I can assure you that we are looking out for everyone's interests in creating these new business models, including our own."
The new music offering from Nokia, the first cellphone maker to push heavily into content, would differ from any other package on the market as users can keep all the music they have downloaded during the 12 months.
Last week Nokia struck a deal with Sony BMG to offer the label's tracks in its "Comes with Music" service, adding to last December's deal with top record label Universal.
Having the world's two largest labels on board looks set to help Nokia attract smaller music companies and challenge the dominant pay-per-track sales model for digital music.
"This new model is innovative and creates a positive situation for all stakeholders, but it does require a different way of thinking for our content partners," Schimel said, but declined to go into details.
Reports on different Internet media have suggested the world's biggest handset maker was paying $35 to Universal alone for each sold handset; and some reports suggest Nokia would be paying an extra fee for each downloaded song after the first 35 songs, potentially eroding its close to 40 percent gross margins in cellphone operations.
"Recent articles that I've seen have fundamentally misunderstood the concept behind the Comes With Music model," Schimel said."Link to full article
"Samsung on Wednesday announced the launch of charging stations for mobile devices in terminals at LaGuardia and Orlando International Airports. The Samsung Mobile Charging Stations allow travelers to plug in their phones, laptops and other electronic gadgets without any associated fees. The company's latest move expands on similar charging stations already in use at the Los Angeles, JFK and Dallas / Forth Worth International airports.
LaGuardia's Terminal C features 12 charging stations spread out between gates A and D, with four outlets in each of the 8.5-foot tall poles. Orlando International hosts 18 such stations on Level Two in Airsides terminals one through four.
The stations will recharge any 120V device, and feature shelves to hold portable electronics. At JFK International, Samsung has 54 charging stations, with 51 doing duty in Los Angeles, and eight operating at Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport. "Link to full article
"Microsoft could be ready to take action on its ultimatum to Yahoo as early as today, say alleged sources in touch with the Wall Street Journal. With Microsoft having remained silent since the passing of its deadline for Yahoo to accept a takeover offer, the Windows developer is now reportedly set to announce its next plan of action and has been considering multiple strategies.
One of these is to fight a slightly less aggressive proxy war, the paper claims. Rather than bypassing Yahoo's board entirely, Microsoft may nominate a set of 10 board members (with three alternatives) it deems friendly to the $31 per share takeover bid and gauge the response from shareholders. The move would increase pressure on Yahoo to accept any offers but would allow Microsoft to avoid any immediately hostile effort, which many argue could trigger employee defections and reduce the impact of the deal.
Nothing is said to be definite, according to the report. However, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has commented last week that his company may walk away from the deal if Yahoo resistance continues to create significant delays."Link to full article
"I can understand wanting some tunes while riding your bike. But watching movies while you pedal away is probably not a great idea. The up side is, you'll have something to do while the EMTs are trying to untangle your legs from your bike spokes.
Obviously, the iPhone Bike Mount is not going to improve your life. All it can really do is foreshadow your asphalt demise as your eyes are always drawn to your beautiful gadget. This particular form of assisted suicide will only cost you $14.99. And when you reach those pearly gates and they ask you what the last thing you saw was, you can tell them it was Desperate Housewives. It's so pathetic that you might actually get a second chance. Maybe."Link to full article
"The global telecoms market is facing a chilly 2008 if Alcatel-Lucent's latest financial forecast proves to be on the mark.
Alcatel-Lucent forecast the telecoms and related services market this year will be "flat versus the company's previous forecast of flat to slightly up". Alcatel-Lucent's own full year revenues, at constant currency rates, will be down in the low to mid single digits, mainly because of the declining dollar and spending collywobbles at a few big customers.
The glum outlook came as it revealed revenues down 0.5 per cent for the first quarter ending 31 March to €3.9bn. It made a net loss of €181m compared to a loss of €95m a year ago."Link to full article
"Linux lovers' favourite website Slashdot.org has been unavailable all morning.
Sister sites SourceForge and Freshmeat are also down. Attempts to visit the site are met with a "taking too long to respond" message.
Slashdot was formerly famous for the "Slashdot effect" or slashdotting - when links from the site to smaller websites caused them to crash because of the unexpected huge number of visitors.
A spokesman for Pingdom which monitors website uptime said: "They've been unavailable since 09:38 Central European Time (it's 13:23 now, so that's close to 4 hours)." He added that neither servers in the US or Europe were able to access the site, suggesting their network is down."Link to full article
"A US federal judge has shot down one of the Recording Industry Ass. of America's key arguments in its brave pursuit of students, idiots and grandmothers it accuses of sharing music over peer-to-peer networks.
In an order in the case of the Atlantic vs Howell in Arizona yesterday, Judge Neil Wake said that the RIAA's claim that making copyright sound recordings available to download counts as distribution was wrong. It means the major labels' bid to score a summary judgement victory has been denied, and the case will proceed to trial. The RIAA will have to come up with a new argument.
Pamela and Jeffrey Howell were sued by the RIAA in 2006 after the lobby group's net copyright mercenary, MediaSentry, detected their computer participating in the Kazaa peer-to-peer network. At first Judge Wake sided with the RIAA's "making available" argument, and awarded damages of more than $40,000 in a summary judgement last August."Link to full article
"More than 168,000 people were fined for using a mobile phone when driving in 2006, a rise of 30 per cent on the previous year.
The figures were released today by the UK Justice Department, according to The Telegraph, and show that despite the fact it's been illegal to use a mobile phone while driving without a hands-free kit since 2003, it's taking a long time for drivers to get used to the idea.
Tory Party spokesman for roads Robert Goodwill told The Telegraph: "This is a damning indictment of Labour's failure to clamp down on drivers who repeatedly flout the law... Labour's heavy reliance on speed cameras as a cash cow instead of actually properly policing the roads is being exposed.""Link to full article
"A hooded male stabbed another man in the head and neck yesterday as they both queued to buy copies of Grand Theft Auto IV from a Croydon Gamestation store.
Onlookers witnessed the Niko-style stabbing, which some bystanders have said they initially thought was a stunt pulled to whip-up yet more excitement for the eagerly anticipated title.
Unfortunately, the stabbing was anything but virtual. Police have yet to confirm the motive for the assault, but it's thought that the two men were just rude to one another.
The victim managed to survive the ordeal - and stumbled home to grab a knife for a revenge attack. However, he collapsed in the street on his way back to the store."Link to full article
"More graphics chips were sold in the first quarter of 2008 than in the final three months of 2007 - the first time the business has seen sequential grow between the quarters spanning the New Year since 2002.
So said market watcher Jon Peddie Research (JPR) today - before highlighting how AMD managed to lose the much of the market share it picked up in the previous quarter."Link to full article
"The Bank of Israel website has been restored after it was knocked off the internet last weekend in an attack blamed on anti-Israel hackers.
The hackers defaced the bank's website on Thursday with anti-Israeli graffiti, written in Arabic. Normally the site of Israel's central bank carries currency exchange and interest rate information.
The timing of the hack coincided with Israel's Passover holiday, delaying a response."Link to full article
"Wikipedia has temporarily blocked edits from the US Department of Justice after someone inside the government agency tried to erase references to a particularly-controversial Wiki-scandal.
Early last week, the Boston-based Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) was accused of organizing a secret campaign to influence certain articles on the "free encyclopedia anyone can edit". Just days later, the DoJ's IP range was used to edit the site's entry on the Pro-Israel "media-monitoring group," lifting a new section that detailed the controversy.
The DoJ did not respond to our requests for comment. But odds are, the edits were made by a single individual acting independently. Wikipedia's ban on the department's IP is due to be lifted today."Link to full article
"Canon has released a new firmware update, v1.1.2, for the 1Ds Mark III DSLR camera. This firmware update incorporates the following improvements:
1. Includes the following new features that were frequently requested by customers to the new firmware.
- Direct selection of AF points by the Multi-controller is added to C.Fn III-9.
- Alternate access to Exposure compensation is added to C.Fn IV-3.
2. Improves the stability of AF accuracy in AI servo AF when shooting extremely low-contrast subjects."Link to full article
"Canon has released a new firmware update, version 1.2.3, for the EOS-1D Mark III DSLR camera. This firmware update incorporates the following improvements:
1. Includes the following new features that were frequently requested by customers to the new firmware.
- Direct selection of AF points by the Multi-controller is added to C.Fn III-9.
- Alternate access to Exposure compensation is added to C.Fn IV-3.
- With the camera's External Speedlite control menu, Flash function settings can be used to set the Wireless setting and Zoom.
2. Improves the stability of AF accuracy in AI servo AF when shooting extremely low-contrast subjects."Link to full article
"However, just because you can't or don't want to have wireless, it doesn't mean you have to start tearing up all your carpets to wire up your house with Ethernet cable. Instead there is a truly marvellous technology that you can use.
Generically known variably as, Ethernet over Power (EoP), Powerline Networking (PLN), and mains communication, said technology uses your building's existing mains power cables to transmit network data signals. So, as long as there's a plug socket, every room in your house can be connected to your network. Moreover, because the network is contained within your house, it is inherently more secure than even an encrypted wireless network."Link to full article
"Google has built its Street View into Google Maps' ability to provide driving directions, the company said Tuesday.
With the feature, a small camera icon appears next to the intersections in the turn-by-turn directions. Clicking on the icon brings up a view of the intersection so people can see the area in question.
Google Street View is available in 44 areas of the United States, and there are strong signs Google is bringing Street View to Europe. Street View is available through the Google Maps programming interface so that those using Google Maps can add Street View abilities to their Web sites."Link to full article
"For years, domain squatters have exploited an ICANN loophole: whenever a domain name is registered, ICANN collects a 20-cent fee from the registrar. To allow for non-paying customers, the registrar can return it five days later for a full refund. The loophole has let unscrupulous registrars constantly create and refund domain-squatting websites, selling 'what you need when you need it' advertising. The problem has grown so bad that every month the world's top three domain squatters, all located in Miami with the same address and represented by the same lawyer, recycle 11 million domain names."Link to full article
"Amateur Simon Cowells, prepare your keyboards . As if YouTube hadn't lured enough talentless hacks out of their parents' basements with promises of Internet fandom, MySpace is now inviting the pain as well, with MySpace Karaoke. The social networking site announced its latest feature on Tuesday.
MySpace Karaoke allows users to perform, record and share any of the hundreds of licensed tracks MySpace offers. The all-in-one application the company uses, powered by Ksolo, delivers sing-along lyrics on screen, music, and recording capability."Link to full article
"Thanks to a variable infra-red heat control system, this neat stainless steel grill is capable of cooking food to perfection without cremating it. It can even toast bread and simmer soup (assuming the soup is in a saucepan, of course). Amazing! Fueled by mini A4 Butane Battery gas cartridges (available from all good camping/outdoor stores, and quite a few mediocre ones) the Barbegrill is ideal for campers, festival fans and barbecue buffs. You can even use it indoors, as long as you're in a well-ventilated space. Built to last and easy to clean, this brilliant cooking companion is also incredibly safe as it features a pressure-activated gas cut-off device."Link to full article
"And here I thought my house was starting to fill up with little computers. While I've got an Asus Eee PC and HP Mini-Note, Flickr user Robert Nelson has me beat. He's got both of those computers, plus an Everex Cloudbook. So if you've ever wanted to see how the three computer stack up against one another in size, shape, and glossy finish, check out Nelson's complete Flickr photoset."Link to full article
"SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday it is cutting prices on the Xbox 360 in four Asian regions by as much as 20 percent in an effort to expand the audience for the video game console.
The reductions will take effect this week in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, Microsoft said.
"This price drop is part of Microsoft's ongoing strategy to bring Xbox's high-definition gaming and entertainment experience to an even wider user base," Microsoft said in a statement.
The price of the main Xbox 360 Premium model with a 20-gigabyte hard drive was cut nearly 20 percent in Singapore, 17 percent in Taiwan, nearly 11 percent in Hong Kong, and 5 percent in South Korea.
The Xbox 360 competes against Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Co Ltd's Wii consoles.
Last month, Microsoft slashed prices on the Xbox 360 in some European countries by up to 28 percent, in an effort to spur sales in a key battleground for the video-game industry."Link to full article
"A cheaper way to make tiny fragments of diamond clears the way for them to be used to reveal the movement of cells around the body, or even delivering genes, say researchers.
Fragments of flawed diamond similar in size to the smallest viruses, just tens of nanometres across, are known as fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs). When hit with a laser they can fluoresce for hours afterwards, thanks to defects in the diamond that absorb the laser energy and emit light of their own at a different wavelength.
The stability and non-toxic nature of diamond makes it an attractive material for use inside the body."Link to full article
"Although most of the attention in the increasingly-competitive CPU market has been focused on Intel and newcomer NVIDIA lately, AMD's still in it to win it, and it looks like it's taking some bold moves. First up, the company says over 100 laptop designs based on the new Puma mobile platform are being developed for delivery in June, over twice as many as it's had in the past. AMD's touting Puma's Hybrid Graphics mode that allows the system to intelligently switch between a Radeon HD3400 and integrated graphics for max power-savings, so it'll be interesting to see how the system stacks up against Intel's Atom and VIA's Isaiah -- like NVIDIA, AMD seems to be betting that consumers care more about graphics than raw horsepower."Link to full article
"Look what arrived on our doorstep today! That's right -- the shiny, expensive new iMac that's now equipped with that funky custom and / or overclocked 3.06GHz CPU. Take a look at us wildly unboxing and handling the behemoth in the gallery below, and get a load of its fairly impressive Xbench scores after the break."Link to full article
"SIRIUS Satellite Radio announced today an agreement to deliver more than 80 channels of its music, talk and entertainment programming via Logitech's Squeezebox Duet, Logitech Squeezebox, and Logitech Transporter network music player.
The Logitech network music players will connect directly to SIRIUS Internet Radio (SIR), providing a seamless and easy set-up. Utilizing a home broadband connection via Wi-Fi or a wired network connection, listeners can stream SIRIUS. "Link to full article
"FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Chip and electronics makers Intel , Infineon , Texas Instruments and Panasonic have formed an alliance to promote home networks for movies, music and pictures using domestic wiring.
The four leading chip and electronics makers will help market and test a standard to wire together computers, TVs and entertainment systems using electricity, phone and coaxial cable lines that already exist in most homes, they said on Tuesday.
They hope the first products using the new standard will be on the market in about a year."Link to full article
"To many in the video game industry, the two words "Jack" and "Thompson" engender horror and disgust.
Thompson, a self-appointed uber-critic of the industry, has spent the last few years railing away at games he deems too full of sex or violence. Never was he out in more force than during 2005's so-called "Hot Coffee" scandal, in which the monster hit Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was discovered to have hidden, but easily uncoverable, animations that mimicked sexual activity.
In the lead-up to the midnight Tuesday release of Rockstar Games' follow-up game, Grand Theft Auto IV, Thompson was at it again."Link to full article
"Twenty-two years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, work is under way on a colossal new shelter to cover the ruins and deadly radioactive contents of the exploded Soviet-era power plant. For years, the original iron and concrete shelter that was hastily constructed over the reactor has been leaking radiation, cracking and threatening to collapse. The new one, an arch of steel, would be big enough to contain the Statue of Liberty. Once completed, Chernobyl will be safe, said Vince Novak, nuclear safety director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development which manages the $505 million project."Link to full article
"DSLR Remote Pro v1.7 for controlling Canon EOS cameras and PSRemote v1.6 for controlling Canon PowerShot cameras are now available. Both applications feature Photo booth mode, which allows sitters to see themselves pose in front of the camera. Support for the Canon EOS 450D/Rebel XSi, including remote live view display with auto-focus, has been added to DSLR Remote Pro v1.7. DSLR Remote Pro costs US $95 and costs PSRemote 1.6 costs US $49."Link to full article
"A remotely-controlled whiteboard is one of those hacks that seem vaguely pointless at first but, as you think about them, you start coming up with plenty of uses. Leaving messages or reminders for people at home or in other offices, perhaps, or teleworking with distant colleagues. After watching Jeroen Domburg's video of his hacked whiteboard in action - that uses a webcam and the mangled entrails of an old scanner to accomplish remote sight and local control, respectively - I've decided that my life isn't complete without one."Link to full article
"Never heard of Quanta Computer? Can't blame you. They don't put their own nameplate on the laptop computers they build in Taiwan. They manufacture units for most all major computer vendors, so if you've got a Dell or an HP in your lap, for instance, the chances are pretty good that Quanta made it, or one just like it. They even make the One Laptop Per Child Foundation's laptop. Since they serve so many masters, their sales outlook is useful in gauging worldwide demand for laptops in general. "Link to full article
"LinkedIn is building up its European operations in order to carve out a larger piece of the social-networking pie.
The professional social-networking site is stretching outside the U.S., building its targeted advertising program as well as selling its recently launched product for job recruiters, said Kevin Eyres, LinkedIn's managing director for Europe.
LinkedIn is playing a bit of catch up. It recently secured the http://linkedin.co.uk domain after a dispute, just hired an advertising sales head for its London office and only offers the site in English, although plans call for more languages eventually."Link to full article
"Finland-based cell phone-maker Nokia on Tuesday announced it will team up with ARC Transistance, the European automobile club network, to provide users of its phones with Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI). The service will be offered as an option with a subscription fee in Nokia Maps 2.0 and any newer Nokia software. Thanks to RTTI, drivers will benefit from shorter commutes as their phone's navigation systems will now be able to inform them of any timely congestion, construction or crashes in their way and re-route as required."Link to full article
"Computer giant Dell is axing up to five per cent of its 17,500-strong EMEA workforce in a cost-cutting exercise.
The firm told staff today that it has been forced to scale back its operations in Europe, the Middle East and Asia to ensure its "future success and competitiveness".
Earlier this month it announced a massive ten per cent slim-down of its global workforce to reduce expenses by at least $3bn annually by 2011."Link to full article
"An independent appeals panel has overturned a heavily-criticised decision to hand control of the myspace.co.uk domain to Rupert Murdoch's Fox Interactive Media.
Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service (DRS), had ruled in favour of MySpace in January, despite the domain having been registered by a small British ISP six years before the US social network was founded.
Barring any possible further High Court action by MySpace accusing TWS of "passing off", the judgement, released on Thursday last week and passed to The Register today, means control of the address remains with Stockport's Total Web Solutions (TWS)."Link to full article
"Portal is one of those games that just kind of came out of nowhere. It was included in the Orange Box and just seemed like an extra bonus game. However, once you started playing it, you realized that the game was actually compiled of pure awesome. There were only two issues that I had with the game, one was that it ended, and the other was that you could not purchase it without getting the entire Orange Box. Valve corrected this a short time later for PC gamers, however, Xbox 360 owners aren't going to be as lucky."Link to full article
"With everyone's attentions turning inexorably towards exceptional slimness in the TV world right now, JVC's HD-65DS8DDJ is about as untrendy as it's possible to get. For not only is this 65in monster not one of JVC's new 'Super Slim' flat TVs, it's not even a flat TV! Rather, it belongs to that nearly extinct breed of TV known as 'the rear projector'...
While this fact inevitably makes the 65DS8DDJ fatter than any slim TV around, you might be surprised to find how little fatter it is, if you see what I mean. For in fact its butt-end only sticks out 29.5cm - a measurement that's really not as far as you'd expect from the 10-14cm depths most 'normal' flat TVs still employ. To reinforce this point, JVC actually does a wall mount kit for the 65DS8DDJ! All you need is a bunch of very willing mates to help, and the small matter of a wall able to handle the TV's substantial 66kg weight. Easy."Link to full article
"A Swiss daredevil Olivier Vietti-Teppa jumped at the weekend using a parachute based on sketches made by genius Leonardo da Vinci in 1485. Vietti-Teppa had been wearing a modern reserve parachute in case da Vinci's design - made out of four triangles of fabric and with a pointed top - had failed to open. Vietti-Teppa is the first person to have made it safely to the ground with the da Vinci model. In 2000, Briton Adrian Nicholas tried it but had to use a back-up parachute to complete his descent. Vietti-Teppa's parachute was made using modern fabric along lines imagined by da Vinci. The specifications were found in a manuscript dating from 1485."Link to full article
"The Department of Homeland Security has finally taken pity on all those people who share a name with someone on the FBI's "terror watch list."
Today, as reported by the watch list-obsessed USA Today, the DHS told US airlines they can go a little easier on people who suffer from the so-called "Ted Kennedy problem." Senator Kennedy was temporarily barred from boarding several flights in 2004 because his name resembled the alias of a suspected terrorist.
If it wants, an airline can now clear up cases of mistaken identity simply by recording passenger birth dates. Previously, namesakes couldn't avoid heavy duty screening unless they petitioned the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for redress, and TSA isn't exactly quick with its responses."Link to full article
"Number two hard drive supplier Western Digital, not currently an enterprise drive supplier, appears to be readying itself to ship 2.5-inch enterprise SAS drives.
Western Digital does not compete with Seagate for high-performance enterprise disk drives. But with the emergence of serial-attached SCSI (SAS) it has a way to do this and aims, judging by its third quarter results earnings call transcript, to do so with 2.5-inch drives. The company has just announced a high-performance 2.5-inch drive, the VelociRaptor, which is shipped inside a 3.5-inch chassis and which is targeted at high-performance (gaming) PC and workstation applications."Link to full article
"American Predator and Reaper unmanned flying hunter-killer robots will soon be equipped to track and listen in on mobile phones. The move is sure to be greeted with fear among tinfoil-clad bunker residents, but could also lead to calls for a no-nonsense enforcement campaign against noisy cellphone users in public places.
Northrop Grumman was pleased to announce last week that it had won a $54.9m contract from the US Air Force to fit the so-called Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload (ASIP) aboard the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aerial wardroids. A version of ASIP already flies aboard the U-2 long range high-altitude spy plane, and aboard the similarly large high-flying Global Hawk surveillance drone."Link to full article
"Canadian telecoms provider Rogers today issued a brief note confirming that it has negotiated a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to the country, ending uncertainty that has persisted since the American announcement last year. The company is providing few details at this time but expects a launch before the end of 2008, according to a statement by company chief and founder Ted Rogers."Link to full article
