They Might Be a Little Evil
We all know how an auction works. The auctioneer sits up front and keeps calling for higher bids until there's one bidder left—and that person wins. Now imagine an auction where the auctioneer won't let you see the other bidders, but assures you they are there, on the other side of a curtain. The auctioneer won't tell you who the other bidders are; you're only told a range of prices that others have bid. And there's another twist: simply paying the most doesn't guarantee you'll win, because the auctioneer has created a system that lets some bidders win even when they pay less. You may not like this system, but you must participate because this auctioneer controls the bulk of the market. [Read more...]
Mac clone maker Psystar files for bankruptcy
Psystar, maker of the the Open Computer, has filed for bankruptcy.
The papers were filed in a Florida federal court Thursday. Psystar is more than $250,000 in debt, according to the bankruptcy petition, owed mostly to shipping and credit card processing companies.
The Chapter 11 filing will temporarily suspend Apple's copyright infringement suit against Psystar, which is currently before the U.S. District Court of Northern California. But once the bankruptcy is sorted out, the copyright case will resume.
A major question surrounding Psystar and its young CEO Rudy Pedraza has been its financing, which should come to light once all of the company's creditors are named.
Psystar began selling desktop and later laptop computers running Mac OS X in April of last year.
Want it? Make it, DIYers - Maker Faire
The annual Maker Faire, which lies somewhere between San Francisco's counterculture tradition and Silicon Valley's materialism, is set for this weekend in San Mateo, Calif. Now in its fourth year, the event is organized by Make magazine and showcases the work of people who build everything from wooden bicycles to life-size robots. [Read more...]
Going abroad? Don't be afraid to pack the cell phone
And since cell phones are now so much a part of our everyday lives, it's hard to part with them when we hop on a plane to another country. But stories of $3,000 iPhone bills when we return, have scared many consumers into turning off their phones or leaving them at home. [Read more...]
Rotoscope 0.2
Rotoscope is a free software graphics program that can be used to give photos a cartoon-like appearance. This is similar to the technique used in movies like Waking Life (Wikipedia) and A Scanner Darkly (Wikipedia). The technique is called rotoscoping. [Read more...]
The Linux Motion Picture Pipeline - 3D Tools
Within the industry the assembly line of hardware and software used for making movies is called a studio pipeline. Linux is preferred because it scales well and is compatible with tens of millions of lines of unix code the studios have developed internally over the years. All the large studios use Linux as their primary OS for desktops and server renderfarms. (List of all Linux Tools used in Film & Commercials) [Read more...]
Artoolkit v4.4: augmented reality (AR) comes to the iphone
ARToolKit v4.4 will be the first fully-featrured AR framework to support native operation on the iPhone, letting you create applications which sample real world imagery through the iPhone camera and embellish them with 3D digital objects. The software is also integrated with the iPhone’s accelerometer, so it can automatically detect movements from the phone, and impose those movements on the 3D images instantaneously. [Read more...]
RipSaw : 80mph tracked vehicle!
This thing is now being militarized into a UGV. Using latest remote technology... These two guys has made something truly unique that the Military has not seen before. Check it out.
Rumor Round-Up: Everything We’ve Heard About the Next iPhone
Here, we round up every rumor that’s appeared about Apple’s next iPhone, which many are betting will be announced June 8 at the Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco. We’re also accompanying each rumor with a percentage rating for its probability to be true, as well as our analysis. [Read more...]
Apple said building $1 billion server farm
North Carolina's government is reportedly promising tax breaks to Apple in return for building a large server farm, eventually worth $1 billion, within the East coast state. [Read more...]
Dell taps Via Nano chips for low-power server - XS11-VX8
Dell has unveiled a new server for Web applications that uses Via Technologies' Nano processors to reduce power consumption and increase density in the data center. Up to 12 of the new XS11-VX8 servers can be fitted into into an industry-standard 2U chassis, each using 15 watts of power while idle and 29 watts at full load. The company claims the new server can reduce total cost of ownership by up to 34 percent. [Read more...]
A new member of the family
We added a new member to our home. His name is Rowdy. He belonged to Brian and Debra who was evited from their house today. And, they desperately needed a home for their dog Rowdy.
I just happened to be out shopping for a 50 Gal. trash can at Big Lots when I met Brian there at the sidewalk. He asked if I wanted a dog...
At first I hesitated. Not because I didn't want a dog, but because I wasn't sure how my wife Stephi would react to such a pet. 2:15pm May 20th, 2009
I just happened to be out shopping for a 50 Gal. trash can at Big Lots when I met Brian there at the sidewalk. He asked if I wanted a dog...
At first I hesitated. Not because I didn't want a dog, but because I wasn't sure how my wife Stephi would react to such a pet. 2:15pm May 20th, 2009
Google execs admit Twitter's winning real-time game
Google co-founder Larry Page and CEO Eric Schmidt have admitted that when it comes to the public's thirst for real-time, up-to-the-minute news and conversation, Twitter's beating them. "People really want to do stuff real time and I think they [Twitter] have done a great job about it," the Guardian quoted Page as saying. "I think we have done a relatively poor job of creating things that work on a per-second basis." [Read more...]
Nvidia's Big Idea
Nvidia can be a tricky company to understand. But there's a bigger puzzle too. The PC industry has long been all about grinding out parts that are cheaper and faster than the year before. That's driven prices down and performance up. Nvidia, meanwhile, has raised prices by selling specialized processors that unlock new kinds of graphics capabilities. And for years industry watchers have wondered whether other chips will swallow up the graphics chores that Nvidia has tackled. [Read more...]
Nvidia: Technology Hardly Ever Matters
Jen-Hsun Huang
Co-Founder and Chief Executive, Nvidia
"I'm introverted. I don't really like being with people. You can tell an introvert versus an extrovert depending on how they relate to people: If I go to a party, I'm not energized, I'm exhausted. I can't wait to leave. I shouldn't be leading a business--I even hate traveling.
"Probably in 1986, I read this paper in the Harvard Business Review. I was an engineer at LSI Logic ( LSI - news - people ), and I might have stayed an engineer there the rest of my life. Brian Halla (the CEO at National Semiconductor ( NSM - news - people )) told me to read this paper though. [Read more...]
Co-Founder and Chief Executive, Nvidia
"I'm introverted. I don't really like being with people. You can tell an introvert versus an extrovert depending on how they relate to people: If I go to a party, I'm not energized, I'm exhausted. I can't wait to leave. I shouldn't be leading a business--I even hate traveling.
"Probably in 1986, I read this paper in the Harvard Business Review. I was an engineer at LSI Logic ( LSI - news - people ), and I might have stayed an engineer there the rest of my life. Brian Halla (the CEO at National Semiconductor ( NSM - news - people )) told me to read this paper though. [Read more...]
Parasitic flies turn fire ants into zombies
It sounds like something out of science fiction: zombie fire ants. But it's all too real.
Fire ants wander aimlessly away from the mound.
Eventually their heads fall off, and they die. [Video]
The strange part is that researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M's AgriLife Extension Service say making "zombies" out of fire ants is a good thing.
"It's a tool — they're not going to completely wipe out the fire ant, but it's a way to control their population," said Scott Ludwig , an integrated pest management specialist with the AgriLife Extension Service in Overton , in East Texas .
The tool is the tiny phorid fly, native to a region of South America where the fire ants in Texas originated. Researchers have learned that there are as many as 23 phorid species along with pathogens that attack fire ants to keep their population and movements under control. [Read more...] and [More here]
Future air-fueled battery could store 10 times more power
A new type of air-fueled battery being studied could provide up to 10 times the energy storage of designs currently available, and someday be used to power electric cars, mobile phones, and laptops, say researchers.
"Our results so far are very encouraging and have far exceeded our expectations," said professor Peter Bruce, of the University of St Andrews' chemistry department, in a news release Monday. [Read more...]
Ridiculous Ideas That Made People Millions
Have you ever watched an infomercial or seen an item in a department store and thought "I could have thought of that!" Have you wished you had invested money early in a blockbuster invention? Learn the stories behind some (seemingly) ridiculous ideas that have made inventors and investors very wealthy, and find out what you, as a potential investor, should look for and consider before putting up capital for a potential funding opportunity. [Read more...]
OCZ Z-Drive 4TB
The Z-Drive is based on PCI-Express architecture and offers high-end users an enthusiast-grade storage upgrade from traditional hard disc drives, OCZ’s Z-Drive utilizes a combined 256MB of local cache and an on-board RAID controller, to provide a complete solution in a compact all-in-one form factor. The OCZ Z-Drive is the result of the latest breakthroughs in technology building on the advantages of flash-based storage, delivering superior large file performance for applications that require the handling of large files, including audio/video editing and graphic design. Z-Drives feature impressive speeds all while delivering lowered power consumption, ultra-fast data access, superior durability, and lower cost per ownership compared to conventional hard drives when factoring in the need for multiple drives and a separate RAID controller. Best of all is that this all-in-one solution is ready to use right out of the box. [Read more...]
GM, Chrysler to cut up to 3,000 dealers: sources
DETROIT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – General Motors Corp and Chrysler aim to drop as many as 3,000 U.S. dealers and are expected to begin sending notifications as early as Thursday, three people briefed on the still developing plans said.
GM, facing a U.S. government-imposed deadline of June 1 to restructure or file for bankruptcy, is expected to send termination notices to up to 2,000 dealers -- a third of its roughly 6,000 U.S. dealers, the sources told Reuters.
Chrysler, which filed for bankruptcy on April 30, will also tell up to 1,000 of its 3,189 U.S. dealers it is terminating their franchise agreements, according to the sources who asked not to be identified because the controversial closure plans have not been yet announced. [Read more...]
GM, facing a U.S. government-imposed deadline of June 1 to restructure or file for bankruptcy, is expected to send termination notices to up to 2,000 dealers -- a third of its roughly 6,000 U.S. dealers, the sources told Reuters.
Chrysler, which filed for bankruptcy on April 30, will also tell up to 1,000 of its 3,189 U.S. dealers it is terminating their franchise agreements, according to the sources who asked not to be identified because the controversial closure plans have not been yet announced. [Read more...]
Sex worker says Craigslist changes won't stop prostitution
She says she new something was amiss on Monday when she attempted to post an ad, offering a message with "a happy ending." Catherine, who posts on Craigslist about eight times a month, was prevented from posting and couldn't understand why. [Read more...]
Unofficial Software Incurs Apple’s Wrath - JAILBREAK iPhoning
The iPhone can teach its users how to perform CPR, mix a White Russian and allow them identify any song playing on the radio.
But for some owners of the Apple touch-screen device, the 35,000-plus applications lining the digital shelves of Apple’s App Store are not enough. If you want to use your iPhone as a video camera, send a photo message or hook it up to your laptop to connect to the Internet, there’s no app for that.
Or at least, no official app.
However, in order to use these programs, iPhone owners have to “jailbreak” their device — downloading a bit of software that bypasses Apple’s restrictions and allows the installation of unsanctioned third-party programs. [Read more...]
But for some owners of the Apple touch-screen device, the 35,000-plus applications lining the digital shelves of Apple’s App Store are not enough. If you want to use your iPhone as a video camera, send a photo message or hook it up to your laptop to connect to the Internet, there’s no app for that.
Or at least, no official app.
However, in order to use these programs, iPhone owners have to “jailbreak” their device — downloading a bit of software that bypasses Apple’s restrictions and allows the installation of unsanctioned third-party programs. [Read more...]
Something in the air kills flu virus
A British company continues to offer a portable decontamination device that should come as breath of fresh air to a flue-weary public.
In fact the unit duplicates the ability of "outdoor fresh air" to destroy a wide range of airborne viruses and bacteria including the H5N1, influenza and SARS, all within minutes of contact, according to Tri--Air Developments. "It's almost so good that nobody is going to believe it," admits Martin Wyatt, of the Buildings Research Establishment, a quasi-government agency that has been involved with the development. [Read more...]
What happens to data when a Web start-up dies?
One of the greatest stumbling blocks that a start-up Web service company has to get over is customers' fear that the company will die and take their data with it. Manufacturers of traditional software can go belly-up without it immediately affecting a product's utility. And if General Motors went out of business tomorrow (I know, shocking), its cars would still be drivable. But Web services are different. When your cloud app goes under for the last time, it sinks customers, too.
In the best of the bad cases, when a Web service goes offline, the company in question is able to shut down in an orderly way and let its users know long before the servers are pulled off the Net. Large multi-product companies generally do this well. When Yahoo shut down Yahoo Photos in favor of Flickr, it gave users plenty of time to offload their pictures, or move them to another service. When HP shuttered the cloud backup system Upline, it likewise gave users fair warning.
[Read more...]
In the best of the bad cases, when a Web service goes offline, the company in question is able to shut down in an orderly way and let its users know long before the servers are pulled off the Net. Large multi-product companies generally do this well. When Yahoo shut down Yahoo Photos in favor of Flickr, it gave users plenty of time to offload their pictures, or move them to another service. When HP shuttered the cloud backup system Upline, it likewise gave users fair warning.
[Read more...]
Consumers prefer DVDs to downloads
Consumers have spoken. They'd still rather pop a disc in a DVD player than download or watch a video online, at least according to one new market report.
Sales and rentals of DVDs and Blu-ray discs in the U.S. made up 88 percent of consumer home video spending over the past three months, according to a survey released Tuesday by market researcher NPD Group.
Your average U.S. consumer paid about $25 per month on video purchases and rentals, with 63 percent on DVD purchases, 7 percent on Blu-ray Disc purchases, 18 percent on rentals, 9 percent on video on demand, and only 3 percent on digital downloads. [Read more...]
Rackable takes SGI name after purchase
For the deal, Rackable created a subsidiary called Silicon Graphics International. That subsidiary then acquired the assets and liabilities of Silicon Graphics Inc. Rackable will now be known as "a Silicon Graphics International entity," and Silicon Graphics International will be branded as SGI. [Read more...]
NVIDIA Preps Three 40nm Chips This Year
Sunnyvale, California-based graphics chip maker NVIDIA is expected to debut its first graphics processing units, featuring the next-generation 40nm manufacturing process. The exact details regarding the company's foray into the 40nm process technology are yet to emerge, but according to some recently made comments by its CEO, it is aggressively ramping production on three new GPUs, leveraging TSMC's 40nm manufacturing node. These new graphics accelerators are expected to debut before the end of the year and will account for about 25-30 percent of NVIDIA's all shipping GPUs in 2009. [Read more...]
Drones: America's new Air Force
Every so often in the history of war, a new weapon comes along that fundamentally rewrites the rules of battle. This is a story about a revolution in unmanned aviation that is doing just that. Most people know them as drones; the Air Force calls them unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. And right now, there are dozens of them in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan, hunting down insurgents, every minute of every day. They've become one of the most important planes in the United States Air Force--and yet the pilot is nowhere near the aircraft or the battlefield. They are controlled by remote control, from thousands of miles away. [Read more...]
[CBS Video Report]
DDR SSD claims a massive 300,000 IOPS
There is a new company that offers a solid state drive solution that targets all those applications that need the highest IOPS performance available. DDRdrive claims that its DDRdrive X1 can hit 300,000 IOPS, the highest performance we are aware of in this segment, and even more if DDRdrives are daisy-chained. [Read more...]
CPU Cooler Roundup - 23 Heatsinks for Intel/AMD Reviewed
It’s been a while since our last big heatsink roundup, back in November 2007 we added 13 heatsinks to our performance/noise comparison database.
Between then and now we did do a couple of stand alone product reviews, 12 of them be exact; but now it’s time for a major update.
Today we’ll be testing 23 new heatsinks and comparing them to the 49 already tested in the past. [Read more...]
ATI Radeon HD 4770: ATI's First 40nm GPU
As the underdog in the chip wars, AMD has traditionally targeted users with products that offer good relative value, rather than maximum performance. A prime current example is their fastest desktop processor, the Phenom II. Their current flagship CPU, the Phenom II 955 Black Edition falls a bit short of Intel's fastest and and more costly Core 2 or Core i7 chips, but it was well received by the most of the tech web press due to AMD's aggressive pricing. Their graphics division, ATI, has been following a similar path, offering great value cards like the energy efficient Radeon HD 4670 and HD 4830 for gamers with tighter pockets. In these troubled financial times, it's could well turn out to be a very effective strategy. [Read more...]
Hacker-proof communications get one step closer
It's the dream of governments, banks and large businesses - quantum cryptography, a completely watertight means of communication.
It is now a big step closer to being used practically, as researchers from Toshiba and Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory have developed high speed detectors capable of receiving information with much higher key rates, thereby able to receive more information faster. [Read more...]
It is now a big step closer to being used practically, as researchers from Toshiba and Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory have developed high speed detectors capable of receiving information with much higher key rates, thereby able to receive more information faster. [Read more...]
Rackable gets go ahead to buy Silicon Graphics
The assets for Silicon Graphics can be transferred to Rackable Systems, a US court has decided.
Rackable will buy nearly all the assets of Silicon Graphics for $42.5 million in cash, a US Bankruptcy court has decided. The deal will be completed in just one week.
The CEO of Rackable, Mark J. Barrenchea, said the deal will make his company stronger. The company will have "differentiated product lines and professional services reaching commercial, government and scientific sectors on a worldwide basis."
It seems that the final price paid for SGI is higher than the original bid of $25 million.
It's not entirely clear yet what impact Rackable's acquisition will have on jobs at SGI.
Rackable will buy nearly all the assets of Silicon Graphics for $42.5 million in cash, a US Bankruptcy court has decided. The deal will be completed in just one week.
The CEO of Rackable, Mark J. Barrenchea, said the deal will make his company stronger. The company will have "differentiated product lines and professional services reaching commercial, government and scientific sectors on a worldwide basis."
It seems that the final price paid for SGI is higher than the original bid of $25 million.
It's not entirely clear yet what impact Rackable's acquisition will have on jobs at SGI.
Low-energy LEDs make debut
Renaissance Lighting has developed a range of low-energy LED lights that are much brighter and more efficient than ever before.
Its new, all white solid-state LED downlight fixtures have two and a half times more lumens per watt (efficacy) than previous generations, and are available in a downlight format. [Read more...]