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Intel Revamps Its System On Chip Designs (TechWeb)

The first batch of products is under the Intel EP80579 Integrated Processor family for industrial robotics and for security, storage and communication devices.
(2008-07-24 03:05:00)

Sybase Reports 15% Revenue Growth To Record Level (TechWeb)

Its pace of growth exceeded the 12.6% rate of growth for the database market as a whole during 2007 and most of its relational database competitors last year.
(2008-07-24 03:00:00)

Using Adobe Flash and other 32-bit applications on 64-bit Linux (Linux.com)


(2008-07-24 03:00:00)

Police Director Sues AOL For Critical Blogger's Name (Slashdot)

Pippin writes "Memphis Police Director, Larry Godwin, is suing AOL for the names of the authors of the Enforcer 2.0 blog. The blog is rumored to be authored by a Memphis police officer, and is critical of the department, Godwin, and some procedures. Godwin is actually using taxpayer dollars for this and is interestingly, the complaint is sealed".Read more of this story at Slashdot.
(2008-07-24 02:46:00)

Playfish: Using Facebook As Its Gaming Console (TechCrunch)

If you glance at the top lineup of gaming applications on the Facebook or MySpace platform, you’ll notice an interesting fact. Not one is the product of a major gaming publisher. Instead a group of independent gaming startups have been the leaders in publishing games within social networks. Co-founders of the gaming publisher Playfish, Kristian Segerstråle [...]
(2008-07-24 01:23:36)

Ballmer's memo on Johnson's departure (CNET)

CEO Steve Ballmer's message to Microsoft employees on the departure of senior executive Kevin Johnson and a divisional reorganization.
(2008-07-24 00:35:00)

Inside Apple's iPhone SDK Gag Order (Slashdot)

snydeq writes "InfoWorld's Tom Yager takes a closer look at Apple's iPhone SDK confidentiality agreement, which restricts developers from discussing the SDK or exchanging ideas with others, thereby leaving no room for forums, newsgroups, open source projects, tutorials, magazine articles, users' groups, or books. But because anyone is free to obtain the iPhone SDK by signing up for it, Appl
(2008-07-23 23:40:00)

Nokia, Qualcomm settle patent dispute (CNET)

The mobile phone giant and chipmaker enter into a 15-year licensing agreement that settles all patent litigation between the two companies.
(2008-07-23 23:20:00)

Intel launches new Tolapai system-on-a-chip design (Ars Technica)

Intel has been talking up the embedded space for months, and the company is finally ready to move in that direction. Tolapai debuts today, as the launchpad for what Intel envisions as an entirely new class of Internet-capable devices. Read More...
(2008-07-23 23:01:00)

Intel storage chips point to SoC future (CNET)

The world's largest chip company wants to build system-on-chips based on the x86 instruction set, and the first fruits of that project are set to be released.
(2008-07-23 23:00:00)

Philippe Kahn Sailing Across the Great Blue Pacific Again [Fullpower] (Gizmodo)

Philippe Kahn, founder of Borland, camera phone pioneer and guy who helped make that Fullpower MotionX-Poker iPhone game is making yet another run at the Pacific Cup, double handing from SF to Hawaii. I took these shots of them leaving the bay this Saturday on a Nikon D300 and you can see the progression from balmy Sausalito sun to foggy, rough, 30-knot bay sailing. And then into the open ocean
(2008-07-23 22:11:50)

Facebook Connect for iPhone Will Links Apps to Your Facebook Account [Facebook] (Gizmodo)

At Facebook's annual f8 conference this afternoon it was revealed that iPhone app developers will be able to integrate apps with Facebook Connect—in other words, apps will be able to link up to and share data with your Facebook account, so your identity will be consistent and linked across apps through your Facebook account. Think of it like this: The framework is expected to roll in the fal
(2008-07-23 22:01:00)

A Xobni Executive Leaves The Red-Hot Startup. But Why? (TechCrunch)

Xobni, the Y Combinator email startup that turned down an acquisition offer from Microsoft earlier this year, has just lost its VP Engineering and first employee, Gabor Cselle. Cselle joined the company in March 2007, sporting a seemingly perfect resume that included work on the Gmail team and a Master’s thesis on “Organizing Email”. The [...]
(2008-07-23 21:48:22)

Librarians want to turn us all into privacy fiends (Ars Technica)

The American Library Association calls the right to read the "foundation of individual liberty," and it isn't keen on government attempts to erode library privacy. The ALA has launched a million-dollar campaign to educate the public about these issues. Read More...
(2008-07-23 21:35:00)

Researchers Create Highly Predictive Blacklists (Slashdot)

Grablets writes "Using a link analysis algorithm similar to Google PageRank, researchers at the SANS Institute and SRI International have created a new Internet network defense service that rethinks the way network blacklists are formulated and distributed. The service, called Highly Predictive Blacklisting, exploits the relationships between networks that have been attacked by similar Interne
(2008-07-23 21:32:00)

Intel quad-core mobile chip coming: Is it overkill? (CNET)

Intel is slated to roll out it first quad-core mobile processor in August.
(2008-07-23 21:30:00)

Samsung's i8510 Boasts Almost Everything, Plus An 8 Megapixel Camera [Samsung] (Gizmodo)

Samsung has a new slider on the market in Europe and we're hoping it finds its way over here. The i8510 is a S60-powered GSM phone with very fast 3G speeds and Wi-Fi, as well as GPS. What makes this high-end phone lust-worthy, though, is the 8 Megapixel multifunction camera with Xenon flash that can record video at up to 120 frames per second. It also has image stabilization and face recogniti
(2008-07-23 21:00:00)

I Survived a Japanese Game Show: Shooting Balls, Breaking Faces [Japanese TV Show Not Really] (Gizmodo)

This week's over-the-top I Survived... challenges didn't have as much gadgety goodness as usual, but were strangely satisfying nonetheless. First, Velcro-clad contestants were dangled in front of of a teammate, who would try to pass them Velcro balls to catch. The objective was for the dangler, manipulated by two other contestants, to collect as many balls as possible without getting hit too
(2008-07-23 20:52:23)

Digg To (Finally) Integrate With OpenID, If This Picture Is To Be Believed (TechCrunch)

When Digg’s Lead Architect Joe Stump took the stage at the Facebook Developer Conference in San Francisco earlier today, something in one of his screen shots caught our attention. He was there to show how users will soon be able to log in to Digg without an account via their Facebook credentials (the new Facebook [...]
(2008-07-23 20:39:29)

Aurora Feint iPhone App Delisted For Lousy Security Practices [IPhone Apps] (Gizmodo)

Remember that Aurora Feint Puzzle/RPG game that we told you we liked? Turns out we don't like it anymore. In fact, we're actually pretty damn scared of this app, seeing as Apple de-listed them from the App Store due to privacy and security issues. To the developer's credit, they were forthright with what they did and didn't do. According to their forums, if you opt-in to the community featu
(2008-07-23 20:22:53)

Telco won't install fiber network, sues to prevent city from doing so (Ars Technica)

A small town in Minnesota wants to build its own fiber to the home network. The local telco didn't want to do it, but it doesn't want the city competing with it, either. That means one thing: lawsuit.Read More...
(2008-07-23 20:20:00)

GPS Gaming Technology Lets You Race Against F1 Pros In Realtime [Interactive Tv] (Gizmodo)

iOpener's GPS technology is made so you can take real-time data from an F1 race and use it to race against those same drivers in a video game. By placing combination of Differential GPS and an Inertial Management Unit on a car, it can track its location accurate to 30cm and get the data to gamers in under 5 seconds. iOpener doesn't plan to develop games themselves, but want to make the techno
(2008-07-23 20:20:00)

Marquiss Wind Power snaps up Cirrus Technologies (CNET)

A pair of start-ups specializing in small-scale wind turbines merged Tuesday.
(2008-07-23 20:00:00)

How to Set Up a Velvet Rope on Facebook (Wired)

Got some killah party pics from that bender in Maui? Wanna share them with all your buds on Facebook? Think again. Here's how to avoid those potentially career-ending images from getting into the wrong hands.
(2008-07-23 20:00:00)

How to Promote Yourself, Boost Your Geek Cred, and Be the Hero (Wired)

Learn from the pros the secrets to beating out the most popular kid in school to become class president, Tweeting your readers to tears, or creating a fan base for whatever your endeavor may be.
(2008-07-23 20:00:00)

How to Impress the Rubes and Win at the Carnival (Wired)

Midways are notorious hives of scum and villainy. Impress the rubes by emerging triumphant.
(2008-07-23 20:00:00)

How to Be Understood at ComicCon (Wired)

Learn how to speak in various native tongues at the annual geekfest known as ComicCon.
(2008-07-23 20:00:00)

Mobile Safari vs. Opera Mobile vs. Skyfire: Who's the Fastest? [Cellphones] (Gizmodo)

Three of the best mobile browsers that act like grown up ones are Mobile Safari, Skyfire and Opera Mobile 9.5. Even though the latter two (both for Windows Mobile) are still betas, Laptop Mag decided to toss them all into a race anyway, seeing which could deliver piping hot content the fastest. They ran Opera and Skyfire on an AT&T HTC Tilt, so everyone was surfing on the same 3G network with b
(2008-07-23 20:00:00)

Bad Robot Limited Edition Figurine [Bad Robot] (Gizmodo)

Anyone who's watched to the end of an episode of Lost knows the Bad Robot mascot. You know the little bastard who taunts you with his eyes, saying, "I know exactly how the rest of Lost unfolds, but you're just going to have to wait for it piece by piece, you poor slobs." To commemorate your slow, painful wait, JJ Abrams had these limited edition figurines made in a batch of 500. They're gi
(2008-07-23 19:58:59)

Aptera Electric Trikemobile Finds a Friend (and $2.75m) in Google [Electric Cars] (Gizmodo)

Pre-orders for the awesome Aptera electric car opened up last year, but the company has been relatively quiet about their progress as of late. Google's philanthropic arm has just thrown a cool $2.75 million their way, and now they're being a little more forthright: the Aptera Typ-1 is due this year, same specs, at about $30,000. Both full electric and plug-in hybrid flavors will be available.
(2008-07-23 19:52:52)

Next Generation CPU Refrigerators (Slashdot)

Iddo Genuth writes "Researchers at Purdue University are developing a miniature refrigeration system, small enough to fit inside laptop computers. According to the researchers, the implementation of miniature refrigeration systems in computers can dramatically increase the amount of heat removed from the microchips, therefore boosting performance while simultaneously shrinking the size of comp
(2008-07-23 19:50:00)

Awesome Adults Build Giant Indoor Water Slide For Kids [Water Slides] (Gizmodo)

A part of the American Dream is to be able to retire comfortably in your favorite area, say on a lake, with a large home. But not everyone dreams the same, some people love giant water slides, and this family went a little nuts and installed one inside their house for the kids. Not for the adults, mind you, the kids. It's thirty inches in diameter and totals thirty feet long, all indoors. It'
(2008-07-23 19:40:00)

Click fraud harder to detect, but rate stays flat (CNET)

Bogus clicks on ads, which can make money for Web sites but cost advertisers, were no more common in the second quarter. But click fraud is getting more sophisticated.
(2008-07-23 19:38:35)

iPhone Apps We Love: Pageonce Is Our Cheap Personal Assistant [IPhone Apps] (Gizmodo)

Lifehacker covered the web version of PageOnce already, but think of it is as a web portal that displays all your various utility, credit card and shopping accounts in one page for easy glance-ability. This is the exact same thing, except on your iPhone. We love it. Enter in your logins to your Wells Fargos, your Netflixes, your Comcasts and your Diggs once and you'll be able to check them out
(2008-07-23 19:20:00)

Bluetooth -- buyer beware (CNET)

If a new hands-free driving law has forced you to buy a Bluetooth mobile phone headset like me this advice from the U.S. government can help protect against getting "bluesnarfed."
(2008-07-23 19:15:00)

Nokia, Qualcomm End Patent Disputes (TechWeb)

The companies have entered into a 15-year agreement regarding wireless technology patents, and have dropped all litigation.
(2008-07-23 19:08:00)

Microsoft refunding gamers, Games for Windows Live goes free (Ars Technica)

Microsoft made a series of announcements this week that the company hopes will reinvigorate the PC gaming market, including the announcement of DirectX 11 and the advent of free Windows Live gaming. Ars spoke with Microsoft's Kevin Unangst about the company's present and future plans, including DX11, Games for Windows Live, and the PCGA.Read More...
(2008-07-23 19:06:00)

Bloomberg, Gates Pledge $375 Million Against Tobacco (TechWeb)

The money is expected to go to anti-smoking groups working with governments of developing countries such as India and China to curb tobacco use.
(2008-07-23 19:00:05)

Women On Boards Bring More Women To Top U.S. Jobs (TechWeb)

The more women on a company's board of directors, the more women are likely to be among that company's senior management, according to a Catalyst study.
(2008-07-23 19:00:00)

It Took Comcast 20 Calls and 3 Visits Over 5 Weeks to Determine That No Cable Was Run to This Guy's (Gizmodo)

I know—Comcast bashing is getting way too easy these days. But its hard to resist when you find out that it took 20 calls and 3 personal visits over five weeks for the company to figure out why Kenneth Bayes, a subscriber in Haymarket VA, could not get service. Then it hit them—they never ran cable to the guy's house. It is just the kind of customer service debacle that Comcast has been bl
(2008-07-23 19:00:00)

Google App Engine sort of getting Perl support (CNET)

Google today supports only the Python language in Google App Engine. But on Googler is working on an unofficial--so far--expansion that could use Perl, too.
(2008-07-23 18:46:47)

Fake Steve Starts Real Dan Lyons Blog [FSJ] (Gizmodo)

The Fake Steve Jobs blog may be gone (for now) but Dan Lyons has started a blog with a somewhat similar style, expanded topic matter, interesting angles on tech and a Newsweek-themed header. The header still says Namaste, but he hasn't lost that Siooma attitude either. [RealDanLyons]
(2008-07-23 18:40:48)

Mass Reorg at Microsoft Platforms & Services Division (TechCrunch)

Microsoft has just announced a major reorganization of its Platforms & Services Division. It will now be split into two groups (Windows/Windows Live and Online Services) which will both report to Steve Ballmer. Kevin Johnson, who used to head the Platforms & Services Division, will soon be leaving the company. The full press release [...]
(2008-07-23 18:40:30)

More PSP 3000 Spy Shots [PSP] (Gizmodo)

A tipster mailed in these additional PSP spy shots to go along with the ones we saw yesterday. Assuming this is real, it shows a black PSP with the new PlayStation button, the mic hole, and a thinner outer ring. There's also the headphone jack with the TV out port which features more arrows than before. Color us amazed. If anything, this says that everyone, from Sony themselves to people who h
(2008-07-23 18:40:00)

Apple Seeing Red For iPhone Holiday Sales (TechCrunch)

Rumors have been propagating through several popular Mac blogs that Apple will be releasing a red iPhone 3G model for the holiday season. The release will be well-timed, considering the initial iPhone hype will start to slow, and people will be opening up their wallets more for the holiday season. (Photo via MacBlogz) The [...]
(2008-07-23 18:39:41)

Attack Code Published For DNS Vulnerability (Slashdot)

get_Rootin writes "That didn't take long. ZDNet is reporting that HD Moore has released exploit code for Dan Kaminsky's DNS cache poisioning vulnerability into the point-and-click Metasploit attack tool. From the article: 'This exploit caches a single malicious host entry into the target nameserver. By causing the target nameserver to query for random hostnames at the target domain, the att
(2008-07-23 18:38:00)

BlackBerry Media Sync Released, iTunes and RIM Now 2Getha 4Eva [BlackBerry Media Sync] (Gizmodo)

With a large enough expansion cards BlackBerries have always been decent media players, but transferring tunes is sort of a pain in the ass. Released today, Media Sync solves this problem, interfacing with your iTunes music collection to automatically transfer selected music and playlists to your BlackBerry. It is currently only available for Windows and doesn't support video or DRMed tracks,
(2008-07-23 18:35:59)

Kevin Johnson leaving Microsoft (CNET)

No successor has been named for Johnson, who has been president of Microsoft's Platforms and Services Division and is leaving to become CEO of Juniper Networks.
(2008-07-23 18:32:00)

DelFly Micro Dragonfly Is Smallest Creepy Autonomous Spybot Yet [Nothing To See Here] (Gizmodo)

We told you the tiny DelFly II robotic dragonfly spy cam was just the beginning, and we were right. The same Dutch roboticist is now unveiling the DelFly Micro—with a wingspan of just 10cm and a weight of 3.07 grams, it's the first to be smaller than an actual real-life dragonfly. Granted, the dragonfly being used for comparison is Borneo's Tetracanthagyna plagiata, which has a frankly horr
(2008-07-23 18:20:12)

Defense asks for dismissal of MySpace case (CNET)

Lawyers for Lori Drew, a Missouri woman who allegedly harassed a 13-year-old neighbor who later killed herself, say prosecutors are using a flawed and vague law.
(2008-07-23 18:20:00)

The Neutered USB Humping Dog On Sale Now [Humping Dog] (Gizmodo)

The Crunching Dog—a sadly neutered version of the humping dog—is finally on sale. All it takes is $9.99 for you to get a cheap plastic dog to show you that you're worthless because you'll never do as many situps or do them as fast as this crappy toy from Japan. Seriously though, how can something with a dong THAT huge even physically do situps? This is the excuse we're using to justify o
(2008-07-23 18:00:00)

Accenture offers software to 'green' a business (CNET)

Accenture's Green Technology Suite provides a diagnosis of a company's eco-friendliness.
(2008-07-23 17:45:00)

iPhone App Devs Still Gagged by Non-Disclosure Agreement, Mad as F'n Hell About It [Voice Of The Voi (Gizmodo)

As we covered in our case for still needing the iPhone app black market, developers are gagged by a non-disclosure agreement that keeps them from talking about actually programming the iPhone with anybody, even though sharing info would help app development. Surprise, developers don't like that. So now we have Fucking NDA, which aggregates their rants and musings, turning them into a single st
(2008-07-23 17:40:00)

Dell E (aka Mini-Inspiron) Specs Uncovered, Actually Called Inspiron Mini? [Rumor] (Gizmodo)

Zumo thinks they got a peak at the specs for Dell's first cheap mini-laptop on a recent trip to Dell's Texas facilities. They say that it'll be called the Inspiron Mini, contrary to previous reports it'll it's the Dell E. What's supposedly inside sounds reasonable, and what you'd expect out of a suitable Eee killer, especially if it's really only $299. Zumo says it's got a 1.6GHz Intel
(2008-07-23 17:31:29)

Report: AMD will split into separate companies (CNET)

AMD will spin off its manufacturing operations, according to a report.
(2008-07-23 17:30:00)

Cancer Center Warns of Kids' Cellphone Risks (Wired)

The director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute issues an unprecedented warning to faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer, especially for children. The advice is contrary to many studies, but Dr. Ronald B. Herberman says he's basing his alarm on early, unpublished data.
(2008-07-23 17:30:00)

Studies: Banking Web sites, corporate computers are insecure (CNET)

Separate studies find widespread security design flaws in bank Web sites and internal threats to corporate networks too.
(2008-07-23 17:29:00)

Google's Knol, Expert Wiki, Goes Live (Slashdot)

Brian Jordan and other readers sent in word that Google has taken the wraps off Knol, its expert-written challenger to Wikipedia. (We discussed Knol when it was announced last year.) Wired has an in-depth look. Knol's distinctions from Wikipedia are that authors are identified by their real names (and verified), and that they can share in ad revenue if they choose to. The service initially fea
(2008-07-23 17:23:00)

Plastic Motor Powered Directly By Light, No Solar Middleman Necessary [Engines] (Gizmodo)

Professor Tomiki Ikeda, along with his research team at the Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a plastic motor that runs on direct light. Unlike solar power, there is no need for storing energy before conversion. The motor can achieve this feat thanks to a plastic compound containing azobenzene which contracts when exposed to ultraviolet light and returns to its original shape when ex
(2008-07-23 17:20:00)

Facebook Connect Coming To iPhone This Fall (TechCrunch)

Today at the f8 conference Benjamin Ling revealed that Facebook will be releasing a Cocoa framework for the iPhone that will allow application developers to integrate with Facebook Connect. The framework is expected to be released sometime in the fall, and will take the form of an SDK that can be used by developers of [...]
(2008-07-23 17:08:55)

Nokia-Qualcomm Trial Postponed, German Court Favors Nokia (TechWeb)

Nokia has been paying hefty royalties to Qualcomm for various patents and the Finnish company wants the rate reduced.
(2008-07-23 17:08:00)

iPhone vulnerable to phishing attacks (CNET)

Researcher cites "trusted" malicious links within Mail could open phishing sites in Safari.
(2008-07-23 17:06:14)

Report: FCC set to approve XM Radio-Sirius merger (updated) (Ars Technica)

The FCC has reportedly decided to approve the merger between XM Radio and Sirius. The last fence-sitting commissioner has come down and signed off on the deal.Read More...
(2008-07-23 17:05:00)

Introduction To Ubuntu Linux (TechWeb)

Read this chapter of A Practical Guide To Ubuntu Linux and bring yourself up to speed on the open source operating system's desktop and its root privileges, and learn how to work with the command line and control windows.
(2008-07-23 17:03:00)

iPod Swing Speakers Are Snap-On, Kinda Neat [IPod Speakers] (Gizmodo)

These Neoneco Swing Speakers from Korea hook onto your iPod nano, classic or touch and provides sound where there was none before. It's not made for any sort of high fidelity sound reproduction, but at a battery life of 10 hours (it's got a separate power source) it provides bare-minimum sound on the go. Grab one from Korea if you really want one, but it is quite good if you want to share You
(2008-07-23 17:00:00)

Google's Answer To Wikipedia, Knol, Launches (TechWeb)

Knol's means of encouragement is Google's AdSense program, which will let verified subscribers generate income from the articles they've authored.
(2008-07-23 17:00:00)

If You Wanna Sell Plug-In Hybrids, You Gotta Make 'Em Sexy (Wired)

Plug-ins may be our best chance to save the planet, but many consumers aren't convinced. Automakers need to sell buyers on the technology -- and amp up the cars' sex appeal.
(2008-07-23 16:53:00)

Red Hat Ups Length Of Top Technical Support For Enterprise Linux (TechWeb)

Any release of Enterprise Linux is given a seven-year lifecycle of support, but the level of support drops back in the fifth year, then is reduced further in the sixth and seventh years.
(2008-07-23 16:50:00)

XM-Sirius merger heads to home stretch (CNET)

FCC review process appears to be near a close, with a tentative deal reached between the parties, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
(2008-07-23 16:49:00)

GreenRoad secures $3 million for driver-safety tech (CNET)

GreenRoad Technologies provides a dashboard monitor and Web applications that tell drivers how to operate a car more safely and efficiently.
(2008-07-23 16:42:00)

Ubuntu Is Hyper-Active At OSCON (Slashdot)

ruphus13 writes "Ubuntu and Canonical have been very active at OSCON this year. They showcased a new distro, announced improvements to their code-hosting platform, and made Mark Shuttleworth available for a couple of talks and panel sessions. Quoting: 'Ubuntu Netbook Remix, a complete distribution designed to run on Atom-based Netbook PCs. The main difference that sets it apart from its big b
(2008-07-23 16:41:00)

iPhone 3G Selling Twice as Fast as Original [At&t] (Gizmodo)

The one major bit out of AT&T's quarterly earnings call is that the iPhone 3G is selling twice as fast as the original iPhone did last summer—in case the unending squiggles of people trailing out of Apple Stores and AT&T shops didn't tip you off. They didn't actually say how many were sold, but we know that worldwide Apple sold a million of them as of nine days ago, just three days after
(2008-07-23 16:40:00)

Report: Facebook grows faster than MySpace (CNET)

MySpace still leads the U.S. social networking market, but its more staid rival is rising fast, according to Hitwise.
(2008-07-23 16:29:39)

Yahoo president 'looking forward' to meeting Icahn (CNET)

In a CNBC interview, Sue Decker discusses her thoughts on working with investor activist Carl Icahn, following the settlement over proxy fight.
(2008-07-23 16:26:00)

Blogspot.com cited as the number one host for malware (CNET)

Sophos research says the anonymity of setting up a blog site plus the ability to post malicious code links in the comments section makes Google's blog site a target.
(2008-07-23 16:23:57)

Question of the Day: Does Your Partner Understand Your Gadget Obsession? [Question Of The Day] (Gizmodo)

It's funny how technology can really put a wedge between two people in a relationship. That is to say, finding a couple where both parties share a genuine love for gadgets seems pretty rare. This issue is especially problematic when video games are involved. We are constantly hearing stories about how some dude is turning down sex and ignoring his family to play games online. As stupid as all
(2008-07-23 16:20:00)

Neil Young to tech industry: You can do better (CNET)

Singer-songwriter says the technology industry can do better than suffice with current MP3 quality.
(2008-07-23 16:19:00)

Amazing Wii-Like 3-D Controller Interface Built With Foil, Wiring, Resistors and Arduino [DIY] (Gizmodo)

What you're looking at here is an actual Wii-like 3-D controller interface that can track objects like your hand in real time. It may look a little shoddy, but what's amazing is that this very functional 3-D interface was built by a hobbyist with parts most DIYers can find in their couch cushions—six resistors, aluminum foil, wire, a cardboard box, and an Arduino microprocessor to crunc
(2008-07-23 16:17:31)

Google philanthropy funds Aptera and ActaCell (CNET)

Google.org is splitting $2.75 between Aptera, a maker of electric cars, and ActaCell, which is developing long-lasting lithium-ion batteries.
(2008-07-23 16:12:00)

Pedias of world beware: Google Knol now open to the public (Ars Technica)

Knol is Google's approach to wikis that focuses on genuine content from verified authors—and paying said authors for their time. The new product is drawing attention and scrutiny from nearly every possible angle, and now it's open to the world.Read More...
(2008-07-23 16:09:06)

Lightning Review: Caps4Stix Thumstick Covers [Caps4stix] (Gizmodo)

The Gadget: Caps4Stix rubber thumbstick covers for Xbox 360 and PS3. They're meant to add more grip for better precision and control. The Price: About $2 per pair. The Verdict: Pretty good! I usually hate this rubbery add-on stuff that fattens up a sleekly designed gadget, but I have to admit, playing both the PS3 and Xbox 360 felt better with the caps than without. The texture isn't just mo
(2008-07-23 16:00:00)

Which Open Source Video Apps Use SMP Effectively? (Slashdot)

ydrol writes "After building my new Core 2 Quad Q6600 PC, I was ready to unleash video conversion activity the likes of which I had not seen before. However, I was disappointed to discover that a lot of the conversion tools either don't use SMP at all, or don't balance the workload evenly across processors, or require ugly hacks to use SMP (e.g. invoking distributed encoding options). I get
(2008-07-23 15:54:00)

MySpace Music to launch in September (CNET)

Chris DeWolfe announces the launch date of the service, which is backed by three of the four top music labels, during the Fortune Brainstorm conference.
(2008-07-23 15:48:00)

MythTV's MyMote iPhone Remote App [Iphone Remote] (Gizmodo)

The idea of controlling your DVR via your iPhone is nothing new, but this MythTV iPhone remote allows Linux DVR users to get in on the fun of using their phones as visual remotes. It's got a real-time program guide so you can easily set recordings, plus the standard channel and volume buttons to flip around channels with. The only thing we have to complain about is that the UI is fairly ugly a
(2008-07-23 15:40:00)

Liveblogging the Facebook Developer Conference (TechCrunch)

The TechCrunch team is on site at the Facebook Developer conference, and we’ll be live blogging the news. Mark Zuckerberg’s Keynote starts at 1:30 pm PST. David Glazer (Director of Engineering, Friend Connect) is here in the audience (which is about 1500 people), it looks like he will announce something. Perhaps they are announcing some [...]
(2008-07-23 15:23:59)

Mexican Exchange Upgrades Trading Platform (TechWeb)

The Mexican Derivatives Exchange will use Realtime Systems Group's RTS.
(2008-07-23 15:23:56)

Facebook Launches Preferred App Program, Translation Services (TechCrunch)

Facebook just issued the press release for today’s F8 conference. The release is below, with the most important points bolded.: SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Facebook f8 Conference, July 23, 2008 – Facebook today introduced the latest advancements to Facebook Platform during its annual f8 developer conference, calling on its more than 400,000 developers to connect [...]
(2008-07-23 15:20:51)

Crazy Human-Powered Monorail Would Deliver You to Work in a Sweaty Capsule [Concepts] (Gizmodo)

How's this sound: rather than hopping on the subway, when in a large city you'd hop into a little pod hanging from an elevated track. It would have pedals. You would then pedal yourself around the city, working up a lovely sweat before you reached your destination. Sound good? No? Well, thank your lucky stars that the people who run our cities have at least some sense in their heads, because
(2008-07-23 15:20:00)

Sprint's Palm Centro Gets Software Update (TechWeb)

The update improves IMAP compatibility with Gmail, and provides an updated setup wizard for the Web-based e-mail.
(2008-07-23 15:19:00)

On Esquire's Stupid E-Ink Cover [Media] (Gizmodo)

I love stupid gimmicks, don't get me wrong. But this cover is one of the worst ideas I've heard from a publication in awhile. Said the editor to the NYTimes: “Magazines have basically looked the same for 150 years,” Mr. Granger said. “I have been frustrated with the lack of forward movement in the magazine industry.” Maybe you should like, invest in putting premium content on your web
(2008-07-23 15:17:38)

California Clean Tech Open names 44 finalists (CNET)

Judges of the "start-up in a box" prize for fledging green-tech companies will narrow the finalists down to six winners by November.
(2008-07-23 15:17:00)

Message to Microsoft: Google's gunning for ya--again (CNET)

Text ads might be the present cash cow for Google, but CEO Eric Schmidt talks up display ad opportunities, which means new competition for Redmond sooner, rather than later.
(2008-07-23 15:13:28)

Jailed SF worker accused of setting network sabotage time bomb (CNET)

San Francisco city computer engineer remains held on $5 million bail, accused of hijacking city network and arranging it so that the network would self destruct during the next routine maintenance or power outage.
(2008-07-23 15:13:00)

AT&T Bringing (a Tiny, Frustrating Bit Of) Speech Recognition to the iPhone, Others [Speech Recognit (Gizmodo)

newVideoPlayer("/speechmashup.flv", 506, 282,""); AT&T's Speech Mashups is a web-based service that will bring voice-activated search to the iPhone, as well as other Edge and 3G handsets. Instead of managing speech recognition on the actual handset, Speech Mashups sends the audio sample to the server, processes it and sends back a text transcription or command to your phone. Unfortunately
(2008-07-23 15:10:00)

Nintendo faces ban on some Wii, GameCube controllers (CNET)

Game maker fails to get $21 million patent infringement verdict overturned.
(2008-07-23 15:06:00)

EC2 Vs. App Engine Vs. GoGrid Vs. AppNexus (Slashdot)

snydeq writes "InfoWorld's Peter Wayner delves into the ill-defined realm of 'cloud computing,' providing a deeper look at four shared services: Amazon EC2, Google App Engine, GoGrid, and AppNexus. Offering wildly divergent amounts of hand-holding at various layers in the stack, the services simplify your workload but force you into a set, 'ball-and-chain-computing' routine that you may n
(2008-07-23 15:04:00)

Veteran developer ditches Microsoft for open source (Linux.com)


(2008-07-23 15:00:00)

Intel CEO Calls for 10 Million Plug-In Conversions Within Four Years (Wired)

Andy Grove's called for 10 million vehicles to be converted to plug-in hybrids within four years and laid out some ideas to help get us there.
(2008-07-23 15:00:00)

SlyDial: Avoid Annoying Conversations by Going Directly to Voicemail [Cellphones] (Gizmodo)

If there is one thing I can't stand it is getting into long-winded conversations with people on the phone. This is especially true if that person happens to be annoying. If I am forced to initiate the call, I find myself muttering a silent prayer that they won't pick up, but the fact of the matter is that annoying people are always available. The good news is that SlyDial has come up with a s
(2008-07-23 15:00:00)

Rumor: Next iPod nano to be Multi-Colored [IPod Nano] (Gizmodo)

According to a rumor that's been getting a little traction on the Mac sites, the new iPod nano will be multi-colored. Notice that we said "nano" and not "nanos." Because while the current nano line is offered in multiple colors, 9to5Mac is claiming that the next nano will have more than one color on each model. In addition, the storage capacity is said to be doubled alongside the inclusion
(2008-07-23 14:57:00)

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