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April, 2005 Archives
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Apple Releases Mac OS X Tiger
Apple has released its Mac OS X Tiger operating system. Walt Mossberg, who writes a tech column for The Wall Street Journal, gave the new operating system a rave review:
Overall, Tiger is the best and most advanced personal computer operating system on the market, despite a few drawbacks. It leaves Windows XP in the dust. It also adds to the Mac's general superiority over typical Windows computers as the best choice for average consumers doing the most common computing tasks.
Related Links: Computer Center: Operating Systems
Posted on April 29, 2005
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Win 10 Million Free Ads
Yahoo is running a contest with a big prize: 10 million free ads. Richard Branson and Yahoo's Think Big contest is open to small-business owners with less than 99 employees. News.com has an article which explains more about the unusual contest:
Entrepreneurs who enter the Think Big contest will have their business plan evaluated in a three-round process. The entries will be judged on the novelty of the business and its ability to attract a national audience; the design and navigability of the Web site, as well as its ability to generate and convert traffic into customers; and an essay that offers a compelling business plan that also demonstrates the entrepreneur's knowledge of business fundamentals.
Posted on April 28, 2005
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Anemone Clock Shakes You Awake
Engadget reports on the new odd-looking Anemone Clock (pictured on right) designed by Aarron Tang that also has a strange way of waking you up in the morning:
First Clocky, now this. Aaron Tang’s Anemone Clock rumbles when the alarm goes off, eventually shaking its way all across your room, forcing you to get up to stop it. But that’s not all — it keeps shaking when you pick it up, making it a frustrating exercise just to find the off button. Tang didn’t say if the clock had a snooze button so you can repeat this process a few times each morning.
Sounds like it could be an irritating way to wake up if you were really sleepy or in a bad mood. But the clock is pretty cool looking.
Posted on April 26, 2005
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The Pope Has an Email Account
Pope Benedict XVI now has an email account. Top Tech News reports that last Thursday the Pope was given the new address and the website was updated so people could compose and submit emails. The Vatican will certainly want anti-spam software and lots of disk space to handle the large volumes of incoming email. Top Tech News reports:
On Thursday, the Vatican modified its Web site so users who click on a "Greetings to the Holy Father" icon on the home page automatically activate an e-mail composer with his address in the send field.
The address for messages in English is benedictxvi@vatican.va. There are also addresses for e-mails in Italian, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese. Benedict's e-mail isn't the only address generating interest in an online world.
Posted on April 25, 2005
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Organization Plans PC Turnoff Week
News.com reports that the PC-Turnoff Organization is trying to get people to turn off their children's computers for a week this summer. From August 1st until August 7th the organization wants parents to deny PC access to their children. PC-TOO says, "While the computer is a wonderful tool, like many things in children's lives, limits must be set for their own safety and well being. PC-TOO established PC-Turnoff Week to encourage parents to turnoff their children's computer entirely for one whole week during the summer." A whole week? Good luck trying to turn off your teenager's PC. There are certainly legitimate concerns about very young kids using computers and overuse by older kids. For example, young kids need to learn how to play outdoors, role-play and develop their imaginations away from computers and gaming systems. Older kids have access to a plethora of gadgets so turning off their home PC may not really limit their use of digital communication tools.
Posted on April 24, 2005
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Google's Future Products
Now one knows exactly what Google is working on but experts speculate that Google is secretly building software for a browser, communication tools and an operating system. A great new article in the Globe and Mail speculates that Google may be working on net communication software tool.
First of all, Google has been noted to be purchasing large quantities of 'dark' fibre-optic capacity, on the cheap (much excess capacity was laid during those heady days of irrational exuberance) to increase its proprietary network bandwidth. To what end? Some of the most far-out rumours say that Google is developing a Skype-esque software that will allow high-quality voice communications over the Internet, costing virtually nothing to the consumer. If Google is making a play into the telecom arena, it would be a relatively late-comer in an arena that is widely populated.
The article also speculates that Google plans to build an net-based operating system that will dethrone our Microsoft Windows dominated PC world.
Not unlike its e-mail and mapping software, which are entirely Web-based, Google will release an operating system that will be completely networked and centralized on its servers. You will literally no longer need any software running on your local computer (except the Google Web-browser of course, and a network connection). The computing experience will involve booting your computer, logging into the net, and having access to all your programs (and most of your data) which will reside happily in the ether — all protected and secure, we will be assured, by the good god Google.
Eventually, Mathieu Balez, the author of this article called "The Good God Google," think Google will look to dominate home entertainment. The article also speculates about the Google browser. The speculation may have already been put to an end because a blogger spotted the new browser in a server log. MarketingVox reports that "The manager of SiliconValleyWatcher noticed (via SearchEngineLowdown) the appearance of a Google-branded browser in its server log files. While these user agent listings are relatively easily faked, it may be evidence of the long-rumored and long-denied skunkworks project at Google."
Posted on April 23, 2005
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President Will Not Email
U.S. President George W. Bush admits that he will not send email because of privacy concerns. The Register reports that, "US prez George Bush has admitted he does not send personal emails to daughters Jenna and Barbara for fear that his 'personal stuff' might end up in the public domain. Bush made the admission on Thursday to the American Society of Newspaper Editors during a discussion centring on whether the US government is sufficiently forthcoming to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act, Reuters reports." Some may find President Bush's statement ironic due the diminished privacy everyone faces these days because of the Patriot Act passed after 9/11. However, the President is right to be concerned about electronic delivered mail. It is probably not a bad move for anyone deeply concerned about privacy to avoid using email or at least send only encrypted email messages.
Posted on April 19, 2005
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High-Tech Textiles Could Change Construction and Medicine
The New York Times reports that amazing new textiles are coming that can be used in everything from
medical procedures to building cars. The Times
reports that Peter Testa, an architect in Santa Monica, Calif.,
has designed a 40-story skyscraper that could be built
without steel. The Cooper-Hewitt,
National Design Museum currently has an online
exhibit showing the many uses for the high-tech
textiles. The beginning of the New York Times article offers
a glimpse at future uses of extreme textiles:
A knitted bag holds a weakened heart, helping it pump blood. Electricity flows through the threads of a battery-powered fleece jacket, keeping the wearer warm. Carbon fibers are braided into structures that look like mushrooms, but are actually prototypes of automotive engine valves. Other fibers are shaped into bicycle frames and sculling oars.
Textiles are no longer just the stuff of clothing, carpets and furniture covering. Made of high-tech threads, they can also be found in lifesaving medical devices and the bodies of racing cars. One architect is proposing building a skyscraper out of carbon fibers.
Posted on April 18, 2005
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Fake, Nonsensical Research Paper Fools Computer Conference
A bogus paper full of gibberish was submitted to the World Multiconference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics (WMSCI) (a Florida computer conference) and was accepted. The BBC reports that three U.S. scientists created a program, "designed to create research papers with random text, charts and diagrams." This program was then used to create the nonsense paper with the headline, "Rooter: A Methodology for the Typical Unification of Access Points and Redundancy." The paper was accepted by conference reviewers, but the conference officials may change their mind. You can create your own nonsene computer paper here on the SCIgen website. SCIgen is described as:
SCIgen is a program that generates random Computer Science research papers, including graphs, figures, and citations. It uses a hand-written context-free grammar to form all elements of the papers. Our aim here is to maximize amusement, rather than coherence.
Posted on April 15, 2005
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United States Falling Behind in Broadband
73% of South Koreans have broadband access while 20% of U.S.
citizens don't even have the option of obtaining broadband
Internet access. And to make things worse our broadband access
is much slower than some countries. How did the U.S. get
behind so quickly in Internet connection speed. BusinessWeek
reports:
In 2000, the OECD said the U.S. ranked third in Net users connecting
at high-speed among the top-30 world economies. The next year it fell
to fourth. Now it's 11th, according to the OECD. And fast connections
in the U.S. are slower than in many other countries. A top-of-the-line
cable modem in the U.S. carries five megabits per second, while
broadband connections in Asian countries like Japan and South Korea
are often 20 times faster. South Korea is, in fact, the world leader
in broadband. And unlike the U.S., it has multiple companies offering
most of the country DSL lines that are also faster than what's available
in the U.S., thanks in no small part to government encouragement and
sponsorship.
The OECD is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the OECD's website can be found here.
Canada also has much better broadband availability than the U.S.
BusinessWeek reports that some critics are blaming the government for
not allowing more competition in the broadband market:
Many critics point the finger at Washington for not fostering the kind
of competition that has allowed Canada's broadband market to thrive and
led France -- not exactly known for fostering capitalist competition --
to boost its broadband penetration from 12% in 2003 to a forecasted 41%
next year. If cable companies were forced to open up their lines,
over-night 80% of the U.S. would have more than one broadband supplier
to choose from. Theoretically at least, that would drive down prices
and force companies to offer enticing service packages like phone and
TV delivered via the Web.
Posted on April 14, 2005
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Keyboards Haven for Superbugs
Sadly, keyboards are a great place to find superbugs and other germs. CTV.ca reports that hospitals are having a serious problem with computer keyboards because antibiotic-resistant germs can get on them and survive for up to 24 hours. CTV.ca said one hospital even had to dispose of all of their keyboards. The problem, as one physician explained, is the keyboards are difficult to clean without causing damage to the keyboards. Dr. Allison McGeer, an infection control specialist from Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital, told the Canadian Press, "The difficulty with keyboards is you can't pour bleach on them. They don't work so well when you do that."
Posted on April 13, 2005
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AOL and XM Radio Announce Deal
AOL and XM Radio have announced a deal to provide XM radio stations for AOL users. XM is an ad-free satellite radio network. AOL subscribers will have access to 70 XM channels as part of the agreement. Slashdot has more about the AOL and XM deal. This should be a good deal for AOL which needs some strong content additions to it service to retain subscribers. Competition from cable internet, DSL providers and cheap dial-up services has cut into AOL's subscriber growth.
Posted on April 11, 2005
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What Faster Net Speeds Could Mean
A USA Today article offers a look at what higher net speeds could do
to our lives. Higher net speeds up to 1,600% faster
are expected with new cable modems available in 2008. Broadband at this
speed could change health care, gaming, video conferencing and much more.
USA Today reported on what some top tech CEOs are saying about the upcoming increase in data transfer speed.
"This will change our lives well beyond entertainment," says Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers. For example, when speeds allow quick sending of detailed images. such as X-rays, he says, "You'll do the majority of your health care straight from the home." Others envision a host of other applications. For example, businesses could easily arrange video conferences with high-definition TV. Consumers could download an entire HD movie in about five minutes vs. today's 22 minutes. And, "There will be a need for higher speeds as games become more graphics-intensive," says Adelphia Chief Technical Officer Marwan Fawaz.
Posted on April 7, 2005
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IM Virus Threats Increasing
News.com reports that IM virus threats are continuing to rise. All major instant message services including AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, Windows Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger are under threat of IM worms. News.com cites a report from the IMlogic Threat Center that found that the quantity of instant messaging threats increased 250 percent in the first quarter of 2005, compared with the same period last year. The attacks are primarily from worms and viruses and as the quantity of the threats rise it is causing companies to take a closer look at the security of the IM software. The attacks can be expected to get much worse as IM virus writers improve their code-written diseases. News.com said, "According to at least one industry analyst, the rapid increase in IM threats will likely continue and mirror the development of earlier forms of IT security hazards, such as e-mail-based virus attacks."
Posted on April 6, 2005
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Google Expanding Video Search
Google has announced plans to expand its video search service. Currently Google's video search tool will search through television programs for content. Part of the new service will allow people to submit videos to Google. It is a bold move by Google which seems to have fallen behind in the blogging and social networking battle to Microsoft and Yahoo. eWeek reports that Larry Page said, "In the next few days we'll start taking video submissions from people. And we're not sure what we're going to get with it." There is a lot of speculation as to just how popular video will get on the Internet and this new service should offer a good first test. News.com has a collection of news articles about the emerging video digital market. Yahoo also offers a video search tool, and allows video submissions for indexing with RSS Video Enclosures.
Posted on April 5, 2005
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Tech Recovery Coming to an End?
The tech recovery, underway since 2001, may be slowing, stalling or
ending. Recent surveys and forecasts indicate a slower pace
for future tech growth. The sales of cell phones are
expected to slow as many consumers already own them -- which is
why you are seeing the industry starting to focus more on selling
cell phones to teenagers and children. Despite the weaker forecasts
there are still hot tech areas such as gaming, HDTVs and DVRs.
The USA Today writes:
Tech grew fast as it clawed back from the dot-com bust of 2001.
Some markets, such as cell phones, topped 20% growth a year. The
industry is still growing, but not at that rate, tech analysts say.
Corporate tech buyers surveyed by CIO magazine in March said they
expected to increase spending by 6.4% in the next 12 months. That's
down from 7.3% in March 2004, the magazine said Friday.
Posted on April 4, 2005
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More Content Stealing Tools
In an article called, "Parasite.com", Forbes.com writes about a new web technology called Browster that "works with Internet Explorer and allows you to 'prefetch' Web sites by running your
mouse over page links. The linked sites pop up in a new window,
wrapped in ads that Browster sells." So, basically they
are taking the content created by other publishers and placing
ads on top of it. It sounds very familiar to Gator, which
placed ads on top of the content of web publishers without their
approval. Gator was later sued by The Washington Post, The
New York Times, Dow Jones and seven other publishers.
Gator.com's Companion Pop-up Banner, obscured advertising and/or
editorial content on websites through the use of specially
designed pop-up windows and without the consent of websites or
third party advertisers. The lawsuit was settled out of court, but this
company is still around today and is known as Claria -- News.com has
a recent article on Claria here.
Forbes.com compares Browster to some technology Google
has been tinkering around with. Google's AutoLink technology
inserts links into other publisher's websites. Microsoft was
slammed by web publishers in 2001 when it tried a similar concept
called SmartTags and had to drop the idea. About AutoLink, Forbes.com writes:
Even Google, the Web's self-proclaimed "Do no evil" company, is
experimenting with a technology called AutoLink that inserts
button-shape links on other people's Web sites that lead back to
Google or to Google partners like Amazon.com. Google says it is
still only experimenting with AutoLink but, ominously, adds that
it is exploring ways to increase the technology's scope. If that
happens, predicts New York intellectual property lawyer Jeffrey
Neuburger, "There will be some litigation."
Posted on April 1, 2005
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