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Robotics

Android Copy of Young Woman Unveiled In Japan 264

An anonymous reader writes "According to IEEE Spectrum, Japanese roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro, who had previously built a robot copy of himself, has now created a new android — and it's a 'she.' Geminoid F, a copy of a woman in her 20s with long dark hair, exhibits facial expressions more naturally than Ishiguro's previous android. 'Whereas the Geminoid HI-1 has some 50 actuators, the new Geminoid F has just 12. What's more, the HI-1 robot requires a large external box filled with compressors and valves. With Geminoid F, the researchers embedded air servo valves and an air servo control system into its body, so the android requires only a small external compressor.' It's also much better looking. Has the Japanese android master finally overcome the uncanny valley?"
Google

Submission + - Google Apps no longer able to process new signups? (google.com)

Gentlewhisper writes: For the past two weeks an increasing number of Google Apps users are not able to get their new accounts setup, or reset their lost administrative passwords. All this is due to what seems to be a broken CNAME verification mechanism. Are you one of the affected users? What's your experience with this issue like? How have you managed to work around this?

Comment 140 characters (Score 1) 176

Not intended for off-road use. Best if used before date on carton. May explode if recharged improperly. Contains no artificial colors or ingredients. This product is meant for educational purposes only. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. List each check separately by bank number. Batteries not included. Contents may settle during shipment. Use only as directed. No other warranty expressed or implied. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Postage will be paid by addressee. This is not an offer to sell securities. Apply only to affected area. May be too intense for some viewers. Do not stamp. Use other side for additional listings. For recreational use only. All models over 18 years of age. If condition persists, consult your physician. No user-servicable parts inside. Simulated picture. Times approximate. No postage necessary if mailed in the United States. Breaking seal constitutes acceptance of agreement. As seen on TV. One size fits all. 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This is a test, this is only a test. We all live in a yellow submarine. My God, it's full of stars. OkLoveYouByeBye. :-) This product is meant for educational purposes only. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. List each check separately by bank number. Batteries not included. Contents may settle during shipment. Use only as directed. No other warranty expressed or implied. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Postage will be paid by addressee. Subject to CAB approval. This is not an offer to sell securities. Apply only to affected area. May be too intense for some viewers. Do not stamp. Use other side for additional listings. For recreational use only. Do not disturb. All models over 18 years of age. If condition persists, consult your physician. No user-serviceable parts inside. Freshest if eaten before date on carton. Subject to change without notice. Times approximate. Simulated picture. No postage necessary if mailed in the United States. Please remain seated until the ride has come to a complete stop. Breaking seal constitutes acceptance of agreement. For off-road use only. As seen on TV. One size fits all. Many suitcases look alike. Contains a substantial amount of non-tobacco ingredients. Colors may, in time, fade. We have sent the forms which seem right for you. Slippery when wet. For office use only. Not affiliated with the American Red Cross. Drop in any mailbox. Edited for television. Keep cool; process promptly. Post office will not deliver without postage. List was current at time of printing. Return to sender, no forwarding order on file, unable to forward. Not responsible for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect, error or failure to perform. At participating locations only. Not the Beatles. Penalty for private use. See label for sequence. Substantial penalty for early withdrawal. 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Businesses

eBay Denies New Design Is Broken, Blames Users 362

krick-zero writes "eBay recently rolled out a new page design. Many eBay sellers are reporting issues with missing description text, resulting in lost sales. Buyers are reporting the same intermittent issue, on multiple platforms, with multiple browsers. After complaining to eBay customer service, one user got this response: 'I have reviewed several of your listings using my computer and had several of my coworkers view your listings as well and we are seeing the complete listings. Many times when buyers are not able to see the whole description or just bits and pieces it is due to browser issues they are having. A lot of times if they simply clear out their cache and cookies or change browsers (i.e. change from Internet explorer to Firefox or vice versa) they no longer have this problem.'"
Robotics

Exoskeletons For Rent In Japan 226

destinyland writes "Cyberdyne has started renting their exoskeleton body suits in Japan. The mind-controlled wearable machine increases strength and endurance, and rents for $2,300 a month. (Sensors on the skin detect traces of nerve signals from the brain, synchronizing the power suit's movements with the user's own limbs.) New video shows the suits in use on the streets of Tokyo, and the concept may be catching on. DARPA now has a program called Exoskeletons for Human Performance Augmentation 'to develop devices and machines that will increase the speed, strength and endurance of soldiers in combat environments.'"
Networking

Chinese Game Operator Used DDoS Attacks On Rivals 28

carusoj writes "An attack by a Chinese online game provider meant to cripple the servers of its rivals ballooned to cause an Internet outage in much of the country in May, according to police. The escalation began with a distributed denial-of-service attack on a domain registrar that serves many small gaming companies. While the national scale of the effects was unusual, such attacks are common among some small Internet businesses competing to draw customers in China, security researchers say. Police have arrested four people involved in the attack."
Earth

Earth's Period of Habitability Is Nearly Over 756

xp65 writes "Scientists at this year's XXVIIth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil agree that we do not yet know how ubiquitous or how fragile life is, but that: 'The Earth's period of habitability is nearly over on a cosmological timescale. In a half to one billion years the Sun will start to be too luminous and warm for water to exist in liquid form on Earth, leading to a runaway greenhouse effect in less than 2 billion years.' Other surprising claims from this conference: that the Sun may not be the ideal kind of star to nurture life, and that the Earth may not be the ideal size."
United States

Submission + - Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch) Unibody (reviewsbuzz.com)

Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch) Unibody writes: "A groundbreaking development in the domain of laptop made by Apple — by innovating a new series, like MacBook Pro 17" Unibody — primarily the sibling of MacBook Pro 15". It is accompanying multiple highly creative features, which makes this latest series stand out among the mob."
The Almighty Buck

Submission + - Do arrogant IT managers presage a failing company? 4

freedom_india writes: "Do companies which have arrogant, prima donna IT managers presage that the company is failing?
From my one-and-half-decade work experience with various companies i have noticed a trend:
Companies which have a slow-moving, yet quiet and humble IT continue to shine and prosper in this economic situation.
For instance HSBC, Wells Fargo, Statestreet, Webster Bank, etc.
On the other hand, companies who have had arrogant, positively evil IT managers and leaders have stumbled or stumbling now. For instance AIG, Citibank, Credit Suisse, WaMu, etc.
I have worked for the best as well as worst IT managers, including the one at Citi who took a screenshot of our IT application, put it on his desktop as wallpaper and screamed at us that our application didn't work. It took us 4 days and multiple escalations until we found out. Unfortunately, that guy had a good laugh and was never even warned by his manager. That was 9 years ago. That guy rapidly proceeded to become a AVP. Fortunately, his downfall came rapidly too: he was one of the first to be fired by Citi when it cut down costs.
Similar case with Credit Suisse where we were forced to work 20 hour days for about 4 months to finish a job to "their" satisfaction, which meant scrapping all we did and doing it repeatedly after their managers had a chance to google for a solution.
AIG was the worst of all when we had to digest an architecture and design document of 138 pages in one day and make a presentation the next day. AIG bosses thought it was funny to see us struggling and said that as a vendor we ought to be superhuman and not a mere human being.
So, tell me, am i right that companies with worst attitude IT fail, while companies with strong and benevolent IT are a success?"
Media

Submission + - Lies, damn lies and the copyright industry

artg writes: Ben Goldacre writes about invalid and misleading 'science' in the Guardian. Here's his report on the statistics behind a recent press story that reported illegal downloading to involve 120 billion pounds worth of material.
Earth

Submission + - NASA believes sun heats earth (dailytech.com) 2

windowshater13 writes: Report indicates solar cycle has been impacting Earth since the Industrial Revolution Some researchers believe that the solar cycle influences global climate changes. They attribute recent warming trends to cyclic variation. Skeptics, though, argue that there's little hard evidence of a solar hand in recent climate changes.Via Daily Tech Al Gore in search of new income.

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