2832247
submission
Ostracus writes:
RV740 is often misunderstood as the successor to RV730 which in fact is far from it. RV740 is expected to take the market by storm by Q2 next year as the best value/performance chip from AMD. It is AMD's first 40nm GPG chip with all IP being re-designed and characterized for 40nm.
1977429
submission
Ostracus writes:
I don't think it can have escaped anyone's attentions that there was a reasonably significant election in America recently. And they got me thinking.
Barack Obama is 47. By contrast, David Cameron — who leaps to mind as another potential national leader in the coming years, whatever you may think of that fact — is 42. I got to thinking about what a national leader might look like in ten years time, 2018. Let's suggest, based on Obama and Cameron, that they're 45.
They're 45 in 2018 when they stand for office — that means they were born in 1973. They would have been four when Taito released Space Invaders came out; seven when Pac Man came out. In 1985, when they were 12, Nintendo would launch the NES in the west. At 18, just as they would have been heading to University, the first NHL game came out for the Genesis/Megadrive and might consumed many a night in the dorm. At 22, the Playstation was launched. At 26, they could have bought a PS2 at launch; at 31, they might have taken up World of Warcraft with their friends.
They would have been a gamer all their lives. Not someone who once played videogames, trotting out the same anecdote about "playing Asteroids once" in interviews; someone for whom games were another part of their lives, a primary, important medium. Someone who understood games.
And if that was the case, what might they have learned?
1814145
submission
Ostracus writes:
Nokia, and Segway's inventor, Dean Kamen, recently announced a competition which invites innovators to submit new applications for mobile communications that can improve the world. The prize, $25,000, will be given in three different categories: eco-challenge, emerging markets, and technology showcase, along the guaranteed fame that tends to be attached to the "saving the world" title.
1814055
submission
Ostracus writes:
Researches at the University of Washington have recently developed a system, which for the first time, offers an instantly customizable approach to user interfaces. Each participant in the program is placed through a brief skills test and then a mathematically-based version of the user interface optimized for his or her vision and motor abilities is generated. The current off-the-shelf designs are especially discouraging for the disabled, the elderly and others who have trouble controlling a mouse, because most computer programs have standardized button sizes, fonts, and layouts, which are designed for normal users.
1740959
submission
Ostracus writes:
Nicole Haase would like to work harder than she does. But as a receptionist and payroll administrator for a manufacturing firm in Milwaukee, she finds limited opportunities to take on more duties.
"Work is slow, and we're a small company, so it's not always easy to find other things to do," Ms. Haase says. To fill empty moments, she e-mails friends and works on freelance writing assignments. "The Internet is my friend — anything to make the time pass," she says, adding that the strain of having too little to do creates its own kind of burnout.
1734781
submission
Ostracus writes:
Plastic Logic, a spin-off company from the Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory, has recently released its design of a future electronic newspaper reader. This lightweight plastic screen copies the appearance, but not the feel, of a printed newspaper. This electronic paper technology was pioneered by the E-Ink Corporation and is used in the current generation Sony eReader and Amazon.com's Kindle. Plastic Logic's device, yet to be named, has a highly legible black-and-white display and a screen more than twice as large compared to current versions available on the market.
1728891
submission
Ostracus writes:
After the secret source code for its then-unreleased shooter Half Life 2 showed up on BitTorrent in 2003, gamemaker Valve Software cooked up an elaborate ruse with the FBI targeting the German hacker suspected in the leak, even setting up a fake job interview in an effort to lure him to the United States for arrest.
1728865
submission
Ostracus writes:
America's love affair with the doomsday device is a turbulent one. First popularized in comic books and James Bond movies, then lampooned by Austin Powers, we love them because their ridiculousness makes us feel safe — like the exhilarating false danger of a roller coaster. Wired looks at eight of the best fictional devices.
1727447
submission
Ostracus writes:
Google has added a new twist to its popular 3D map tool, Google Earth, offering millions of users the chance to visit a virtual ancient Rome.
1724727
submission
Ostracus writes:
Lost creator JJ Abrams has unveiled footage from his Star Trek prequel at a press event in London.
The clips featured US actor Chris Pine as the young Captain Kirk, Heroes star Zachary Quinto as Mr Spock and Simon Pegg as Enterprise engineer Scotty.
The audience also saw Leonard Nimoy reprise his role as the older Mr Spock in one of four excerpts from the film.
In his introduction, Abrams said he wanted the film, to be released in May 2009, to feel "legitimate and real".
Speaking at London's Vue West End cinema on Tuesday morning, the film-maker admitted he had "never really been a huge Star Trek fan".
1724537
submission
Ostracus writes:
US President-elect Barack Obama will introduce rules to restrict the role of lobbyists as he shapes his administration, says a senior official.
1721805
submission
Ostracus writes:
Sea sponges can beam light deep inside their bodies, and do so using the natural equivalent of fibre optic cables, scientists have found.
1492323
submission
Ostracus writes:
A major puzzle for neurobiologists is how the brain can modify one microscopic connection, or synapse, at a time in a brain cell and not affect the thousands of other connections nearby. Plasticity, the ability of the brain to precisely rearrange the connections between its nerve cells, is the framework for learning and forming memories.
Duke University Medical Center researchers have identified a missing-link molecule that helps to explain the process of plasticity and could lead to targeted therapies.
1342075
submission
Ostracus writes:
Microsoft recently presented a new web application that enables computers to function as virtual telescopes — bringing together imagery from the best ground and Space-based telescopes in the world. As a result, users have a chance to virtually explore the universe, using a multitude of 'tours'. The 'tours' are interactive, allowing the user to pause, play, rewind, and fast forward the animation at any given time.
1342063
submission
Ostracus writes:
Researchers from Yale University have discovered evidence that tiny hairs found on mammals' brain cells have an important role in transmitting molecular signals. The molecular signals prompt the creation of neurons in different brain areas. These findings may contribute to the research of brain regeneration, and will hopefully aid in developing a cure for many degenerative diseases and traumatic injuries.
