49315405
submission
symbolset writes:
In a public press conference viewable on Arirang news Tepco general manager Masayuki Ono said today the situation is bleak: "We understand that this discharge is beyond our control and we do not think the current situation is good." As the groundwater the melted reactor cores are steeping in rises, the press expects the level to crest over the existing barriers and resume spilling into the sea in a matter of weeks.
49304377
submission
symbolset writes:
Last night the town of Prairie Village, Kansas voted to accept a deal with Google for Google Fiber Internet and video services. They are the 17th municipal entity to do agree to Google Fiber. Google Fiber is a service of Google which offers symmetric gigabit Internet service over fiber to the premises at very low rates.
49259837
submission
symbolset writes:
Researchers using the Hubble Space Telescope have imaged some evidence that the merger of neutron stars is responsible for producing a short-duration gamma ray burst. On June 3rd the Swift gamma-ray burst (GRB) mission detected GRB 130603B, a burst lasting only one tenth of a second nearly 4 billion lightyears away. Imaging with Hubble they located a small red dot which, over the course of the following two weeks dimmed. Cites an article in yesterday's special online edition of Nature.
49145417
submission
symbolset writes:
HuffPo reports that Microsoft Office will be released for Android phones from Wednesday. /From the porcine aviation department?
49130463
submission
symbolset writes:
AllThingsD's intrepid reporter Ina Fried has an interview up where Asus chairman and CEO Jonney Shih says they will not make any more Windows RT devices until Microsoft proves demand for the product.
This leaves Dell as the only OEM who has not sworn off Windows RT. Dell is seeking to take itself private, relying on a $2 billion loan from Microsoft.
49130177
submission
symbolset writes:
Numerous sites are covering Microsoft's ordinarily dry 10-K report to the SEC today as it reveals more information about sales of tablets than previously disclosed. For the entire span of Microsoft Surface RT and Pro life so far, $853 million in revenues. As Microsoft has already written down $900 million in value of inventory on the Surface RT alone, this does not look good. Making it worse, additional advertising expense for Surface and Windows 8 come in at $898 million. If you're interested in directions in tech the 10-K is a long slog but worth the effort. Losses on the Surface Pro are yet to be revealed, and it is unknown whether Microsoft will be able to get the liquidation value out of their Surface RT stock that they expect.
Also in the 10-K: Microsoft doesn't want former Windows chief Stephen Sinofsky to work for Amazon, Apple, EMC, Google, Facebook, Oracle or VMware. The ban expires 12/31/13, so then he's free to do what he will.
48832469
submission
symbolset writes:
The Standard-Examiner reports that while it's not a crisis yet blood donations have been down 10% in the month of June, and the Red Cross is asking people to donate if they can.
48811691
submission
symbolset writes:
Apparently Australians have come up with the brilliant idea that if you don't want to be eaten by a shark it's best to not go swimming in shark infested waters in a seal costume.
48640655
submission
symbolset writes:
Discovery News is covering a project by two engineers from the University of Michigan to pair cubesats with tiny ion engines for inexpensive interplanetary exploration. The tiny plasma drive called the CubeSat Ambipolar Thruster (CAT) will ionize water and use it as propellant with power provided by solar cells. In addition to scaling down the size of ion engines they hope to bring down the whole cost of development and launch to under $200,000.
47914897
submission
symbolset writes:
Ars is reporting that Microsoft XBox One Kinect will not work on Windows PCs. It uses a proprietary connector and an adaptor will not be available. If you want Kinect for your PC you will need to buy a "Kinect for Windows" product. Although the Kinect 1.0 for XBox 360 also had a proprietary connector it came with a USB adaptor for compatibility with older versions of the 360 that lacked the new proprietary port and PC compatibility was quickly hacked up by third parties.
47727909
submission
symbolset writes:
While some might liken the deal to the Empire joining up with the Trade Federation, there may be some interesting outcomes for this one. On Monday Microsoft and Oracle are expected to announce a "cloud" partnership". Although the two companies often seem to be at odds two of their founders — Bill Gates and Larry Ellison — are partners in charity in the "giving pledge." Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship, or an alliance of axis powers?
47727725
submission
symbolset writes:
Last Thursday Samsung took the cover off their new Android powered replaceable lens camera, the Galaxy NX. At 20.3 megapixels with an APS-C sensor it's going to be a nice midrange camera, though pricing and availability have not been announced. It has native 1080p/25 fps capability and Google's VP8 codec built in. While full Android is perhaps overkill for a camera the innate programmability of such an imaging platform lends itself to some fringe photography uses like amateur astrophotography and special effects. What would you use it for?
47727355
submission
symbolset writes:
Windows tablets aren't doing well for about 18 years running. Last week Samsung — maker of about half of all Android devices — offered a potential cure: A Windows tablet with Android. Pricing is not yet announced. An interesting question though: is Android capability enough to lift Windows tablets into the mainstream? What say you?
47726981
submission
symbolset writes:
Many pages have been shared here and in the popular press about Google Fiber, including some saying it is an experiment doomed to be limited, and Google saying they have found their experiment profitable and are focusing on it as a business now. On Thursday night the Lee's Summit city council passed three resolutions to welcome Google Fiber to their community. This is the 12th community in the Kansas City Metro Area to welcome Google Fiber and the 14th city overall. The KC map now covers almost all of the KC metro area with parts in both Kansas and Missouri. 8 months into the rollout two fiberhoods have been completed, 30 more are under way and 50 more are to start by the end of summer. This covers most of the territory of both Kansas Citys ahead of schedule and completes before the end of winter so the timeline has been accelerated. As Google runs their fiber across town it appears they're putting backbones down the major thoroughfares to be trunks out to the wider communities. With Provo wired with fiber already, Austin to start next it looks like Google Fiber's ambitions are not to just to deliver their symmetric gigabit uncapped, unfiltered, inexpensive fiber Internet to just a few privileged enclaves. They still have over 1,000 cities left to go who have already petitioned to be Google Fiber cities so it's not like they're going to run out of work.
47725797
submission
symbolset writes:
Most of you know about Planetary Resources, the asteroid mining company, and their Kickstarter campaign in the finest spirit of Heinlein's "The Man Who Sold the Moon". The campaign has reached its minimum $1M goal to get funded with eight days left to go. In celebration PR's CEO and Chief Asteroid Miner Chris Lewicki does an interview with Forbes where he discusses the future opportunities, the potential pitfalls, and the unlimited potential of private sector space exploitation. It's well worth the read. Planetary Resources' kickstarter has some worthy stretch goals that are well worth looking at, and the sort of supporter premiums that many /.'ers will not want to miss. Only $175,000 more and they get a second ground station, at $2M they add exoplanet search capability. Both of these stretch goals are within reach.
