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Robotics

Voltron-Like Modular Robot Demonstrated 84

Posted by Zonk from the i'll-form-the-sense-of-self-entitlement dept.
MattSparkes writes "The 'Superbot', a modular robot that transforms itself into different shapes in order to walk, crawl and clamber up inclines, has been demonstrated in at the University of Southern California. Each bot module is effectively a robot in its own right, and can move independently, flip over and rotate like wheels. They also have 3D accelerometers that let them know their precise orientation. The six sides of each module can dock with any other module. Once connected, the modules can communicate, coordinate shape changes and even transmit power. The bot's creators hope it will make a great working companion for places like, say, the Moon. Or Mars."
Toys

Submission + - FCC drops morse code requirement for amateur radio

Submitted by
balloonpup
balloonpup writes: "On February 23, 2007, the FCC dropped all requirements to learn Morse Code (warning, PDF) for all amateur license classes. All existing technicians will be upgraded to tech-plus privileges, and many others who have taken the General or Extra class written tests will be automatically updated to those classes without the code. More information can be found at the Amateur Radio Relay League's website."
The Internet

Submission + - Surfing Covertly in the Plain Sight

Submitted by
jazzu
jazzu writes: "Are you working in one of those annoying open floor plan offices, where the Boss can observe anything and anyone without you noticing it? Need to check the latest gossip on Slashdot, but he's hovering over you because of the approaching TPS report deadline? Well, here's a solution: hide it in the plain open masked as a Word 2003 document. Nothing discourages curious onlookers like reams of text in a plain old word processor."
Toys

Submission + - Open Alternative to the iPhone?

Submitted by schlick
schlick writes: When I watched the iPhone presentation I was pretty impressed. When I found out that it will only be available on the Cingular/Att network that pretty much killed any enthusiasim I had for the device. The fact that it is a closed platform is just another nail in the coffin. Despite what Jobs says, most of us geeks know that open==good. So what is the alternative? How about the OpenMoko Neo 1973? Sean Moss-Pultz explains the phone and some of the philosophy behind it. Their home page says they will be shipping devices this month, but I don't think that is likely. Open hardware, Open software, what's not to like?
Windows

Submission + - Vista network folder hell

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: A reader at The Register has reported that there are issues with renaming folders or files created on network drives with Vista. The affected systems contain pre-installed editions of Vista shipped on new PCs and Laptops. A number of manufacturers are affected and these issues have been reported in this thread on Microsoft's Technet forum well before Vista shipped to retail channels.
PlayStation (Games)

Submission + - UK gamers charged more for inferior PS3

Submitted by
Jagdeep Poonian
Jagdeep Poonian writes: "It appears as though Sony is laying the smack down on it's European launch: "British gamers wanting to get their hands on the new Playstation 3 will have to pay £100 more than their American counterparts for an inferior machine. Sony today announced that the European version of its games console will only play a "limited number" of old Playstation 2 titles when it goes to sale next month.The American model, in contrast, has much better "backwards compatibility" and plays almost all the old Playstation games.The revelation has infuriated British computer games enthusiasts who say they are repeatedly treated like second class citizens by Sony." URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/ne ws/2007/02/23/nplaystation123.xml Go Sony, Go? I don't think this will vibe well with the gamers of Europe. Hmm."
Red Hat Software

Submission + - IBM won't support Unbreakable Linux

Submitted by
head_dunce
head_dunce writes: "It looks like IBM is making Oracle back up their support claim for Unbreakable Linux. From the article, "This means that if IBM software programs turn out to be incompatible with Oracle Enterprise Linux, then it will be up to Oracle — and not IBM — to resolve the issue," said IBM spokesman Matthew McMahon.

Will this force Oracle's Unbreakable Linux to be tested for compatibility certifications?"
Operating Systems

Converting Desktops to Thin Clients? 110

Posted by Cliff from the cyclic-nature-of-IT dept.
tfiedler asks: "I manage about 3500 desktop computers and was recently asked by my CIO to begin looking into thin client computing, something like WYSE terminals. I'd like to know, what are some good functional, and more importantly, manageable options to convert existing desktop computers into what would essentially be a Citrix terminal? I was thinking some brand of Linux that starts up an X11 session, starts the Citrix client and connects to our server farm. The user would see a Windows logon, our apps would function as normal and I'd get the benefit of performing a LOT LESS client-side maintenance. Any suggestions?"
PC Games (Games)

Submission + - Dystopia Version 1: HL2 Mod Releases Full Version

Submitted by
ReK_42
ReK_42 writes: "After more than 3 years of work, the full release of the cyberpunk Half-Life 2 mod Dystopia has arrived. Some of you may remember playing the demo release last year. While gameplay is very similar, many details have been changed and much has been added. With 7 assault-style maps, version 1 offers many new experiences. Including a new for-fun game mode that manages to combine football and hydraulic fists, the map total becomes 11. I highly suggest you try out this mod, especially since it's free as long as you own a Source engine game such as CS:Source or HL2. http://www.dystopia-game.com/"
Announcements

Submission + - Creative Commons Licenses Version 3.0 Released

Submitted by
lithis
lithis writes: "A new version of the Creative Commons licenses has been released. What's new: “we have spun off the "generic" license to be the CC US license and created a new generic license ... we are ensuring that all CC jurisdiction licenses and the CC unported license have consistent, express treatment of the issues of moral rights and collecting society royalties ... [the license now explicitly declares that] a person may not misuse the attribution requirement of a CC license to improperly assert or imply an association or relationship with the licensor or author ... licenses will now include the ability for derivatives to be relicensed under a "Creative Commons Compatible License" ... the licenses include minor clarifications to the language of the licenses to take account of the concerns of Debian and MIT.”"
Google

Submission + - With Google Apps, It's Game On

Submitted by
w1z4rd
w1z4rd writes: "The Economic Time's reports that when Google released its Google Apps Premier Edition, it sent a clear message to Microsoft that the market for office software was up for grabs. What remains to be seen are how Microsoft will respond, whether users will adopt Google's offerings in significant enough numbers, and how the competitive landscape may unfold over the next few years."

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We gave you an atomic bomb, what do you want, mermaids? -- I. I. Rabi to the Atomic Energy Commission

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