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Submission + - Cast-off gadgets peek into new owners' lives (cnet.com)

Submitted by
Eric Smalley
Eric Smalley writes: "For the project, dubbed Backtalk, researchers sent refurbished Netbooks to developing countries via nonprofit organizations. They set up the computers to record location and pictures, and send the data home to MIT--with their new owners' consent... The MIT team used the data to build visual narratives about the computers' new lives."

Submission + - Geeky volunteer work? 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: I plan to be in-between jobs for 1-2 months later this year and use part of this time to do some volunteer work in Africa. My naive question: what to do and where to go? Is it possible to make good use of the skill-set of a typical geek? Any interesting projects worth supporting on-site?
Education

Submission + - Is the Master's Degree the New Bachelor's?

Submitted by
Hugh Pickens writes
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "Laura Pappano writes that the master's degree, once derided as the consolation prize for failing to finish a Ph.D. or just a way to kill time waiting out economic downturns, is now the fastest-growing degree with 657,000 awarded in 2009, more than double the level in the 1980's. Today nearly 2 in 25 people age 25 and over have a master’s, about the same proportion that had a bachelor’s or higher in 1960. “Several years ago it became very clear to us that master’s education was moving very rapidly to become the entry degree in many professions,” says Debra W. Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate Schools. “There is definitely some devaluing of the college degree going on,” adds Eric A. Hanushek, an education economist at the Hoover Institution, and that gives the master’s extra signaling power. “We are going deeper into the pool of high school graduates for college attendance,” making a bachelor’s no longer an adequate screening measure of achievement for employers. But some wonder if a master's is worth the extra effort? "In some fields, such as business or engineering, a graduate degree typically boosted income by more than enough to justify the cost," says Liz Pulliam Weston. "In others — the liberal arts and social sciences, in particular — master’s degrees didn’t appear to produce much if any earnings advantage.""
Facebook

Submission + - Official Facebook iPad App Leaked[How To Tutorial] (gizmocrazed.com)

Submitted by
Mightee
Mightee writes: "In the recent Facebook iPhone app update (version 3.4.4), it has been discovered that it contains a hidden code for the Facebook iPad app, which is expected to be released soon.(There is no official iPad app for Facebook released till now)

To make the app work and also to get rid of the web-only Facebook experience on your iPad before the official release, here is what you have to do:"
IBM

Submission + - What will graphene give us? (itpro.co.uk)

Submitted by
twoheadedboy
twoheadedboy writes: "With a silicon replacement needed, graphene looks like the most likely candidate. New research has suggested its capabilities are better than first thought, with the velocity of electrons in the material three times what was originally believed. So what is graphene and what will its benefits be in processors and in other technologies like touchscreen devices? We spoke to Daniel Elias, a University of Manchester researcher heavily involved in the graphene study, who is a tad excited about the material."
Crime

Submission + - Japanese Man Arrested for Storing Malware (net-security.org)

Submitted by Orome1
Orome1 writes: 38-year-old Yasuhiro Kawaguchi is the first person in Japan to get arrested for storing malware on his computer after the upper house’s Judicial Affairs Committee has confirmed the new anti-malware law passed by the Japanese parliament. The law considers the creation, distribution and storage of malware a crime punishable with up to three years in prison and a fine that could reach the sum of 500,000 yen ($6,200).

Submission + - Graphene to Redefine Future Computing (itproportal.com)

Submitted by hypnosec
hypnosec writes: A group of scientists have claimed that next generation computers made using Graphene will be faster than their silicon counterparts.

The scientists have found that electrons move faster in Graphene than they do in silicon. Graphene, the world’s thinnest material, was discovered by scientists at the University of Manchester in 2004.

Graphene, which is built with a single layer of carbon atoms, is also extremely flexible, which opens up more doors for technological advancements related to next generation computers.
Facebook

Submission + - Google+ invaded by multiple Mark Zuckerbergs (cnet.com)

Submitted by
Eric Smalley
Eric Smalley writes: "How many Zuckerbergs does it take to make a Google+? And how many of them can be fake or fleeting? In the past 24 hours, at least three profiles bearing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's name have appeared on Google+, Google's take on the social network: "Fake Zuckerberg," "Mark Zuckerberg" (started today), and "Mark Zuckerberg" (started yesterday)."
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft Becomes Android Patent Troll (muktware.com)

Submitted by muktware
muktware writes: Microsoft has signed its third patent deal with Onkyo. Microsoft seems to be playing the Android card to scare Android development as its own Windows Mobile seems to be going nowhere but down.

Microsoft has not been able to prove which patents Linux infringes upon, neither has it specified the patents which allegedly Android infringes upon. Yet, the company continues to threaten other companies to either sign the deal or face legal charges. Only few will have the guts to challenge the cash-rich Microsoft in the court.

Submission + - Robots can make us better people (silicon.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Author Brian Christian explains how intelligent robots make us better people by pushing the human brain to greater things...
Math

Submission + - Father of calculus and calculators born 365 years (i-programmer.info)

Submitted by mikejuk
mikejuk writes: Gottfried Leibniz, the German mathematician who developed the modern forms of differential and integral calculus was born in Leipzig on July 1, 1646. However he also deserves recognition for his contribution to computer technology.

Submission + - Common Sense in Copyrights (torrentfreak.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: "Entertainment industry lobby groups often describe file-sharers as thieves who refuse to pay for any type of digital content. But not everyone agrees with this view. Swedish telecom giant Ericsson sees copyright abuse as the underlying cause of the piracy problem. In a brilliant article, Rene Summer, Director of Government and Industry Relations at Ericsson, explains how copyright holders themselves actually breed pirates by clinging to outdated business methods. The most vocal rightsholder groups would ideally turn the Internet into a virtual police state, and at the other end of the spectrum there are groups that want to abolish copyright entirely."
Handhelds

Submission + - Fingertip mouse fits on a ring (cnet.com)

Submitted by
Eric Smalley
Eric Smalley writes: "The MicroPointing touchpad works by detecting the force your fingertip produces as it drags across the tiny device's three sensors, according to the company's patent application. The sensors are mounted on tiny posts spaced a few tenths of a millimeter apart--less than the size of a ridge on your fingertip."

Submission + - Woman arrested for filming police in Rochester NY (rt.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Another instance of police violating of an American citizen's civil liberties has occurred in Rochester, NY. A woman records a routine traffic stop on her video camera, from the front lawn of her property, only to be put in cuffs and arrested by police who felt a citizen's oversight of their activity is punishable by law. The frequency of similar types of events are on the rise... My gut tells me it is only a matter of time before the supreme court is judging the constitutionality of recording a police force.

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