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Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft announces Multi-Touch coffee table

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: MacScoop reports: "Microsoft announced its first device which uses the Multi-Touch technology also present in the iPhone. It's not a digital media player, it's not a mobile phone, it's neither a TabletPC, it's a coffee table!" An impressive video on PopularMechanics.com demos the technology.
Censorship

Submission + - Norway to censor internet more than China?

Submitted by
nickull
nickull writes: "Gunnar Helliesen muses about the great firewall of Norway: "My country is going off the deep end. A Computer Crime Panel study group established by the Norwegian Government has issued a proposal to the Justice Department for a new law that would force all ISPs (Internet Service Providers) in Norway to actively censor the Internet. If this proposal were to become law, Norway would have stricter Internet censorship than China." more — http://archives.listbox.com/247/200702/0064.html"
It's funny. Laugh.

Submission + - Alvin slurp gun used to capture hermaphrodite

Submitted by Damien1972
Damien1972 writes: Researchers used an "Alvin Slurp Gun" to capture a hermaphroditic hagfish from a deep sea hydrothermal vent. It is the first time that a member of the jawless fishes (agnathans) has been captured from a hydrothermal vent site. Joe Jones of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, a scientist involved with the expedition, explained: "The Alvin slurp gun is a vacuum canister attached to the front of Alvin that is connected to a Tygon tube position in the front of Alvin. The specimens are suctioned through the tube and stored in a canister on the front of Alvin. It is usually used for collecting small sessile animals." Video of the capture is available.
Patents

Submission + - Congress Tackles Patent Reform

Submitted by nadamsieee
nadamsieee writes: Wired's Luke O'Brian recently reported about Congress' latest attempt to reform the patent system. In the article O'Brian tells of how "[w]itnesses at Thursday's hearing painted a bleak picture of that system. Adam Jaffe, a Brandeis University professor and author of a book on the subject, described the system as "out of whack." Instead of "the engine of innovation," the patent has become "the sand in the gears," he said, citing widespread fears of litigation." The House Oversight Committee website has more details. How would you fix the patent system?
Announcements

Submission + - Nanotech battery claims to solve electric car woes

Submitted by rbgrn
rbgrn writes: A123 Systems claims to have invented a Lithium Ion battery that not only can discharge at very high rates of current but can be recharged very quickly without damage to the cells or overheating. From their website: "A unique feature of A123Systems' M1 cells is their ability to charge to high capacity in 5 minutes or less. That's a significant improvement over traditional Li Ion, which typically requires more than 90 minutes to reach a similar level of charge." Using this technology, General Motors has announced a plug-in hybrid SUV and Venture Vehicles is developing a fully electric 3 wheel vehicle. Politics aside, the main technological hurdle to mass adoption of electric cars has been a fuel station replacement when driving distances beyond a single charge worth of range. Will we finally be seeing high current recharge stations in the next decade?
Robotics

Submission + - Robot snowblower lets Pennsylvania man relax

Submitted by davidwr
davidwr writes: A Pennsylvania man can take it easy while his robot snowblower does all the heavy lifting, er, blowing. It's basically a converted golf cart with a snowblower attachment, gear mods, and a remote-control hack. Is this the "must-have geek do-it-yourself-kit" for geeks in snow country next Christmas? Now if only the guys near Buffalo had a beowulf cluster of these babies last week....
Editor: Change icon to Monty Python Stomping Foot
Security

Submission + - Network Computing Editor Wins RSA Hacking Contest

Submitted by richkarpi
richkarpi writes: Network Computing's security editor won the recent RSA Interactive Testing Challenge, er hacking, contest. Read his blow-by-blow description of the events:

>>I squeaked out a win in the tie-breaking challenge the first day with only a few seconds to spare as my opponent was right behind
>>in the hunt to combine three injectable fields into one long javascript function.

Read all the details: For Hackers, By A Hacker
United States

Submission + - Detroit and the Big "Two"

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Yesterday, "The Economist" reports, "Now Daimler, chafing at Chrysler's mounting losses and slumping market share, is contemplating divorce." Today, investors awoke to interesting news. Marketwatch reports that General Motors is discussing, with DaimlerChrysler, the terms for purchasing the entire Chrysler group. Decades earlier, Chrysler had purchased American Motors. Now, GM will likely purchase Chrysler.

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