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The Internet

Submission + - Google Building Its Own !0 Gig Ethernet Switches (datacenterknowledge.com)

Submitted by
1sockchuck
1sockchuck writes: "Google is now building its own energy-efficient 10 Gigabit Ethernet switches for its data centers, expanding its program to use customized software and hardware to improve the power and efficiency of its back-end operations. Google already builds its own servers and power supplies, and uses customized operating system and web server software. Google's switch development was unearthed by analyst Andrew Schmitt, who says that Google's switch development efforts could have a disruptive impact on the market for 10GbE switching equipment. It also explains reports that Google has been hiring staff from Cisco."
Social Networks

Submission + - 13 Year Old Girl Ended Her Life Over Myspace Relat (xuecast.com)

Submitted by
XueCast
XueCast writes: "Megan Meier, a 13 year old adolescent girl from Florida, USA, was suffering from and had been in medication for Children Clinical Depression and Attention Deficit Disorder, so the world was a much brighter place for her when she met a cute teenager boy by the name of Josh, who contacted her Myspace personal profile, and started exchanging messages with Megan for more than a month. What Megan didn't know and probably would never found out, that Josh is a fake Myspace profile made by Megan's former friends with an intention " to screw with her ". The identity of the former friends are still yet to released to the public."
Space

Submission + - French Threat to ID Secret US Satellites (beskerming.com)

Submitted by
SkiifGeek
SkiifGeek writes: "Space.com has reported that the French have identified numerous objects in orbit that do not appear in the ephemeris data reported by the US Space Surveillance Network. Since the US has claimed that if it doesn't appear in the ephemeris data, then it doesn't exist, and the French claim that at least some of the objects have solar arrays, it seems that the French have found secret US satellites.

While the French don't plan to release the information publicly, they are planning to use it as leverage to get the US to suppress reporting of sensitive French satellites in their published ephemeris.

The Graves surveillance radar (the French system) and a comparable German system may form the basis of a pan-European Space Surveillance network — another system that the Europeans don't want to rely on the US for."
Red Hat Software

Airbus 380 To Have Linux In Every Seat 332

Posted by kdawson from the no-access-to-the-tubes-though dept.
jpatokal writes "Singapore Airlines will be rolling out the A380 superjumbo on October 26th, and a surprise awaits in the seat of every passenger: their personal Linux PC, running Red Hat. In addition to running the in-flight entertainment, passengers can also use a full copy of StarOffice, and there's a USB slot for importing/exporting documents or plugging in your own keyboard/mouse. Screen size is 10.6" (1280x768) in economy, 15.4" in business and a whopping 23" in first class (along with free noise-canceling headphones). The system is already available on current B777-300ER planes and will also be outfitted on the upcoming B787 Dreamliners."
Space

Submission + - Great 'cosmic nothingness' found (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by hsdpa
hsdpa writes: BBC.com writes:

Astronomers have found an enormous void in space that measures nearly a billion light-years across.
It is empty of both normal matter — such as galaxies and stars — and the mysterious 'dark matter' that cannot be seen directly with telescopes. [...] But the void discovered by a University of Minnesota team is about 1,000 times the volume of what would be expected in typical cosmic gaps. [...] 'If you were to travel at the speed of light, it would take you several years to get to the nearest stars in our own Milky Way galaxy; but if you were to go to this hole and enter one side, you'd have to travel for a billion years before you would get to the other side,' he told BBC News.
Spam

Submission + - UN website defaced (un.org)

Submitted by hsdpa
hsdpa writes: The website was defaced at early Sunday, and the problem is yet not fixed.
The site is Ban Ki-Moon's place for statements etc. I haven't been able to find an article about the incident in English, yet.

The deface-statement reads: "Hacked By kerem125 M0sted and Gsy That is CyberProtest Hey Ýsrail and Usa dont kill children and other people Peace for ever No war".
Intel

Twenty Five Intel CPU Coolers Tested 123

Posted by CowboyNeal from the unseasonably-warm-this-year dept.
Kez writes "Over recent years coolers have grown increasingly exotic in design, striving for good cooling performance and low noise even with the most power hungry of CPUs. But sometimes that comes at a price, be it straining the motherboard's socket to its limit, or the wallets of PC enthusiasts. Investigating which coolers do their job well without snapping your motherboard in two, HEXUS.net reviews 25 LGA775 coolers."
Space

Submission + - Monstrous Star Explosion

Submitted by hsdpa
hsdpa writes: Scientists have detected a stellar explosion that is the brightest and most energetic ever recorded, and which could be the first evidence of a new type of supernova fueled by an antimatter engine. The "SN 2006gy" explosion occurred in a galaxy 240 million light-years away, called NGC 1260, and was 100 times more energetic than typical supernovas. It was detected in September 2006 using ground-based telescopes and NASA's Chandra X-ray space observatory. It brightened slowly for 70 days, and at its peak emitted more than 50 billion Suns worth of light-shining 10 times brighter than its host galaxy-before dimming slowly. Most supernovas reach peak brightness in days to a few weeks.
Censorship

Digg.com Attempts To Suppress HD-DVD Revolt 1142

Posted by kdawson from the toothpaste-back-in-the-tube dept.
fieryprophet writes "An astonishing number of stories related to HD-DVD encryption keys have gone missing in action from digg.com, in many cases along with the account of the diggers who submitted them. Diggers are in open revolt against the moderators and are retaliating in clever and inventive ways. At one point, the entire front page comprised only stories that in one way or another were related to the hex number. Digg users quickly pointed to the HD DVD sponsorship of Diggnation, the Digg podcast show. Search digg for HD-DVD song lyrics, coffee mugs, shirts, and more for a small taste of the rebellion." Search Google for a broader picture; at this writing, about 283,000 pages contain the number with hyphens, and just under 10,000 without hyphens. There's a song. Several domain names including variations of the number have been reserved. Update: 05/02 05:44 GMT by J : New blog post from Kevin Rose of Digg to its users: "We hear you."
United States

Submission + - SF fire proves official WTC collapse explanation?

Submitted by sn00ker
sn00ker writes: As was widely reported by numerous agencies, a petrol tanker crashed into a freeway bridge in San Francisco and the subsequent fire caused a section to collapse within 25 minutes.

One of the core tenets of WTC conspiracy theory is that a simple petroleum-products fire could not cause sufficient structural weakness to have caused the towers to collapse. However, this incident seems to prove otherwise. Another nail in the conspiracy coffin, or more grist for the mill?
Star Wars Prequels

Submission + - Robot Chicken: Star Wars coming to Adult Swim

Submitted by wild_berry
wild_berry writes: Mark Hammill and George Lucas are working together again, and on Star Wars. Better than that, a Star Wars spoof. The London Times is reporting that the unusually-long 30-minute episode of Robot Chicken for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim grew from discussions about a Star Wars-themed Robot Chicken sketch on StarWars.com. Also, TheForce.net has more details of other cast members, including the unusual combination of Malcolm McDowell, Hulk Hogan and James Van Der Beek. There's no mention of the roles, so we can only hope for The Hulk voicing Greedo, perhaps slain by Malcolm McDowell's replicant Han Solo.
Patents

Submission + - BelAir Networks patent wi-fi mesh ..

Submitted by
rs232
rs232 writes: "'The wireless infrastructure of London's new Wi-Fi network relies on "mesh technology" developed by BelAir. In all, the London Wi-Fi mesh consists of 127 nodes that have been built into existing lamp posts and street signs. As users move around the city under the Wi-Fi mesh, each node hands off data to or from the node nearest the user'

http://www.mobile-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story _id=51748

USP 7,164,667 Jan 16 2007

'A wireless network using nodes that perform both distribution and backhaul functions is provided .. Each node contains a distribution wireless module which is wirelessly coupled to the wireless end user device using a point to multipoint scheme. Also integrated into each node is at least one backhaul wireless module with a directional wireless antenna. Each backhaul wireless module communicates by way of a point to point wireless link with the backhaul module of one other node'

http://snipurl.com/1iqw6
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PT O1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fs rchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=7164667.PN.&OS=PN/71646 67&RS=PN/7164667

—

ethernet + adaptive wireless data relay, where's the innovation ?"

Feed New law could save internet radio (theregister.com)

From feed by registerfeed
Congress looks to overturn crushing royalty ruling

A law has been proposed in the US Congress that would overturn a recent ruling on internet radio royalty payments. The bill could save internet radio, according to activists.
The Internet

Journal Journal: NY Doctor finds way to get Google ads free

Journal by quimex

This may come as a SHOCK to many, but after all these years with Google selling pay-per-click advertising, a New York medical doctor comes forward and admits that he's never paid for any of his now more than $87 million in otherwise paid-for advertising.

In fact last year alone he got over $26.7 million in pay-per-clicks free at all the TOP search engines like Google, Yahoo, Overture, etc.

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