68742
story
Giorgio Maone writes
"The New York Times article 'Tips for Protecting the Home Computer' follows a story we recently discussed about the proliferation of botnets, and contains some statements which may sound quite unusual from mainstream press, especially if targeted to home users: 'Using a non-Windows-based PC may be one defense against these programs, known as malware ... Alternative browsers, like Firefox and Opera, may insulate users ... NoScript, a plug-in utility, can limit the ability of remote programs to run potentially damaging programs on your PC'."
68722
submission
HarveyTheWonderBug writes:
An international team of astronomers has created the first three-dimensional map of the large-scale distribution of dark matter in the universe [Nature]. Using 575 orbits of Hubble Space Telescope time, they have observed a 2 square degree region of the sky and determined the shape of half a millon of galaxies [NASA] [ESA]. Using weak lensing techniques [Wikipedia], they have determined the distribution of dark matter in this patch of the universe. From the press release:
This new map provides the best evidence to date that normal matter, largely in the form of galaxies, accumulates along the densest concentrations of dark matter. The map reveals a loose network of filaments that grew over time and intersect in massive structures at the locations of clusters of galaxies...
Researchers created the map using the Hubble's largest survey to date of the universe, the Cosmic Evolution Survey, otherwise known as
COSMOS. The survey covers an area of sky nine times the area of the Earth's moon. This allows for the large-scale filamentary structure of dark matter to be evident. To add 3-D distance information, the Hubble observations were combined with multicolor data from powerful ground-based telescopes, Europe's
Very Large Telescope in Chile, Japan's
Subaru telescope in Hawaii, the U.S.'s
Very Large Array radio telescope, New Mexico, as well as the European Space Agency's orbiting
XMM-Newton X-ray telescope.
68674
story
WindBourne writes
"While Ford wants to simply offer cosmetic changes to automobiles interiors and exteriors, General Motors has finally gotten the message about electric autos. They are about to introduce the Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid which gets 40 Miles on a charge, but has a generator that can keep the auto going up to 640 miles range. From a styling POV, it is not a tesla, but it is also not a focus or a pinto. From the Rocky article: 'GM did not release cost estimates but said they recognize the Volt's price will have to be competitive. Company Vice Chairman Robert Lutz said in a statement that more than half of Americans live less than 20 miles from their workplace and could go to work and back on a single charge.'"
68706
submission
Obvius writes:
The author of the Illuminatus! triology writes on his blog that doctors are giving him between two days and two months to live. Anyone wanting to send final messages to the great old man can do so at via his blog at http://www.robertantonwilson.blogspot.com/