UnidentifiedCoward - Slashdot User

Feed 'Quantum Keys' Sent 200 Kilometers: New Long-distance Record (sciencedaily.com)

From feed by sdfeed on Friday June 01, 2007 @05:12PM

Particles of light serving as "quantum keys" -- the latest in encryption technology -- have been sent over a record-setting 200-kilometer fiber-optic link by scientists. The experiment, using mostly standard components and transmitting at telecommunications frequencies, offers an approach for making practical inter-city terrestrial quantum communications networks as well as long-range wireless systems using communication satellites.

Parallels 3.0 Announced, 3D Graphics Included 242

Posted by Zonk on Friday June 01, 2007 @05:04PM from the did-you-know-you-can-play-games-on-your-computer dept.

99BottlesOfBeerInMyF writes "For some time Mac users have been waiting to see who would bring 3D graphics to a Windows emulation/virtualization solution under OS X. It looks like Parallels is going to be the winner. They have announced an RC of Parallels 3.0, with the final to be available 'in a few weeks.' For anyone else tired of Bootcamp or rebooting to play a Windows game, it look like the solution is finally here; I'm not counting out VMWare entirely. Obviously it will depend on how soon they can catch up, but there is some serious first-mover advantage here for Parallels."

Submission + - Data and Mindstorms now in the Robot Hall of Fame

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 01, 2007 @05:00PM

An anonymous reader writes: For 2007, the Robot Hall of Fame has inducted Data from Star Trek: Next Generation. Of note, this is the first year the real robots outnumber the fictional ones. Also making the list is Lego Mindstorms robotics kit. Here is the Press Release.

Mission Could Seek Out Spock's Home Planet 173

Posted by Zonk on Friday May 11, 2007 @06:01PM from the green-blooded-sticks-in-the-mud-await dept.

An anonymous reader wrote with a link to the official Planet Quest site. Planet Quest has the goal of exploring the galaxy via sophisticated instrumentation for another habitable planet. NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab is working to plan out missions for the project, and researchers are now theorizing that the instruments may be able to explore the system of 40 Eridani. Hardcore Trek fans may know 40 Eridani as the star associated with the planet Vulcan. "The SIM PlanetQuest instrument will be so accurate, it could measure the thickness of a nickel at a distance from Earth to the moon. Using a set of mathematical models based on Newton's Laws, Tanner was able to conclude that SIM would be able to definitively determine whether there is an Earth-mass planet orbiting in the habitable zone around 40 Eridani A, and could also determine its orbit. This is quite an exciting prospect, since NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder mission, planned for launch after SIM, would not only be able to take a rudimentary 'picture' of the planet, but also could search for signatures of life such as methane and ozone."

Submission + - Nanotechnology memory to beat HardDisks?

Submitted by

stevedcc

on Friday May 11, 2007 @04:52PM

stevedcc writes: "A story at NewScientist discusses pushing magnetic regions along nanowires at 110 metres per second, 100 times faster than previously possible. This reduces mechanical parts and could result in much more robust storage devices."

Submission + - New Obviousness Standard Destroying Bad Patents

Submitted by

Stop Software Patents

on Friday May 11, 2007 @04:27PM

Stop Software Patents writes: "We finally have the first case citing the new standard of obviousness the Supreme Court created for patents via KSR v. Teleflex. In Leapfrog v. Fisher-Price, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit found that, although the specific combination of existing toy features Leapfrog patented had not been patented before, the combination did nothing that would not have been anticipated by someone skilled in the art of toymaking. The article goes on to say that this may indicate that many obvious internet patents, which closely mirror existing offline business practices, will soon become deservedly worthless."

FCC Commissioner Wants To Push For DRM 337

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Wednesday April 19, 2006 @10:42AM from the why-run-for-public-office-unless-you-can-force-your-views-on-others dept.

RareButSeriousSideEffects writes "Techdirt reports that 'Newest Commissioner Deborah Tate has apparently announced that while she knows its outside the FCC's authority, she's a huge fan of copy protection and hopes to use her new position as a "bully pulpit" on the topic.'"

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