7314526
submission
siddesu writes:
Compelling new data that chemical and fossil evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars was carried to Earth in a Martian meteorite is being elevated to a higher plane by the same NASA team which made the initial discovery 13 years ago. Time to bow to our Marsian overlords?
6590501
submission
siddesu writes:
New study of storage technology by the former CTO of Seagate predicts that harddisks will remain the cheapest storage technology in the next decade and probably beyond.
4918225
submission
siddesu writes:
Herschel, the infra-red space telescope, opened its eyes on 14 June 2009, precisely one month after the launch. It carried out test observations labeled a 'sneak preview' making use of time initially allocated to 'thermal stabilization', following a request to attempt producing an early observational result.
Here's the first pictures and more.
2133815
submission
siddesu writes:
TV Asahi reports (video attached to the news clip, all in Japanese) that a Japanese neuroscience research institute has read images as they are processed by the brain for the fist time in history. The video shows pictures being shown to a subject and the reading of the images in the brain by a scanner developed by the institute. The researchers expect to perfect the technology so that it reads dreams and images in the near future.
(The scoop is a rough translation of the news article)
The site of the institute: http://www.cns.atr.jp/indexE.html
Video: mms://wmt-od.stream.ne.jp/tv-asahi/tv-asahia/news/0703/wmt/20081211-181211004-563-300.wmv?now=20081211185155_300k
1887819
submission
siddesu writes:
BBC mentions briefly that EU police will perform remote searches of suspect computers as a part of an EU plan to tackle hi-tech crime. "The strategy encourages the much needed operational cooperation and information exchange between the Member States," said EC vice-president Jacques Barrot in a statement. Now, that is a crime prevention I can subscribe to.
1752507
submission
siddesu writes:
BBC and other news agencies report that the most recent National Intelligence Council report suggests that by 2025 the influence of the US over the world will diminish, new powers — notably Brazil, India and China will emerge, and with the onset of global warming and new superpowers with diverging political values the world will become a more dangerous place, prone to conflicts in which nukes may be used. This is a much gloomier outlook on the world compared to the report from only two years ago. Dig that shelter and stock up on ammo where legal.
Link to the PDF report.
1228097
submission
siddesu writes:
For all people like me, who think skype is sort of secure against eavesdropping, here is a reminder from the real world:
"Citizen Lab, a group of Canadian human-rights activists and computer security researchers, has discovered a huge surveillance system in China that monitors and archives certain Internet text conversations that include politically charged words.
The system tracks text messages sent by customers of Tom-Skype, a joint venture between a Chinese wireless operator and eBay, the Web auctioneer that owns Skype, an online phone and text messaging service."
More is available from the BBC and the NYT, as well as on the site of Citizen Lab.
Citizen Lab:http://www.citizenlab.org/
BBC story:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7649761.stm
712957
submission
siddesu writes:
A new research by the Sanger institute suggests that the widely accepted view that brain power is a function only of size and that nerve cells are similar accross species is incorrect, and that complex brains depend not only on the number of neurons and connection, but also on the complexity and capabilities of its neurons.
The study compares proteins found in synapses accross many species and finds that in simpler organisms not only the brain size is different, but the number of proteins in their neurons is also significantly lower than that of animals with complex brains or humans.
This suggests that complex brains need more complex "hardware", and that the evolution from simple sensory "components" (as found in the various yeasts) to the complex neurons that build the human brain is similar to the development of computer hardware.
449616
submission
siddesu writes:
Intel has pulled out of the OLPC project, citing "philosophical differences". An Intel representative, Chuck Molly has commented that OLPC project has asked Intel to drop support for "rival" low-cost PC projects, including Classmate PC, and "to focus on the OLPC platform exclusively. At the end of the day, we decided we couldn't accommodate that request."
The OLPC has not yet commented on the story.
More available on the BBC site and here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119940537839566305.html
290203
submission
siddesu writes:
Nice high-level BBC overview of some technologies for surveillance developed in the US and the UK.
From the article:
"The US and UK governments are developing increasingly sophisticated gadgets to keep individuals under their surveillance. When it comes to technology, the US is determined to stay ahead of the game."
"But it [a through-the wall sensing device in development] will also show whether someone inside a house is looking to harm you, because if they are, their heart rate will be raised. And 10 years from now, the technology will be much smarter. We'll scan a person with one of these things and tell what they're actually thinking."
Time for developing the next generation tinfoil hats?
281119
submission
siddesu writes:
The U.S. House of Representatives passed Friday (Sept. 7) a sweeping and controversial patent reform bill. The bill (HR1908, available here) calls for the U.S. to shift from its first-to-invent to a first-to-file policy; aims to set limits on damages by tying them to the value of the patent itself; seeks to narrow the definition of willful infringement to cases where it can be demonstrated an infringer knew of the patent and used it anyway; and would also limit patent lawsuit venues to courts in jurisdictions where the infringement took place or where the parties do business. Finally, it would define a new and streamlined process for re-examining patents when they are challenged.
The bill is fiercely opposed by US IP lawyers and some large companies, but was welcomed by the Software and Information Industry Association.
127639
submission
siddesu writes:
Marxist revolution, WMDs, flashmobs and other sci-fi items are coming soon in a country near you, according to the UK Ministry of Defence and this article in the Guardian.
"Information chips implanted in the brain. Electromagnetic pulse weapons. The middle classes becoming revolutionary, taking on the role of Marx's proletariat. The population of countries in the Middle East increasing by 132%, while Europe's drops as fertility falls. "Flashmobs" — groups rapidly mobilised by criminal gangs or terrorists groups.
This is the world in 30 years' time envisaged by a Ministry of Defence team responsible for painting a picture of the "future strategic context" likely to face Britain's armed forces."
Perhaps now is the right time to stock on those electronic parts that you'll need for your robot army.
49108
submission
siddesu writes:
Wired story has it that MPAA (the protectors of honest and hungry artists worldwide) lobbied hard to stop an anti-fraud bill in California. The reason? 'We need to pose as someone other than who we are to stop illegal downloading'.
"The bill, SB1666, was written by state Sen. Debra Bowen, and would have barred investigators from making "false, fictitious or fraudulent" statements or representations to obtain private information about an individual. ... Victims would have had the right to sue for damages."
More: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72214-0.htm l?tw=rss.politics
43132
submission
siddesu writes:
There is a brief article on BBC news about Alcatel suing Microsoft for patent infringement. The story, quite thin on detail, goes on to say that "Alcatel has not revealed which Microsoft products it believes are in breach but says they relate to digital video and network communication." The battle of the titans for settlement cash could be fun to watch.
More here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6172214.stm