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Nerdposeur (910128)

Nerdposeur
  (email not shown publicly)
http://www.nathanlongmusic.com/

Nerdposeur (910128)

  EU Commissioner Blasts Microsoft, Praises OSS[->] 2008-06-12 09:59 Nerdposeur

Submitted by Nerdposeur on Thursday June 12, @09:59AM
Nerdposeur writes "European Union competition commissioner Neelie Kroes sided strongly with open source software in a speech yesterday in Brussels, and cited security concerns for groups who use a single software supplier.



Ms. Kroes has fought bitterly with Microsoft over the last four years, accusing the company of defying her orders and fining it nearly 1.7 billion euros, or $2.7 billion, on the grounds of violating European competition rules. But her comments were the strongest recommendation yet by Ms. Kroes to jettison Microsoft products, which are based on proprietary standards, and to use rival operating systems to run computers.

'I know a smart business decision when I see one — choosing open standards is a very smart business decision indeed,' Ms. Kroes told a conference in Brussels. 'No citizen or company should be forced or encouraged to choose a closed technology over an open one.'
Could this be the year of Linux on the desktop... in Europe?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/technology/11soft.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
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 [+] submission, politics, software
Submitted by Nerdposeur on Friday May 09, @02:01PM
Google has announced that it will partner with several other companies to build a high-speed mobile data network.



The consortium includes a disparate group of partners: Sprint Nextel, Google, Intel, Comcast, Time Warner and Clearwire.

The partners have put the value of the deal at $14.5 billion, a figure that includes radio spectrum and equipment provided by Sprint Nextel and Clearwire, and $3.2 billion from the others involved.

They expect the network, which will provide the next generation of high-speed Internet access for cellphone users, to be built in as little as two years, but there is no timetable on when it will be available to users and the price is not determined. The partners are seeking to beat Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless to the market.


In a separate but related deal, Google will become the default search provider for Sprint, including having one-click search access and Google Maps pre-installed on some Sprint phones.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/technology/07sprint-web.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
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 [+] , mobile, wireless

  Google Looks to "White Space" Spectrum[->] 2008-03-25 09:53 Nerdposeur

Submitted by Nerdposeur on Tuesday March 25, @09:53AM
After maneuvering the major carriers into agreeing to open access rules via the recent spectrum auction, Google appears to be looking into a new area of spectrum that could provide internet connectivity.

In comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission, the Internet leader outlined plans for low-power devices that use local wireless airwaves to access the "white space" between television channels. A Google executive called the plan "Wi-Fi 2.0 or Wi-Fi on steroids."
Interestingly, Google has Microsoft, Intel, and others on their side in this one. Was this spectrum their target all along?
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSWAT00918220080324
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 [+] , tech, communications

  Science: Researchers Develop Self-Cleaning Clothes 2008-02-25 13:23

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday February 25, @01:23PM
from the your-washing-machine-is-pissed dept.
Ponca City, We Love You writes "Researchers at Monash University, in Australia, have found a process to coat natural fibers such as wool, silk, and hemp that will automatically remove food, grime, and even red-wine stains by coating their fibers with titanium dioxide nanocrystals, which break down food and dirt in sunlight. Titanium dioxide is a strong photocatalyst and in the presence of ultraviolet light and water vapor, it forms hydroxyl radicals, which oxidize, or decompose, organic matter. "These nanocrystals cannot decompose wool and are harmless to skin," says organic chemist and nanomaterials researcher Walid Daoud. Titanium dioxide can also destroy pathogens such as bacteria in the presence of sunlight by breaking down the cell walls of the microorganisms making self-cleaning fabrics especially useful in hospitals and other medical settings."

  NASA goes bargain basement with new satellite[->] 2007-11-21 12:18 coondoggie

Submitted by coondoggie on Wednesday November 21 2007, @12:18PM
NASA today said it has built a tiny, low-cost satellite it says will be ideal for adventure seekers or companies with high-tech space applications who need to get into space quickly and relatively inexpensively. The Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology SATellite (FASTSAT) is 39.5 inches in diameter — not much larger than an exercise ball. It is hexagonally shaped and clocks in at a little less than 200 Lbs. It can carry a payload up to 110 Lbs. http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/22160
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/22160
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 [+] , science, space, buyyourwayintospace
Submitted by Nerdposeur on Tuesday November 20 2007, @02:48PM
Nerdposeur writes "Scientists from Kyoto University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have independently a method for giving adult human skin cells the characteristics of embryonic stem cells. According to the New Scientist story,

Both teams used viruses to insert four genes comprising the transcription factors into skin cells, and demonstrated that brain, heart and other tissues could be created from cells created this way.
From the NPR story:

If the work holds true to its promise, it would largely bypass ethical issues that have dogged research on human embryonic stem cells. It could also allow scientists to tailor the cells to specific individuals, eliminating the possibility of rejection.
Could this put some of the ethical questions around stem cell research to rest?"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16456136
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 [+] submission, science, biotech, stemcells

  Your Rights Online: Best Buy Customer Gets Box Full of Bathroom Tiles Instead of Hard Drive 2007-10-29 16:02

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday October 29 2007, @04:02PM
from the newest-in-ceramic-drives dept.
The Consumerist is reporting that a Best Buy customer recently purchased a hard drive only to discover that the box contained six ceramic bathroom tiles instead of the Western Digital drive he had expected. The rub of it is Best Buy is refusing to grant a refund or exchange for the non-existent drive. "The employee and assistant manager were more than willing to help, saying that it happens. So they set up the return and I repurchased the drive and while I was checking the contents to ensure it was a hard drive this time, the store manager came up, took the box from me and said to take it up with the manufacturer. Now to my surprise, I argued with the guy saying that they have already accepted the return and I have now purchased the new one. He said I was shit out of luck. I followed up with the manufacturer today and they said they would get the complaint to the Best Buy Purchasing department. Best Buy corporate said that they stand by their manager's decision."
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 [+] story, yro, business, worstbuy, bestbuy, harddrive, assumedguilty

  Mickey Mouse infringed in 900 A.D.[->] 2007-06-15 13:54 Nerdposeur

Submitted by Nerdposeur on Friday June 15 2007, @01:54PM
Nerdposeur writes "Can the Disney copyrights trump this? The Discovery Channel reports on a Mickey Mouse look-alike that dates back to the Iron Age. Oddly enough, this thing is supposed to represent a lion.
From TFA:
"Similar shaped jewelry representing lions originated in France around 700 A.D.," he said. "After 200 years, some French artist, who probably never saw a lion in his entire life, came up with this fantasy version.""
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/06/15/mickey_arc.html?category=archaeology&guid=20070615090000&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000
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 [+] submission, science, media
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