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Submission + - Revisiting 5 open-source browsers (computerworld.com)

Submitted by bsk_cw
bsk_cw writes: Programmer Himanshu Arora tried out five open-source browsers to see whether they can still be competitive with such consumer-loved browsers such as Firefox and Chrome, and reports the results on Computerworld. While his tests showed that some of them aren't that much of an improvement, he liked the simplicity of several, and found at least one that he decided to adopt as his regular browser.

Submission + - Republican proposal puts 'national interest' requirement on US science agency (nature.com)

Submitted by ananyo
ananyo writes: Key members of the US House of Representatives are seeking to require the National Science Foundation (NSF) to justify every grant it awards as being in the “national interest”. The proposal, included in a draft bill from the Republican-led House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and obtained by Nature, would force the NSF to document how its basic science grants benefit the country.
The requirement is similar to one in a discussion draft circulated in April by committee chairman Lamar Smith (Republican, Texas). At the time, scientists raised concerns that ‘national interest’ was defined far too narrowly. The current draft bill provides a more expansive definition that includes six goals: economic competitiveness, health and welfare, scientific literacy, partnerships between academia and industry, promotion of scientific progress, and national defence.
But many believe that predicting the broader impacts of basic research is tantamount to gazing into a crystal ball. All scientists know it’s nonsense,” says John Bruer, president of James S. McDonnell Foundation and former co-chair of an NSF task force that examined requiring scientists to state the 'broader impacts' of their work in grant applications.

Submission + - The Feathered Threat to US Air Superiority 1

Submitted by Hugh Pickens DOT Com
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes: Mark Thompson writes in Time Magazine that Air Force pilots flying the T-38 Talon can rest easy, knowing that their cockpit canopy can survive hitting a 4-lb. bird at 190 mph. Unfortunately, the Northrop supersonic jet trainer has a top speed of 812 mph. “To my knowledge, the training planes are the only ones in the Air Force fast enough to make a bird strike lethal, and with a windshield too flimsy to deflect one,” wrote one Air Force pilot. Midair collisions between birds and Air Force aircraft have destroyed 39 planes and killed 33 airmen since 1973. That's why the USAF is seeking “comments and identify potential sources, materials, timeframe, and approximate costs to redesign, test, and produce 550 T-38 forward canopy transparencies to increase bird strike capability.” The move follows a T-38 crash on July 19 in Texas triggered by a canopy bird strike. “The current 0.23 inch thick stretched acrylic transparency can resist a 4-pound bird impact at 165 knots which does not offer a capability to resist significant bird impacts, and has resulted in the loss of six (6) aircraft and two pilot fatalities,” the service acknowledged. “Numerous attempts since 1970 were made to evaluate existing materials and redesign a transparency that could withstand a bird impact of 4 pounds at 400 knots.” Previous efforts have foundered because they’d require expensive cockpit modifications to the twin-engine, two-seat supersonic jet. “Although it would increase the level of bird impact protection,” the Air Force said, “the proposal was cancelled due to the high cost of the modification.”

Submission + - Preloaded Linux systems: Weighing the options (computerworld.com)

Submitted by bsk_cw
bsk_cw writes: While most Linux users choose to install their favorite distro themselves, there are some people who are too busy or too Linux-unfamiliar to do the install. For these users, a preloaded laptop may be the way to go. Serdar Yegulalp looks at the various ways you can purchase a Linux preload, investigates their pros and cons, and makes some recommendations if you can't do the install on your own.

Submission + - Battle of the media ecosystems: Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft (computerworld.com)

Submitted by bsk_cw
bsk_cw writes: Three writers take a long look at four major consumer tech ecosystems — Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft — and examine how well (or badly) they're serving up their media. JR Raphael (for Android), Preston Gralla (for Amazon and Microsoft) and Michael deAgonia (for Apple) talk about how each company approaches gaming, music, video, books, etc., and how each integrates all its parts into some kind of whole. The conclusion? That none of the four can be said to be the best in all things, but they're certainly trying.

Submission + - Coral-Repairing Robots Take a Step Closer to Reality (gizmag.com)

Submitted by Zothecula
Zothecula writes: Since humans are responsible for much of the damage to coral reefs, it makes sense that we should try and help repair them. That’s exactly what a team from the Herriot-Watt University’s Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology is attempting to do with the development of underwater “coralbots.” Now anyone can add their support to this worthy effort with the launch of a Kickstarter campaign that will help make the robots a reality.

Submission + - Why some U.S. homes and businesses still don't have cellular service (computerworld.com)

Submitted by bsk_cw
bsk_cw writes: Depending on the market doesn't always work if you're not considered commercially viable. There are still a number of rural areas in the United States that don't have wireless voice and/or data service — and as a result, they can't attract needed businesses. Computerworld's Matt Hamblen talks to the development official of one of these counties in West Virginia, and tries to find out what the government — and the carriers — are doing (or not doing) to provide these areas with adequate service.
Android

Submission + - The Evolution of the Tablet PC (cio.com)

Submitted by
Shaneco
Shaneco writes: "We live in explosively innovative times for tablet computing and mobile apps. But it didn't all happen overnight. Most attempts to build a tablet-like computer, going back to the '70s, were not successful. Yet every failure was a lesson learned that led us to the iPad. Here's a look back at how the modern tablet came to be."

Submission + - Joomla 3.0 review (computerworld.com)

Submitted by bsk_cw
bsk_cw writes: According to Computerworld reviewer Brian Proffitt, the release of Joomla 3.0 not only marks a new milestone for the seven-year-old open-source content management system, it also establishes a new goal for Joomla: the mobile platform.
Editorial

Submission + - War on Drugs vs 1920s alcohol prohibition [28 page comic] (stuartmcmillen.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The uncanny parallels between alcohol Prohibition and the ‘war on drugs’.

This 28 page comic by Stuart McMillen portrays the harm done to society as a result of Prohibition, and the echoes from today's drug laws.

Which of our drug problems come from the chemicals, and which of our problems come from the laws? McMillen's comic investigates.
AI

Submission + - How bee brains could inspire AI in flying robots (pcpro.co.uk)

Submitted by
Barence
Barence writes: "Researchers at two UK universities are trying to use the guidance systems and intelligence inside the brain of a bee to improve artificial intelligence in autonomous flying robots. The AI for autonomous controls has long troubled automation experts, but the scientists believe modelling their systems on brain power found in nature could solve many issues – especially given the rise of parallel computing in graphics processors, which can be repurposed to model brain patterns. PC Pro spoke to lead researcher James Marshall about the research."

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