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Submission + - Mobile Carriers Impose Handicaps on Smartphones (technologyreview.com) 1

Submitted by
Nrbelex
Nrbelex writes: "A team at the University of Michigan and Microsoft Research has uncovered, for the first time, the frequently suboptimal network practices of more than 100 cellular carriers.

By recruiting almost 400 volunteers to run an app on their phones that probes a carrier's networks, the team discovered, for example, that one of the four major U.S. carriers is slowing its network performance by up to 50 percent. They also found carrier policies that drained users' phone batteries at an accelerated rate, and security vulnerabilities that could leave devices open to complete takeover by hackers."

Submission + - Google and Verizon in Talks to Prioritize Traffic (nytimes.com)

Submitted by
Nrbelex
Nrbelex writes: "Google and Verizon are nearing an agreement that could allow Verizon to speed some online content to Internet users more quickly if the content’s creators are willing to pay for the privilege... Any agreement between Verizon and Google could also upend the efforts of the Federal Communications Commission to assert its authority over broadband service, which was severely restricted by a federal appeals court decision in April.... People close to the negotiations who were not authorized to speak publicly about them said an agreement could be reached as soon as next week. If completed, Google, whose Android operating system powers many Verizon wireless phones, would agree not to challenge Verizon’s ability to manage its broadband Internet network as it pleased."

Submission + - 10% of U.S. Energy from Old U.S.S.R. Nukes (nytimes.com)

Submitted by Nrbelex
Nrbelex writes: The New York Times reports that about 10 percent of electricity generated in the United States, comes from fuel from dismantled nuclear bombs, mostly Russian. 'It's a great, easy source' of fuel, said Marina V. Alekseyenkova, an analyst at Renaissance Bank and an expert in the Russian nuclear industry that has profited from the arrangement since the end of the cold war. But if more diluted weapons-grade uranium isn't secured soon, the pipeline could run dry, with ramifications for consumers, as well as some American utilities and their Russian suppliers.'

Submission + - Trojan Kill Switches & the Israeli Attack on S (nytimes.com) 1

Submitted by Nrbelex
Nrbelex writes: The New York Times reports in this week's Science section that hardware and software trojan kill switches are an increasing concern, and may have already been used. 'A 2007 Israeli Air Force attack on a suspected partly constructed Syrian nuclear reactor led to speculation about why the Syrian air defense system did not respond to the Israeli aircraft. Accounts of the event initially indicated that sophisticated jamming technology was used to blind the radars. Last December, however, a report in an American technical publication, IEEE Spectrum, cited a European industry source in raising the possibility that the Israelis might have used a built-in kill switch to shut down the radars. Separately, an American semiconductor industry executive said in an interview that he had direct knowledge of the operation and that the technology for disabling the radars was supplied by Americans to the Israeli electronic intelligence agency, Unit 8200.'

Comment What's up with Alzheimer's and helmets? (Score 1) 201

by Nrbelex (#22191390) Attached to: Scientists Claim Infrared Helmet Could Reverse Alzheimer's Symptoms
Interesting... similarly... "New technology developed by Emory and Georgia Tech researchers could aid the early identification of people susceptible to Alzheimer's disease. A portable device called Detect may provide an easier, less expensive way to test for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which often leads to Alzheimer's. The test could provide potential Alzheimer's patients the chance to slow the disease's progress with medication before serious symptoms set in." Check out the nearly identical picture.
Social Networks

Submission + - Facebook Retreats on Online Tracking (nytimes.com)

Submitted by
Nrbelex
Nrbelex writes: "Faced with its second mass protest by members in its short life span, Facebook, the enormously popular social networking Web site, is reining in some aspects of a controversial new advertising program .... Late yesterday the company made an important change, saying that it would not send messages about users' Internet activities without getting explicit approval each time."
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft to Pay 240 Million for Stake in Facebook (nytimes.com)

Submitted by Nrbelex
Nrbelex writes: The New York Times is reporting that "Microsoft has won a high-profile technology industry battle with Google and Yahoo to invest in the social networking upstart Facebook. Microsoft will invest $240 million for a 1.6 percent stake in the company, said Adam Sohn, a director in Microsoft's online services group. The investment values the three-year-old Facebook, which will bring in about $150 million in revenue this year, at $15 billion. "
Linux Business

Submission + - The New York Times: The Next Leap for Linux (nytimes.com)

Submitted by
Nrbelex
Nrbelex writes: "The New York Times is taking a look at the state of Linux. "Linux has always had a reputation of being difficult to install and daunting to use. Most of the popular Windows and Macintosh programs cannot be used on it, and hand-holding — not that you get that much of it with Windows — is rare. But those reasons for rejecting Linux are disappearing." The article discusses major PC makers' newest offers and compares them to their Windows counterparts. "Thanks to open source developers, there are thousands more free programs. An Add/Remove function actually makes finding programs easier with Linux than it is for Mac and Windows." The article concludes stating, "After using the operating system for writing, Web surfing, graphic editing, movie watching and a few other tasks, it is easy to conclude that Linux can be an alternative to the major operating systems. But since common tasks like watching a movie or syncing an iPod require hunting for and installing extra software, Linux is best for technically savvy users or for people whose needs are so basic that they will never need anything other than the bundled software.""
Hardware Hacking

Submission + - Reshaping the Architecture of Memory

Submitted by Nrbelex
Nrbelex writes: Stuart S. P. Parkin, an I.B.M. research fellow largely unknown outside a small fraternity of physicists, thinks he is poised to bring about a breakthrough that could increase the amount of data stored on a chip or a hard drive by a factor of a hundred. If he proves successful in his quest, he will create a "universal" computer memory, one that can potentially replace dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, and flash memory chips, and even make a "disk drive on a chip" possible. It could begin to replace flash memory in three to five years, scientists say.
Google

Submission + - Google Set to Bid $4.6 Billion for Airwaves

Submitted by Nrbelex
Nrbelex writes: The Associated Press (via the New York Times) is reporting that "Google said today that it would bid at least $4.6 billion on wireless airwaves being auctioned off by the federal government — if certain conditions are met. The Internet search company wants the Federal Communications Commission to mandate that any winners lease a certain portion of the airwaves to other companies seeking to offer high-speed Internet and other services. Such a provision, Google argues, will give consumers — who traditionally get high-speed Internet access via cable or telephone lines — a third option for service."
Google

Submission + - Google Purchases GrandCentral: Web Phone Service (nytimes.com)

Submitted by Nrbelex
Nrbelex writes: Bloomberg News via the New York Times is reporting that Google has purchased GrandCentral. 'Google said yesterday that it had bought GrandCentral Communications, acquiring a service that lets people use a single number for all their phones.... GrandCentral users can.. create a single mailbox, accessible over the Internet, for all their phone messages, Google said on its Web site.... GrandCentral, based in Fremont, Calif., was founded in 2005 by Craig Walker and Vincent Paquet, two executives who worked for Dialpad Communications, a Web phone company that was acquired by Yahoo in 2005.'

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