Technical and other news from around the world to help you organize your day

esocid writes to tell us that researchers from Taiwan have created a new baseball cap complete with embedded -bio-signal monitoring system. The purpose was to give a neural interface that could be useful in everyday life. "The cap contains five embedded dry electrodes on the wearer's forehead, and one electrode behind the left ear, that acquire EEG signals. Then, the EEG signals are wirelessly transmitted to a data receiver, where they are processed in real-time by a dual-core processor. The BCI system includes Bluetooth transmission for distances of 10m or less (e.g., for driving applications), as well as RF transmission for distances up to 600m (e.g., for potential sports applications). Next, the processed signals are transmitted back to the cap, where the data can be stored, displayed in real-time on a screen, or be used to trigger an audio warning, if necessary."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Dr. Eggman writes "Oscar Pistorius, a 21-year-old South African double-amputee sprinter, has won his appeal filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This overturns a ban imposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations, and allows Mr. Pistorius the chance to compete against other able-bodied athletes for a chance at a place on the South African team for the Beijing Olympics. He currently holds the 400-meter Paralympic world sprinting record, but must improve on his time by 1.01 seconds to meet the Olympic qualification standard. However, even if Pistorius fails to get the qualifying time, South African selectors could add Oscar to the Olympic 1,600-meter relay squad."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The BBC is reporting that Sugar Labs is planning on taking "Sugar", the XO laptop's innovative interface, to the next level and distribute to a broader audience. "Sugar is a user interface that allows children to collaborate even when working on different machines. For example, they can write documents or make music together. The open source software also contains a journal and automatically saves and backs up all data. [...] Sugar Labs will work closely with developers from the open source community to develop the user interface for other computers and operating systems. It has already been bundled with the most recent releases of the Ubuntu and Fedora Linux operating systems."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

D Ninja writes "Yesterday, Lockheed Martin was awarded the $1.4 billion Air Force contract to build the next-generation global positioning satellite system. This occurred after a series of delays as the Air Force decided between Lockheed and the competing bidding contractor, Boeing Co. 'GPS III, will give new navigation warfare (NAVWAR) capabilities to shut off GPS service to a limited geographical location while providing GPS to US and allied forces. GPS III will offer significant improvements in navigation capabilities by improving interoperability and jam resistance. The procurement of the GPS III system is planned for multiple blocks, with the GPS IIIA portion currently underway. GPS IIIA includes all of the GPS IIF capability plus up to a ten-fold increase in signal power, a new civil signal compatible with the European Union's Galileo system, and a new spacecraft bus that will allow a growth path to future blocks.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

A Bill that could allocate more than $1 billion over the next eight years to combat those who trade in child pornography has been unanimously approved by a Senate panel. "The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted to send an amended version of the Combating Child Exploitation Act, chiefly sponsored by Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), to the full slate of politicians for a vote. [...] An amendment adopted Thursday also adds new sections to the original bill that would rewrite existing child pornography laws. One section is designed to make it clear that live Webcam broadcasts of child abuse are illegal, which the bill's authors argue is an "open question." Another change is aimed at closing another perceived loophole, prohibiting digital alteration of an innocent image of a child so that sexually explicit activity is instead depicted."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Stony Stevenson writes to tell us that in a recent interview, Marc Henauer has revealed that security researchers are falling behind now that malware is starting to be able to change its signature every few hours. "Unfortunately the know-how and construction kits used to create this shape-shifting threat are now readily available and are unleashing a wave of malware based on social engineering techniques. [...] Sweeney believes that a non rules-based monitoring process must be set up to defend all ingress and egress points covering SMTP, DNS, HTTP(s), IM etc."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Because open source code is freely distributable, anyone can take that code and create their own unique mutant mashup version of it any time they feel like it. Whether anyone else in the world will care about their crazy new version of the code is not at all clear, but that's not the point. If someone wants it bad enough, they can create it -- or pay someone else to create it for them. This is known as "forking". It's the very embodiment of freedom zero, and it's an essential part of every open source license.

For today, lets take a look at the improvements I have made on the code for Visual Graphing in JavaScript. You can play with the new code at the Grapher Beta Test Page. You will immediately notice that there is now a title and legend for the graph, and extra buttons beneath the graph.

Almost every time that someone shows me a snippet of their code, I hear a comment like this: * "This isn’t finished, I have a lot of cleanup to do" * "I wrote this code a long time ago, it’s not very good" * "Ignore all these bugs, I haven’t had time to fix them yet" We’ve all done it. It’s very rare that I hear a developer that is truly proud of their code.

The Alt.NET community has a new podcast. The first episode is a conversation with David Laribee, Jeremy D. Miller, and Chad Myers about continuously improving yourself, your code, and your team. Give it a listen!

In a recent mailing list thread Andrew Coppin complained of poor performance with "nice, declarative" code for computing the mean of a very large list of double precision floating point values

Recently, I've been reading Programming Collective Intelligence, which is a practical guide to machine learning algorithms, showing how to build a recommendation system, implement a search engine, classify documents, mine websites, use genetic algorithms and simulated annealing, and implement other machine learning tasks. The book shows how to implement each of these in surprisingly few lines of Python.

5 for Friday is a weekly list of blog articles compiled by Bits O' NewMedia. It links to the best of the web design related articles on the web.

Let me tell you about what I did yesterday. I set out to write a little HTTP proxy server that would transfer large (> 1GB) files to and from Amazon S3, doing a tiny bit of processing on the beginning of the data as it came through. Sounds pretty simple, right? You're probably thinking that's just a matter of gluing some HTTP libraries to some S3 libraries. I thought so too.

Here You can have a look on more thn 125 AIR apps link.Its a must for RIA and AIR developers...Look n Enjoy...

Highlighting some issues with the YAML editor that ships with NetBeans 6.1, which make it unusable for any serious YAML development.

We recently modified jQuery UI's Datepicker, created and maintained by jQuery UI contributor Mark Grabanski. Our version is optimized for quickly selecting a date from a list of preset dates/ranges, and we added smooth transitions when additional options are revealed.

The previous entry on one-man open source projects has talked about the development facet. Today, i’m going to talk about perhaps the most unappreciated and overlooked part of any project - the maintenance. It is my belief that if you want your project to become and stay successful, you must treat the maintenance part with utmost care and make sure that it receives all necessary resources, even much more so than the development does.

In his JavaOne talk this year, Josh Bloch gave some very useful tips about using enums in Java. Here is my take on enums, and how to use them to represent simple value lists which would otherwise be stored in code tables. This document is in two parts - Part one covers the basics of Java enums, and Part 2 goes into more advanced use cases such as using enums with Hibernate.

The hip team over at easyb.org has been diligently working towards a 1.0 release and recently added the notion of fixtures for stories; that is, the DSL has been updated to include: before_each and after_each. These constructs operate much the same as JUnit’s original fixtures in that code in the before_each closure is executed before each scenario and after_each, after.

A key feature of functional programming languages are their list data structures. In many languages the list can store items of disparate data types, and language provides a number of powerful primitives that manipulate these lists.

Is your Java Application Server clustered? Why not? It should be, and your reasons for NOT clustering have vanished, so there’s no excuse. Cluster. Now.

Software programmer Sara Chipps talks about the upside to a career in development: "smart is sexy" and "nerd are nice."

Here are some screen shots of the new themes for Firefox 3 for Vista, Linux, OS X and XP.

As young Japanese choose careers in better-paying fields like finance and medicine, it is an uphill battle recruiting the engineers needed by the country?s large digital technology industry.

Some argue that beating media piracy hinges on media companies offering more convenience and quality.

Yahoo?s chairman rejected accusations from the billionaire investor Carl C. Icahn that the company?s board had acted irrationally in rejecting a $47.5 billion takeover offer from Microsoft.

At $1.8 billion, Thursday?s deal for CNet by CBS is the biggest by far in its recent Internet expansion, making the network a bigger player in online media.

After years of conflict, Microsoft and the computing and education project One Laptop Per Child have reached an agreement that will put Windows on the organization?s computers.

The deal between Yahoo and WPP Group, the advertising holding company, will give WPP?s clients a broader swath of Web sites where they can aim their messages.

Broadcasters are working on mobile television technology, which will allow you next year to watch digital TV on the move.

A Missouri woman is accused of using a phony online identity to taunt a girl, who then committed suicide.

The cable broadband providers are slowing BitTorrent traffic at all times of the day, not just during peak traffic, according to a new study by a German computer research group.

Stickam, a live Webcam chat site, says hackers broke into a message board system and made off with users? e-mail addresses. Now those addresses are in the hands of spammers.

Vodafone is acquiring ZYB, a Danish company that has developed a social networking tool for backing-up and sharing contact and calendar information online.

Americans spent $1.23 billion on video games, hardware and accessories last month, even as the price of more essential items like food and gasoline soared.

This summer, both Apple and Research in Motion are expected to introduce new 3G smart phones which, while stylistically different, will compete ear-to-ear.

The wireless operator Orange said it has signed a deal with Apple to sell its iPhone in the Middle East, Africa and several European countries.

Can Wii Fit, born of a best-selling gaming console, revolutionize exercise? Five testers weigh in.

Greek officials said that they had sold a 3 percent stake in the country?s public telecommunications operator to Deutsche Telekom, the largest telephone company in Europe.

CNet is big, but growth is slow and profit margins are low. That?s just like CBS, which agreed to buy CNet for $1.8 billion on Thursday.

Federal officials charged Henry T. Nicholas III and Henry Samueli with falsifying the company?s reported income by illegally backdating stock options for five years.

Mr. Levine helped create Phil Spector?s groundbreaking ?wall of sound? technique on hit records by the Crystals, the Ronettes and the Righteous Brothers.

Mr. Schein led the Sony Corporation of America in the 1970s and doubled its size in spite of championing the failed Betamax video recording system.

An independent effort to develop the software originally designed for the $100 laptop is launched.

The net portal fires back at a billionaire investor who wants to oust the present board of directors at Yahoo.

Delays in implementing the net's new addressing scheme could slow growth of the net economy, warns the OECD.

US sales of video game consoles and software were up 47% in April from a year ago, a research firm says.

A US woman who allegedly bullied a girl on MySpace who later committed suicide is indicted by a Grand Jury.

It will be at least 2014 before the NHS in England has a single electronic records system, say auditors.

Usernames and passwords from voice-over IP accounts are being traded online, a telecoms firm finds.

Bill Thompson on how to be safe and keep risk alive online

Nato backs a new cyber defence centre in Estonia, following attacks on its internet structure.

Television company CBS agrees to buy online technology news and entertainment website CNET.

MySpace has won $234m in damages from spammers - but has little chance of getting the cash say experts.

A Doctor Who fan is embroiled in a row with the BBC after publishing knitting patterns for the show's monsters online.

A survey of software piracy in UK firms has shown that it has fallen for the first time in three years.

Scientists prepare for "seven minutes of terror" as the Phoenix spacecraft attempts to land on the surface.

The search giant Google is the latest company to launch a service aimed at making the web more social.

Luminaries predict the shape of tomorrow's world wide web

The famed Xerox Parc labs invites the BBC to view the best of its latest crop of research projects

Two of the biggest games of the year - GTA IV and Wii Fit - have finally arrived and they could not be more different.

Game design and social networking are merging into one of the most persuasive forces on the net.

Campaigners hoping to save mountain gorillas are making a game simulating the lives of the animals free to mobile phone users.

A leading internet academic warns the future of the internet is at risk from closed and proprietorial systems.

Bill Thompson wonders if hi-tech can help keep the Earth habitable for humans.

Bill Thompson on the implications of lax programming of Flash

Humans may never be intimate with machines thinks Bill Thompson

We need to recruit more programmers, says Bill Thompson

Bill Thompson wonders if his virtual presences are having a significant real world impact.

Bill Thompson on how Twitter is beginning to be taken seriously.

The humble mobile phone looks set to become a multimedia, multi-function monster as more features are crammed inside it.

How mobile phones are set to become the gateway to the web

Google's director of mobile platforms explains his vision for Android, a new operating system for mobiles.

Students at a school in Tynemouth carry out a survey of mobile phone use as apart of the BBC's School Report project.

The computing technologies to go beyond Moore's Law

A look at some of the technologies that could allow the silicon industry to deliver faster, cheaper chips.

The silicon factories where a speck of dust is a big problem

BBC News interviews Gordon Moore, the man whose "law" has driven the computer revolution.

The nonprofit organization's alliance with Microsoft will bring Windows XP to the poorest children, and could give OLPC a much-needed boost

In a May 15 letter to Carl Icahn, Chairman Roy Bostock details negotiations with Microsoft and defends the board's actions

To curtail data leaks that can affect drugmakers' stock prices, the American Society of Clinical Oncology discloses trial outcomes before its annual meeting

BW columnist Jon Fine cites the tech content provider's attractive revenues and online advertising potential

An all-out effort in lower-end models should result in big unit sale gains, but some wonder if Bravia sets at Wal-Mart will hurt the brand

Software piracy rates dropped in 11 Asia-Pacific countries, but increased on average across the region, due largely to a boom in Chinese PC sales

Big Blue's World Community Grid and a University of Washington team are using PCs globally to develop better strains of rice

In light of a surprising third-quarter loss, analysts sound cautionary notes and CEO Schwartz announces plans to lay off up to 2,500 employees

More office workers infatuated with iPods and iPhones are demanding Macs. Is business ready? Is Apple?

In its fiscal second quarter, the iPhone maker escaped the slowdown that's hurting other consumer-oriented companies. But can it remain unscathed?

Can the fledgling microblogging service become a social media powerhouse to rival giants like Facebook—or will it be gobbled up?

The social networking site's coming redesign will be marked by a cleaner, more organized look to appeal to its vastly bigger, more diverse user base

Blogger Jon Fine outlines why, in newly filed court papers, the classified-ad site accuses its minority shareholder of unlawful and unfair competition

Powerset is the most high-profile of the startups looking to one-up Google with easier, more precise ways to help people find what they're looking for online

The WorldWide Telescope lets amateur astronomers explore the cosmos through a computer, which provides a photo map of the heavens

An island full of plane-crash survivors and mystery might not strike you as the best place to learn management lessons, but the fact is that "LOST" has much to teach about leadership.

If you're looking to break into the web dev industry, start your own development and design business, or learn a few new skills to remain a competitive force in your field, you don't necessarily have to go back to school and pay for an expensive degree.

Enhancing applications with Ajax used to be complex. Fortunately, several open source JavaScript libraries are available now to make things easier. In this article, you will create an Ajax application for managing songs using the Prototype JavaScript library and script.aculo.us.

This is a detailed description about how to set up a Fedora 9 server that offers all services needed by ISPs and hosters: Apache web server (SSL-capable) with PHP5 and Ruby, Postfix mail server with SMTP-AUTH and TLS, BIND DNS server, Proftpd FTP server, MySQL server, Dovecot POP3/IMAP, Quota, Firewall, etc.

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Discover the Multimedia Analysis and Retrieval System, an automated content indexing and multimodal search system for digital image and video collections. This system addresses the problem of indexing, classifying, and searching large volumes of images and videos.

This guide describes how to easilly configure your Fedora 9 installation. Learn how to upgrade from Fedora 7/8, add extra repositories, configure audio and video playback, install everyday needed applications and increase your system's performance and usability! Plus you can learn how to access your Windows Partitions and Shared folders, install Compiz-Fusion, SUN's JAVA, KDE and much more.

Understand the end-to-end exchange of XML data from an XForms-based browser to a DB2 database with XML support. Learn to create XForms and have them communicate with a DB2 database, where XML data can be stored, retrieved, or deleted. Also, learn how to create the XForms that access the DB2 pureXML through Universal Services.

Learn how the Trace and Request Analyzer for WebSphere Application Server allows you to find delays and hangs from WebSphere trace files and HTTP plug-in traces. Discover how the tool finds these delays and hangs by parsing call trees of methods and traces and calculating delays in each method and trace.

If you work from home, you’re the master of your own domain and probably don’t get out of your pajamas until well after noon. Or perhaps you’re a road warrior who travels from city to city, talking to clients and hammering out deals.

XQuery and VoiceXML are a perfect combination. In this tutorial, you will learn how to employ XQuery with XML documents to build dynamic systems that take input from a VoiceXML environment and combine them with existing XML documents to produce interactive applications.

Learn about shared library mechanisms and memory footprints on IBM AIX. This article is essential for developers writing server code or administrators managing production AIX systems. It offers developers and administrators commands and techniques, and gives the understanding necessary to analyze memory requirements of server processes on AIX.

In the early days of the Web, people used to put visitor tally counters on their Web sites to show how many people had seen their sites. Originally, I was just trying to make fun of those counters.

Websites that are not social networks may still want to be social -- and now they can be, easily.

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This document describes how to set up TrueCrypt 5.1a on Debian Etch (GNOME). Taken from the TrueCrypt page: "TrueCrypt is a software system for establishing and maintaining an on-the-fly-encrypted volume (data storage device). On-the-fly encryption means that data are automatically encrypted or decrypted right before they are loaded or saved, without any user intervention.

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There are a number of web sites that have been created to serve the foreclosure investor. This article has listed 100 sites below, from tutorials to databases to articles and blogs.

Today’s web-based reporting applications usually use XSL transformation to format data. To meet the needs of users worldwide Web application often require internationalization. Follow this step-by-step approach to managing client-side internationalization based on XSLT. This solution only requires that both the data to be internationalized and the server stores are in XML

Discover how the Pattern Modeling and Analysis Tool for Java Garbage Collector parses GC trace, analyzes Java heap usage, and recommends configurations based on pattern modeling of Java heap usage.

The Object class is a special type that is the base class for all other classes and types, including the value types. It defines a set of methods that are therefore inherited by every other type that is defined within the .NET framework class library.

Many new companies find marketing a troubling conundrum: They need to spend money to bring in business, but they don't have that money without customers. The reality is that the majority of businesses won't have a fighting chance without some money for marketing,

This article shows you how to work with collections while taking advantage of enhancements made to the framework in Java SE 6. You can go far beyond HashMap or TreeSet by using generics and concurrency features to make your applications more maintainable and scalable.

In this article, learn to use Firebug, a free, open source extension for the Firefox browser that provides many useful developer features and tools. Using Firebug, you can monitor, edit, and debug live pages, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript code, and network traffic.

The script will search for UID > 999 then it can use to display the result, lock the user account and delete the user account which I make a remarks.

There are plenty of business models that should engage Twitter and it definitely plugs into the broader Internet audience strategies of most businesses (yes, I said most businesses).

Think it doesn’t get any cooler than your own G-550? That may be true in the real world, but there are a few inter-stellar, albeit fictional, vehicles we might take instead. We’ve scoured our favorite sci-fi flicks for the top twenty coolest vehicles of all time.

The IBM BladeCenter S is the newest BladeCenter designed for small and medium businesses. It is also the first BladeCenter to integrate the server and storage systems. This article shows you how to install SUSE Linux 10 on the BladeCenter S attached disks and then boot the blade from the operating system so the blade can work without a local disk.

Discover PHP's new features and syntax improvements and see how they will take this already-popular scripting language to the next level. Learn how Unicode support, Web 2.0 features, and other changes make PHP V6 more robust, as well as more international.

Google included Hindi in its popular Google translation application. Users can now translate text, web page and issue query in Hindi in order to get desired information and bloggers can use the new application to create blogs in regional languages

This tutorial provides step-by-step instructions on how to install Xen on an Ubuntu Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04) server system (i386). You can find all the software used here in the Ubuntu repositories, so no external files (apart from a fixed Ubuntu Xen kernel to enable networking for the virtual machines) or compilation are needed.

Discover the Simple Text Transformation Tool, an extensible, Eclipse-RCP-based tool that allows you to perform transformations to text data. Also, become familiar with the tool’s built-in features for processing text files.

Here's the list of 101 color resources for Web designers. Visit them all and bookmark the ones that will help you become the most color-savvy Web designer around.

The telecom industry has changed dramatically over the past few decades, and blogs provide one way to keep up with with transitions from traditional technology to the latest connectivity. Here's the list of 100 telecom industry blogs.

Discover Apache Synapse, a high-performance enterprise service bus with simple configuration, extensible architecture, and a minimal footprint. It is a versatile tool that you can use for a variety of tasks. This article examines how you can use Apache Synapse to create mock Web services.

Search engine marketing is required in order to promote a website, increase its sales and to attract traffic into a website.

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Alexa rankings can now aggregate data from various source. Earlier, the Alexa rankings were based on the analysis of internet usage of only those people who used the special Alexa Toolbar. The problem that occurred with this methodology was that the Alexa toolbar was used by only a selected set of users.

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Registry cleaner,registry cleaners|To have your computer safe quickly download Regcure in which it solves so many errors,slow downloads etc,and also follow certain tips to speed up your computer|registry cleaner and registry cleaners

a blog dedicated to helping men and women alike overcome the divorce process and survive through to rebuild future relationships.a blog dedicated to helping men and women alike overcome the divorce process and survive through to rebuild future relationships.a blog dedicated to helping men and women alike overcome the divorce process and survive through to rebuild future relationships.

provides over 300 different legal forms and documents directly through their website and includes legal documentation for divorce, real estate, credit repair, and more.provides over 300 different legal forms and documents directly through their website and includes legal documentation for divorce, real estate, credit repair, and more.

Check out airSOCOM's selection of high quality of machine guns,electric rifles made by Echo 1. AEG's made by Echo 1 are some of the highest quality and most affordable airsoft rifles available.All airsoft guns and machine gun are sold with a permanent blaze orange tip of at least 6mm (1/4inch) .

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ADO.NET Data Services (formerly "project Astoria") is a new mindset to developing data driven applications. Based on a RESTful architecture, this tool provides powerful services for querying and altering your data. This article will walk you through the steps of exposing your data as a service and consuming it with AJAX.

Clustering systems provide commands for obtaining statistics; unfortunately, there are often problems compiling and presenting results. Monitor and Observe cluster-wide performance in the form of visible graphs with Cluster Monitor, a configurable, fully automated, Web-based tool.

Shows Intel Chairman begging for forgiveness

AMD vs Intel It's document season in the ongoing anti-trust lawsuit between AMD and Intel. Last week, the companies fought over witness testimony and earlier this week a judge told Intel to fork over some documents related to interviews done as the company tried to deal with its deletion of e-mails possibly related to the case at hand. Now, we've received AMD's response to Intel's filing around the witness testimony, and a couple of tidbits fell out of the heavily censored document.…

Warns about depletion of IPv4 addresses

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) sounded an alarm bell yesterday over the rapid depletion of IPv4 internet addresses and gave the IPv6 protocol another push.…

Big website knickers round ankles

The unavailability of the US National Security Agency website on Thursday has been linked to misconfigured DNS (Domain Name System) servers.…

Odd couple shack up

Microsoft and the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) foundation have confirmed that the XO laptop will soon be available as Windows-loaded machines.…

Departing software chief stings Negroponte

The former security director of the One Laptop Per Child non-profit has blasted the project for losing sight of its goals, accusing chairman Nicholas Negroponte of deceiving the public. It's all about shipping kit, says Ivan Krstić in an incendiary essay.…

One net to rule them all - and in the darkness find them

US telco Verizon yesterday announced it had won a $678.5m, ten-year deal to tie together the many disparate networks within the vast US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).…

Unleashing the iBomb

Exclusive Apple will indeed support PA Semi's line of PowerPC-based processors, The Register has learned.…

Byzantine buy

Data warehouse appliance maker Netezza is buying an enigmatic analytics firm based in North Carolina, NuTech Solutions.…

Internal interviews must be disclosed to AMD

AMD vs Intel Intel has been ordered to hand over secret employee interviews from an internal investigation looking into documents and e-mails that went missing during its antitrust trial with AMD.…

A 3.4PB beast

IBM has revealed a new TS7530 virtual tape system with no deduplication capabilities at all, just hardware compression.…

MCE's guide to storage bloat

MCE Technologies has a dual 500GB hard disk drive kit to produce 1TB MacBooks by using the SuperDrive optical disk drive bay.…

Series 5 begat Series 2

Adaptec is launching a new line of entry-level unified serial RAID controllers today, using the revamped design of its top-tier Series 5 gear announced in March.…

Three new boxes and a five-pack refresh

Sun has been sluggish to release servers based on AMD's four-core Opteron processors, but today it got around to the quad job.…

Now shipping with more relevance

IBM's Cell attack will gain some added muscle next month thanks to a new blade server. The system will run on a refreshed version of the Cell chip that includes better support for mathematical calculations and memory. As a result, the Cell-based blades could tempt a larger set of customers.…

Common components

Mark Shuttleworth, head of Canonical and founder of the Ubuntu project, has called on other Linux developers to synchronize releases of new versions of their distros.…

Taking care of the little guy

Microsoft today announced that it will launch a “public preview” program for two of its first Windows Server 2008-based bundles.…

Speedier SAN selection sighted

Brocade is primed to move its 8Gb/s networking gear to a market it entered just one year ago, server bus host adapters (HBAs). It's also giving the 8Gig work-over to its Fibre Channel switch lineup.…

Marvel at its quad-core processor! Gasp at its one-hour battery life!

We've all heard of laptop computers that have been designed to replace desktop PCs, but this is the first time we've come across one that's intended a server replacement.…

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Cable TV, phone and Internet service provider Charter Communications drew concern Friday from two congressmen and a privacy advocate over its plan to experiment with tracking its customers' Web use in collaboration with an online advertising firm....

PHILADEPHIA (AP) -- Cable operators are riding high heading into this year's industry trade show, which kicks off this weekend....

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Former satellite TV provider EchoStar Corp. on Sunday will demonstrate its first product for cable companies at the industry's trade show: a unit that can tune in television and act as a cable modem....

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Yahoo Inc. is seeking to conceal large portions of a shareholder lawsuit alleging the Internet company's board improperly thwarted Microsoft Corp.'s $47.5 billion takeover offer, raising shareholder questions over the motives for the secrecy....

NEW YORK (AP) -- Sumo wrestlers were the main inspiration behind Wii Fit, Nintendo's latest attempt at getting you off the couch when you play video games....

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Classified ad Web site Craigslist is denying online auctioneer eBay's allegation that it unfairly diluted eBay's stake in it and says its board was acting to protect the company....

NEW YORK (AP) -- A company rooted in bringing the Internet to the masses, AOL is shifting its focus toward serving niche audiences with the launch of dozens of specialty Web sites....

NEW YORK (AP) -- Unless you're looking carefully, you'll likely miss the fact that the new Asylum Web site for young men is a creation of Time Warner Inc.'s AOL. Same for WalletPop on personal finance, Spinner on indie music and StyleList on fashion....

NEW YORK (AP) -- Think twice before you sign up for an online service using a fake name or e-mail address. You could be committing a federal crime....

PARIS (AP) -- French wireless operator Orange said Friday it has signed a deal with Apple Inc. to sell its iPhone in the Middle East, Africa and several European countries....

Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of Electronic Data Systems won't hurt Dell in the next few years, but it could affect Dell's...

Microsoft confirms that it has yanked parts of a backup feature from a major upgrade to its Windows Home Server.

HP confirms that some users of its AMD-based desktops have had problems after installing Windows XP Service Pack 3.

The days of imagining Wi-Fi blanketing a city are over with the exit of the last major municipally focused Wi-Fi service provider.

In its continued attempt to convince business customers to adopt Vista, Microsoft has outlined and tried to explain some of...

Sony Friday revealed a list of 15 upcoming games for the PlayStation 3, PS2 and PSP.

This was a big IT news week, with the massive earthquake in China on Monday showing once again the role that the Internet...

FastMac on Friday announced its new U-Charge. It's a universal battery charger for Apple laptops and it costs US$69.95; it...

Magellan Transport Logistics has partnered with SmartSCM to use its global transportation management system.

Flowfinity Wireless, a provider of integrated solutions for the wireless enterprise, and Advanced Technologies Support Group, a full service provider of solutions using BlackBerry smartphones, have partnered to offer field services solutions combining software and services.

The DnB Nord bank, Vital, a Norwegian insurance company, Etronika, and Forbis have joined their forces for a project to create a technical possibility of exchanging the data on the insured loans balances between the Forpost system in DnB Nord bank and the insurance management system ITM, operating in Vital.

Metro One Telecommunications has sold a large portfolio of its surplus intellectual property to a subsidiary of kgb, formerly Infonxx; a provider of live operator directory assistance services. The consideration received was $8 million in cash.

WidePoint, a provider of IT and identity assurance solutions, has announced that its subsidiary, iSys, has received a modification of its mobile telecom expense management systems contract with the Department of Homeland Security adding $2.2 million to its current year value.

Secure64 Software, a provider of server applications, has announced that the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate has awarded a $1.2 million contract to the company to use its Genuinely Secure SourceT micro OS in an initiative to secure its internet infrastructure.

Acrodea, a software technology R&D firm, has entered into master license agreement with Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications for global handset models - mobile telephone handsets to be installed with its products.

Ambit Microsystems, a provider of wired and wireless broadband communications, has selected Alticast's tru2way platform middleware solution, AltiCaptor, for its digital cable set-top boxes.

Communications Systems has reported revenues of $30.321 million for its first quarter ended March 31, 2008, up 15% compared to $26.4 million in the first quarter of 2007.

Cbeyond, an IP-based managed services provider to small businesses, has expanded its services into the San Francisco Bay area in the United States.

Calypso Wireless has announced that Cristian Turrini has re-joined the company as its new CEO and chairman of the board.

AltiGen Communications has entered into a master distribution agreement with Boport Tele-Communication, a distributor of communications products and services in Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Verizon Wireless has expanded its network in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, with a new cell site. The new site increases high-speed wireless data coverage and capacity to the southeastern part of Plympton near the intersection of Brook Street, High Street, and Mayflower Road, as well as the surrounding area.

Orange Business Services, a division of France Telecom Group, and Vietnam Datacommunication Company have entered into a new commercial and technical partnership to offer advanced MPLS-based IP VPN services in Vietnam.

Qwest Communications International, a provider of broadband, video and voice solutions, has signed a multi-year networking services agreement with Chicago-based law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal.

Orange, a brand of France Telecom, has announced a new agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to its customers in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Handango, a provider of smartphone applications, has appointed Alex Bloom as its new vice president of content and international.

Adobe Systems has announced that Chunghwa Telecom has launched its new Channel Me data service, powered by its Flash Cast software, to deliver multimedia information and entertainment services.

Ericsson has signed an agreement with the Swiss operator Sunrise Communications to expand its WCDMA/HSPA network.

Fusion, a provider of VoIP and internet services, has reported consolidated revenues of $11.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2008, down 12.7% compared to revenues of $13.2 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2007.

Suing shareholders and Yahoo disagree about whether information on the company's employee severance plan should be public.

Why Charter Communications' ad-serving plan is making waves; the Senate moves to curb online child porn; and industrial Pittsburgh sets an environmental example.

Thin-film solar power companies want to integrate solar cells with buildings, but they still have a way to go.

I can't really work up the same sense of outrage that's accompanied Facebook's decision to give Google the middle finger.

At a Teens and Tech event, Ameer Karim, director of HP's future and innovations group for consumer PCs, says the company plans to introduce new devices this fall that will be designed by teens, for teens.

Aerial adventurer Yves Rossy flies over the Alps for five minutes with nothing more than the jet-equipped wing strapped to his back.

No more will the one-liner text ads clutter up the bottom of e-mail messages sent with Yahoo Mail, the company said.

Publishing company will fit the decade-old technology enthusiast site alongside Wired.com in its modest stable of online properties.

This week, CNET's Robert Vamosi talks with Joel Hagberg, vice president of marketing and business development at Fujitsu.

Former OLPC president forms Sugar Labs, which will put the low-cost ultraportable's Sugar interface on devices.

The PC maker is promoting a peaceful coexistence for both XPS and Area-51 notebooks as it works to integrate the two development teams.

Users who think they are on a trusted page could access a fraudulent page and possibly have their personal information exposed.

Some blog posts on a forum page discussing James Frey's latest book contain video links that can infect users with a Trojan horse.

The European mobile phone giant plans to integrate the Plaxo-like ZYB, which it acquired for $48.7 million, into its Internet service offerings.

If you like Twitter so much, how about paying $5 a month for the privilege, with a guarantee of service. For some, that's less than a day's worth of coffee, a lowly beer, or maybe soon a gallon of gas.

Company has just bought some wireless spectrum in the U.K. in what could serve as the basis for a new mobile TV network in Europe.

That's a big reason behind of spate of old media-new media pairings in the last year. But is it a strategy that will be enough to restrain Google's growing appetite?

William Neukom, Microsoft's top lawyer during its landmark antitrust trial is slated to take over as managing general partner of the baseball team, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Competition highlights special hurdles faced by start-ups attempting to provide clean technologies for people in developing nations.

It's been postponed more than once, but a Google-Yahoo deal is still expected to come to fruition, perhaps next week.

Olympic swimming coaches take tips from the best swimmers -- sharks and dolphins.

A thriving population of pythons is expanding in southeastern Florida.

The Phoenix Lander is targeted for an area of Mars that is sure to have ice.

Climbing is just as easy as walking for some smaller primates, scientists find.

The world's wildlife populations have reduced by roughly a quarter since the 1970s.

The ocean-calming effects of El Nino may have helped Ferdinand Magellan cross the Pacific.

Did cleanup of a polluted Washington lake drive fish evolution in reverse?

As polar bears join the ranks of threatened species, cub Flocke is growing up.

A robotic "exoskeleton" could multiply a soldier's strength 20 times over.

Scientists say our nitrogen footprint matters as much as our carbon footprint.

A Swiss pilot straps on jet-powered wings and jumps off a plane to soar over the Alps.

The Milky Way's youngest supernova is just 140 years old.

Baleen whales fly through water like steely torpedos, thanks to a highly unusual ribcage.

Two catastrophes have struck this month — the cyclone in Myanmar and the earthquake in China. As the death tolls in these two countries mount, so does the need for aid. But Myanmar has been reluctant to let relief workers into the country, and China says it will accept foreign aid on its own timetable. But how do people give if they want to help the victims?

Four days after a powerful earthquake struck China's Sichuan province, survivors are still being located, freed from rubble by rescue teams. Days after the quake, a search party found and rescued a survivor in a devastated village in Sichuan. But getting the man out of a collapsed factory was no simple matter.

About 20 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, Dujiangyan, China, has gone from a booming metropolis of more than a half-million to a teeming tent city. Residents are still looking for family members — or trying to let them know they are alive.

Emmanuel Jal was a child soldier in Sudan's brutal civil war. Now he is a rapper with a new album out called Warchild. Music journalist Christian Bordal has a review and profile of the artist.

The 26-year-old Princeton alum has been stop-lossed in Sadr City. Over the next few months, he'll be answering listeners' questions about his experience. In his first batch of answers, he discusses how he fills his spare time, why his soldiers sometimes make fun of him and what he'd tell a kid who's considering a future in the military.

Palestinian American Nina Cullers and her family lost their home and way of life when Israel became an independent nation in 1948. As Israel marks its 60th anniversary, Cullers reflects on how that event affected her life as a Palestinian.

Rescuers in China were still finding survivors as they braved strong aftershocks and landslides Friday, days after a massive earthquake devastated parts of southwest Sichuan province. The death toll from the country's worst quake in decades stood at more than 21,500, and President Hu Jintao made his first tour of the affected areas.

A group of Marines in 2005 shot and killed 24 Iraqis in Haditha. Director Nick Broomfield discusses "The Battle for Haditha," a film that portrays the marines, an Iraqi family and a group of insurgents.

The Shin Shin Educational Foundation was founded 10 years ago in the San Francisco Bay area to support and build elementary schools in China's most remote areas. Now the foundation is waiting for news on how its schools fared in this week's earthquake.

The Colombian government has accused Venezuelan officials of offering to aid Colombia's rebels in obtaining weapons. Now the international police agency Interpol is backing up their claim.

The International Red Cross says there is a desperate need for clean water for the victims of the cyclone in Myanmar. In the meantime, thousands of victims stand in long lines along the roads, begging passing vehicles for food or clothes.

The strong hand of the Chinese government has long suppressed bad news. State news organizations often report stories to promote the central government's agenda. But coverage of the Sichuan earthquake indicates that the government may be loosening its grip on the media.

Rescue workers are having a hard time getting heavy equipment to isolated towns and villages in Southwestern China after Monday's earthquake. Thousands of residents are still buried beneath buildings, and survivors are worried about the aftereffects of the disaster.

In Cuba, 75 dissidents were arrested five years ago, most of whom are still in prison. Some of their wives formed a group called "Ladies in White" and have had demonstrations at their church every Sunday. A smaller number of them acted on their own last month, using bolder methods, attracting the attention of Cuban officials.

For many recruits of al-Qaida in Iraq, it's the chance to make money, not extremism or ideology, that attracted them — so many are released from U.S. military prisons because they are not that dangerous. A U.S. general is offering classes and a parole system to help keep them out of prison once they are freed.