Teleportation Breakthrough Wow Dept: Just saw this on BBC News and had to share, "Scientists have performed successful teleportation on atoms for the first time, the journal Nature reports. The feat was achieved by two teams of researchers working independently on the problem in the US and Austria.
"The ability to transfer key properties of one particle to another without using any physical link has until now only been achieved with laser light. Experts say being able to do the same with massive particles like atoms could lead to new superfast computers." # Permalink
Posted at
2:22 PM
0 commentsEmail this
Link
Coin Operated Breathalyzer Not sure if this is progress, but you can buy a coin operated breathalyzer and huff your way out of a DUI violation for just pennies a day. Some highlights:
Easy Operation - Users blow through a straw and their exact alcohol level is displayed in seconds.
Low Maintenance - Just collect your cash; no inventory to replace.
Accepts 1-8 U.S. Quarters; can be set to accept international coins.
The commercial unit is nearly $1,400, but I guess this would be more fun in a bar than playing that same old brick video game or sex trivia.
AMD does F1 AMD will provide the AMD64 platform to Sauber Petronas as an Official Technology Partner to the Swiss Formula One team to help achieve greater progress particularly in the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), a critical factor complementing Sauber's aerodynamics and wind tunnel testing.
Wonder if Intel will team up with Williams....? Ferrari says it don't need no stinkin' 64-bit CPUs, it has Schumacher. # Permalink
Posted at
9:52 PM
0 commentsEmail this
Link
New ASUS motherboard for Athon64 It's called the A8V. Go take a look.
WiFi-g bundle VIA K8T800Pro + VT8237 Front Side Bus 2000 MT/s Dual-channel DDR400/333 AMD Cool 'n' Quiet Technology AGP 8X Supports AMD Socket 939 Athlon 64FX/Athlon 64 processors with 1MB/512KB L2 cache which is based on 64-bit architecture. It features 2000 MT/s HyperTransport Bus, dual-channel un-buffered DDR400 memory support and AMD Cool 'n' Quiet! Technology.
My People! Apple was one of the first to do it, Dell has done it, eBay did it, and now Intel has jumped on the pile. What is "it" you ask? Open manufacturing plants in Ireland!! Ah, Ireland, where the rolling fields are a heavenly shade of green, where the Colleens will melt your heart with a smile, where the IRA has toned things down a whole lot...
The new Intel plant is in Leixlip, just outside Dublin (home of some great pubs) and Intel said it will invest $2 billion to build yet another plant there as well.
Two things to consider: Why are these companies going to Ireland instead of somewhere like Ohio? And, will the workers at the Intel plant get the same sweet deal as those at Dell's site, rumored to be two 15-minute cigarette breaks, a half hour lunch break, and the rest of the day working while standing up. (Which should, once and for all, end all the Irish drinking jokes.) # Permalink
Posted at
9:32 PM
1 commentsEmail this
Link
No More Shutter Lag? According to the NY Times on Wednesday, both Kyocera (SL400R) and Casio (EX-P600) have shutter speeds of 0.07 and 0.01 seconds, respectively. Sounds good, but as Times writer David Pogue points out, those measurements were taken post-auto focus, which can account for a goodly percentage of the overall lag time.
For all you digicam freaks in the universe, here's a challenge: Buy a one-time use camera, have the photos developed to CD, and then compare the quality of those images against your 4GP hoity-toity digicam images. Warning: please adjust your pacemaker accordingly. # Permalink
Posted at
9:24 PM
0 commentsEmail this
Link
First cellphone virus? The BBC reports the first mobile phone virus is now an official reality. When the infected file is launched the mobile phone's screen displays the word "Caribe". Every time the mobile phone is turned on, the worm will launch itself and scan the area for other phones to infect, sending a copy of itself to any it finds. Because the worm requires Bluetooth technology to travel, it is geographically constrained to a radius of about 30 meters (about 90 feet to those of us on the east side of the pond) so it's dependent on someone having Bluetooth turned on within that range. As a final blow to its progress, any unsuspecting phone user in the vicinity would have to accept the virus which would be preceded by a warning that the source of the file is unknown. Well, if folk open unknown e-mail attachments, anything is possible. However, anti-virus firm F-Secure was among a handful of security companies to receive the virus. Smart...
McAfee rest easy.... Microsoft intends to create an antivirus service in the near future, but has not finalized its plans, a company executive said Tuesday. "Our plan is to make antivirus part of our pay-for product offerings," Amy Carroll, director of product management for Microsoft's Security Business and Technology Unit, said. "But we don't have specific (antivirus) product plans right now."
One thing's for sure, it'll work just as good as Windows. # Permalink
Posted at
9:42 PM
0 commentsEmail this
Link
Which one was the cart and which the horse? Wired reports that software is under development to detect how angry a caller gets at automated phone systems so it can immediately transfer the person to a live operator. To quote the story, 'Elsa Martin, executive of international and domestic affairs for Apex Voice Communications of Sherman Oaks, California, said the system sounds interesting. "I think that the company would use this. We deal with a lot of important clients all over the world, and they focus on customer care -- their priority is to make sure the customer is happy," Martin said.'
Let's make a suggestion here that may shock some. If you really value your customers, DON'T USE THE #%%#$@!@menu answering system in the first place!
Blackout hits major Web sites Some headline, huh? That's going to grab you by the shorts and get your attention, isn't it? That's one of the few times that I've ever seen ZDNet use such blatant hype (except, of course, when it's hyping The Hard Edge).
Here's the deal: A DNS server at Akamai Technologies bit the dust, possibly because of a denial of service attack. It translates word-based URLs into numeric Web addresses to link surfers to company sites. As a result, the top 40 websites (including Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, and Apple, according to ratings compiled by Keynote Systems) saw availability drop from 99 percent to around 81 percent.
Some blackout, an 18 percent drop in availability... Try being in New York City when the grid goes down. That's a blackout. # Permalink
Posted at
2:39 PM
0 commentsEmail this
Link
FTC says No to 'do-not-e-mail' list Citing a concern that any such e-mail list could become a source for spammers and hackers, the FTC declined to implement a "do-not-e-mail" registry similar to the "do-not-call" registry already in existence.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who proposed a national "do-not-e-mail" registry last year (Stop Pornography and Abusive Marketing - SPAM), was immediately outraged. Sure. He gets that way a lot, but usually for his Sunday press conferences. Schumer's proposal, at first glance, seems a little open-ended.
Look, the real key here is to fine the ISPs, not the spammers. Otherwise, it's a lot like going after drug dealers and not the distributors. Also, the registry should contain the names of people who want to be spammed, not those who don't. Aside from it being a much more manageable list, if a spammer gets his hands on it, who cares? # Permalink
Posted at
2:25 PM
0 commentsEmail this
Link
THE LATEST NEWS
Monday, June 14, 2004
AMD times two AMD has just announced a new dual-core processor. That's important. With this one move, AMD has shifted position from trying to play catch-up with Intel to now playing catch up with IBM (IBM's Regatta PowerPC processor is dual core). Interesting strategy. A dual core CPU will be faster than Intel's HyperThreading technology, all other things being equal. The one drawback? AMD says roll-out won't be until mid 2005. That's a long way away and more than enough time for Intel to counter. # Permalink
Posted at
5:09 PM
0 commentsEmail this
Link
Cassini boosts Brits' hopes If you've always wondered about Saturn and its moons, you really have to read this story from the BBC. Aside from a somewhat pathetic attempt to take credit for the Cassini Saturn probe to make up for the dismal failure of Beagle 2, the feature provides some in depth information that I, at least, found fun to read. Hey, look, if you actually have a life maybe you won't, but it'll take less than a minute to find out and there are pictures to keep you amused. # Permalink
Posted at
2:38 AM
0 commentsEmail this
Link
High Tech for Father's Day? Writing for CNN's headline news, Erica Hill suggests that, "Gadget sellers seem to love Father's Day. The Sunday flyers screamed the upcoming holiday this weekend, reminding us all the best way to show Dad you care is with a new digital camera, MP3 player, or if you're really loaded, why not go for the ol' plasma TV? Heck, they're on sale!"
Thankfully, despite the advice, Ms. Hill says, "My dad knows how much I love him and, luckily, I don't have to tell him in dollars. He gives me a gift every day just by being there to listen." Apparently, it's just the rest of us who have shallow, self-centered fathers who require monetary re-inforcement of their feelings.
(Do me a favor... Give dad a hug, a kiss on the cheek, tell him you love him, and that you appreciate everything he's done for you. Buy yourself the technoid gadgets rather than waiting for him to kick off so you can inherit them.)
Electronic voting slammed by League of Women Voters members Looks like the League of Women Voters is getting its dog wagged by the tail. According to an AP story running on CNN.com, "A battle over electronic voting is threatening the cohesion of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters, whose national leadership is refusing to endorse demands by hundreds of members for a paper trail to guard against fraud, hackers and malfunctions."
Someone should explain to either the AP writer or the ladies that a paper trail doesn't guard against anything. It's simply a reporting tool, like the government's recent report on terrorism indicating that terrorist activity had dropped... Strong security and a reasonable firewall should be able to handle fraud and hackers. If the system malfunctions, then, by definition, no paper trail would be available any way.
Those who do not understand technology are doomed to report about it inaccurately. # Permalink
Posted at
2:22 AM
0 commentsEmail this
Link
The RealTechNews Official Collection of Interesting
Technical Websites (In Alphabetical Order)
Wow Dept: Just saw this on BBC News and had to share, "Scientists have performed successful teleportation on atoms for the first time, the journal Nature reports. The feat was achieved by two teams of researchers working independently on the problem in the US and Austria. 
Not sure if this is progress, but you can buy a coin operated breathalyzer and huff your way out of a DUI violation for just pennies a day. Some highlights:
It's called the A8V. Go take a 
Apple was one of the first to do it, Dell has done it, eBay did it, and now Intel has jumped on the pile. What is "it" you ask? Open manufacturing plants in Ireland!! Ah, Ireland, where the rolling fields are a heavenly shade of green, where the Colleens will melt your heart with a smile, where the IRA has toned things down a whole lot... 
If you've always wondered about Saturn and its moons, you really have to read