20120607

New Blade Runner movie confirmed to be a sequel

 
 

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via SlashGear by Ben Kersey on 5/18/12

While we're all getting pumped up for Prometheus, RIdley Scott is going to revisit another movie he directed in the not too distant future. It was announced back in August that Scott would helm an upcoming Blade Runner movie, and today it's been revealed that the movie will be a sequel to the original starring Harrison Ford. Not only that, but the original writer of Blade Runner is onboard the project to help develop a story.

The official press release for the upcoming project states that it will indeed be a sequel, and that Hampton Fancher is in talks to join the project. Fancher wrote the script for the original Blade Runner, and will work with Ridley Scott to develop a screenplay for the sequel. The PR does state that he's not writing the project, merely helping brainstorm for the movie, so the film could still be in need of a writer.

What's the story for the new fick? No word yet, although Scott is reportedly toying with the idea of having a female lead: "I started my first meetings on the Blade Runner sequel last week. We have a very good take on it. And we'll definitely be featuring a female protagonist." As for Scott's latest film, Prometheus, various viral videos continue to sprawl across the internet, with the film due for release on June 1st in the UK and June 8th in the United States.

[via SlashFilm]


New Blade Runner movie confirmed to be a sequel is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Alien god?

It is actually more possible than the (vast?) majority of religious folklore :P This way everything makes sense :P
http://crash.ihug.co.nz/~marshall/aliengod.htm

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20120606

Proba-2 satellite records video of Venus solar transit

nice

 
 

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via SlashGear by Shane McGlaun on 6/6/12

One of the most exciting things for sky watchers to view over the last year was the last solar transit of the planet Venus for over 100 years. The transit occurred yesterday in the United States, and if you forgot to watch, don't worry. A tiny European space satellite took a video that's much better than what you would've been able to see from Earth.

The ESA microsatellite Proba-2 resides in low-Earth orbit and was tracking Venus as it moved across the Sun over about seven hours. The reason Venus appears to move and wobble as it transits the Sun is the slight up-and-down motion of the satellite. The vast distance between the sun and the satellite also contributed to what we see as wobble in the recording.

One scientist says one moment to pay attention to is when Venus first appears to touch the outermost part of the solar disk resulting in a tiny dip in solar brightness. This dip in brightness is attributed to the thick atmosphere of Venus. Check out the video and see for yourself, it's really cool.

[via Wired]


Proba-2 satellite records video of Venus solar transit is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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IPv6 lands today, do you copy?

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/06/ipv6-launch-day/

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20120605

NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope discovers possibly evaporating planet

 
 

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via SlashGear by Shane McGlaun on 5/21/12

Astronomers using NASA's Kepler Space Telescope have discovered a planet that orbits so close to its parent star its surface may be evaporating. The planet's evaporating surface is believed to be leaving behind a trail similar to that of a comet's tail. The planet is 1500 light-years from Earth and is believed to be a super Mercury-size planet.

The scientists theorize that the planet will be completely vaporized within 200 million years at the current rate. The photograph you see here is an artist's rendering of what the planet might look like up close. The parent star is called KIC 12557548, and an unusual light pattern from star is what has tipped scientists to the existence of the planet.

The scientists believe that the planet is orbiting a star that is smaller and cooler than our Sun. The planet makes an orbit in less than 16 hours at a distance of only twice the diameter of the star. The planet surface temperature is estimated to be 3300°F. The planet is likely to be covered completely in oceans of lava according to scientists.

[via Clarksville Online]


NASA's Kepler Space Telescope discovers possibly evaporating planet is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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The Programmer's Toolbox

 
 

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via Embedded on 5/21/12

In the February, 1992 issue of Embedded Systems Programming, a new column, Programmer's Toolbox, was introduced. The name was not chosen at random: The intent of the column is to provide useful tools and techniques that readers can apply to their own problems in embedded systems development. The idea is to have a library of reusable modules. written in several languages, that others can use to avoid re-invention of the wheel and improve their productivity and software quality. In this paper, I'll describe the thoughts behind the column. the software tools that have already been presented, the ones yet to come, and the ultimate goal of the effort. A successful effort will require support from the user community. Part of the message of this paper is a plea for help and feedback.

View the full article HERE.

 
 

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20120601

Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies to collide in 4 billion years

OMG run for your lives! :P

 
 

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via SlashGear by Shane McGlaun on 6/1/12

Astronomers with NASA have announced that they have predicted "with certainty" that the Milky Way galaxy where we live and the Andromeda galaxy will collide. The astronomers predict that the collision will happen 4 billion years from now. Interestingly, the collision will certainly change our galaxy according to the astronomers, but the earth and our solar system aren't in danger.

The Hubble Space Telescope was used to capture data allowing the prediction to be made. The Andromeda galaxy is 2.5 million light-years away, but is coming closer to the Milky Way due to the mutual pull of gravity between the two galaxies and dark matter between them. After the initial collision in 4 billion years, the scientists predict it will take another 2 billion years for the galaxies completely merge.

The galaxies will eventually merge into a single elliptical galaxy similar to others seen in the local universe. Even more interesting is that the Andromeda galaxy and the Milky Way are expected to eventually collide with a third galaxy called the Triangulum galaxy that could also merge with the original pair. Check out the video to see what the scientists believe the collision could be like.

[via Telegraph]


Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies to collide in 4 billion years is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Google scores victory: judge rules APIs not copyrightable

nicely done

 
 

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via SlashGear by Ben Kersey on 6/1/12

Last week the jury in the Google vs Oracle trial ruled that Google did not infringe any of Oracle's patents, and more news has now come out of the case. The judge has ruled that APIs are not copyrightable, marking the first time a court has addressed this specific issue. The judge decided that as long as the underlying code that is written is different, "anyone is free under the Copyright Act to write his or her own code to carry out exactly the same function or specification of any methods used in the Java API."

The judge went on to say that when there is "only one way to express an idea or function, then everyone is free to do so and no one can monopolize that expression." Copyright protection doesn't extend to the names and short phrases used that Oracle claimed were infringed. As for the nine lines of code that were duplicated, it's said that Joshua Bloch planned to submit the code to an open Java implementation for the community's benefit.

Judge William Alsup also seems to be trying to restrict the broad patent litigation that's so prevalent in technology nowadays. In the 41-page summary of the verdict, Alsup notes that "we should not yield to the temptation to find copyrightability merely to reward an investment made in a body of intellectual property." The judge goes on to say that Oracle has overblown the whole case, which casts doubts on Oracle's ability to appeal the verdict. While it's a big win for Google, it's surely a case that will be cited down the road in future lawsuits regarding copyright infringement.

[via Electronista]


Google scores victory: judge rules APIs not copyrightable is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
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20120531

Dell shows off its first ARM-based servers

http://feeds.slashgear.com/~r/slashgear/~3/0dxSXk3INgM/
ARM FTW
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20120529

05/25/12 PHD comic: 'Hearing problem'

 
 

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via PHD Comics on 5/28/12

Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham
www.phdcomics.com
Click on the title below to read the comic
title: "Hearing problem" - originally published 5/25/2012

For the latest news in PHD Comics, CLICK HERE!

 
 

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20120525

05/23/12 PHD comic: 'What have you done?'

:D

 
 

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via PHD Comics on 5/25/12

Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham
www.phdcomics.com
Click on the title below to read the comic
title: "What have you done?" - originally published 5/23/2012

For the latest news in PHD Comics, CLICK HERE!

 
 

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Mars 'has life's building blocks'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18196353#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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20120517

Fiat uses Google Street view to photo bomb Volkswagen

nicely done :D

 
 

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via SlashGear by Shane McGlaun on 5/16/12

Someone at Fiat has a sense of humor, and that can be something rare in the automotive industry. Apparently, Fiat was paying attention to when the Google Street View camera cars were cruising around a Swedish city called Södertälje where VW's Swedish headquarters is located. When it was determined that the Street View vehicles were going to cruise by VW headquarters, someone zipped in and parked a Fiat 500 by the front door.

As you can see in the photo here from Google Street view, the Fiat is parked right by the front door under the Volkswagen awning. I wonder if the folks working in the VW headquarters in Sweden will see the humor in this, or if they're going to be angry, bitter shrews. Whatever the case, that little Fiat 500 will be viewable on Google Street view for about a year.

I'd like to know how Fiat pulled off the prank. I can only assume someone got lucky and noticed the Street View cars cruising the city and simply hung out waiting for the right time to pull in and let nature take its course. Maybe this is the start of a prank war between Fiat and Volkswagen in Sweden. It's your turn VW, make it a good one.

[via Jalopnik]


Fiat uses Google Street view to photo bomb Volkswagen is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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20120515

Prometheus stills released as fan community explodes

 
 

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via SlashGear by Chris Burns on 5/11/12

What might be the blockbuster film of the summer (if the Avengers weren't enough for you) Prometheus is celebrating its explosion of pre-release fans with a collection of film stills this week. These film stills show unseen elements in the soon to be released film including alien technology, close-ups of the actors in action on the various ships shown in the film, and a collection of ominous canopic jars. These stills add much to the notion that this film will indeed follow the Alien legacy started with the director that also commands this film, Ridley Scott.

What you're seeing is a set of several shots direct from the film in ultra high definition. These images are flat though the film will end up being shown in 3D thanks to the camera rig technology provided by the hardware manufacturers heard from in our 3ality Technica interview last month. Find out there how Scott and crew helped usher in a new era of 3D with RED cameras and 3ality Technica gear for 2-up 3D camera rigs that were just as easy to manage as any 2D setup – here in the future with the third dimension!

The first gigantic image above is of a massive stone head carved in the image of what may well be the first humanoid in space. The story of Prometheus starts with the Space Jockeys you see in the original Alien movie drawing the humans you see in this film to the planet you see in this movie LV-223. At the end of this movie and at the start of Alien, we're at LV-426 – another planet which requires quite a bit of space to get to – find out more soon!

Above you'll see David, an android or "artificial person" that'll play a giant role in making the good (and evil) in this film move forward. You can see a viral advertisement for David here as well:

Have a peek at the rest of the gallery of new images below, and stay tuned to our own Prometheus portal to see what the real deal with the film will be as its all released this summer. Big time alien action!

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Prometheus stills released as fan community explodes is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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"Brainput" Boosts Your Brain Power By Offloading Multitasking To a Computer

 
 

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via Slashdot: Hardware by samzenpus on 5/14/12

MrSeb writes "A group of American researchers from MIT, Indiana University, and Tufts University, led by Erin Treacy Solovey, have developed Brainput — a system that can detect when your brain is trying to multitask, and offload some of that workload to a computer. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which is basically a portable, poor man's version of fMRI, Brainput measures the activity of your brain. This data is analyzed, and if Brainput detects that you're multitasking, the software kicks in and helps you out. In the case of the Brainput research paper (PDF), Solovey and her team set up a maze with two remotely controlled robots. The operator, equipped with fNIRS headgear, has to navigate both robots through the maze simultaneously, constantly switching back and forth between them. When Brainput detects that the driver is multitasking, it tells the robots to use their own sensors to help with navigation. Overall, with Brainput turned on, operator performance improved — and yet they didn't generally notice that the robots were partially autonomous. Moving forward, Solovey wants to investigate other cognitive states that can be reliably detected using fNIRS. Imagine a computer that increases the size of buttons and text when you're tired, or a video game that slows down when you're stressed. Your Xbox might detect that you're in the mood for fighting games, and change its splash screen accordingly. Eventually, computer interfaces might completely remold themselves to your mental state."

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20120514

Researchers Generate Electricity From Viruses

The computers running Windows will not require physical connection with the power grid. Special antivirus software will harvest the electricity generated from the (software and real) viruses in the quarantine :D

 
 

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via Slashdot: Hardware by samzenpus on 5/14/12

First time accepted submitter toomuchtogrok writes "Imagine charging your phone as you walk, thanks to a paper-thin generator embedded in the sole of your shoe. This futuristic scenario is now a little closer to reality. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a way to generate power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity. The scientists tested their approach by creating a generator that produces enough current to operate a small liquid-crystal display. It works by tapping a finger on a postage stamp-sized electrode coated with specially engineered viruses. The viruses convert the force of the tap into an electric charge."

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Tesla coil gun exists, may shoot lightning

\m/

 
 

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via Engadget by Sarah Silbert on 5/12/12

Tesla coil gun exists, may shoot lightning

Inspired by the graphic novel "Five Fists of Science" -- and perhaps encouraged by the plucky MIT student who made his own Tesla coil hat and survived -- a DIYer named Rob designed a Tesla coil gun, which he says is fully functional. Rob used a Nerf gun cast in aluminum for the housing and created a high voltage switch with a 3D powder printer. The gun is powered by an 18V ion drill battery and a flyback transformer housed inside a PVC plumbing end cap. Though Rob has yet to fire the gun, photos show what he says are sparks from the setup, and a demo clip is on the way. While video proof is always nice, so is preserving your life. We wish Rob the best with both.

Tesla coil gun exists, may shoot lightning originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 May 2012 05:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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20120507

Dinosaur gases 'warmed the Earth'

The first global warming in earth's history was due to these disturbingly-scented gases. :P

 
 

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via BBC News - Home on 5/7/12

Giant dinosaurs could have warmed the planet with their flatulence, say scientists.

 
 

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ACTA is effectively dead

FTW \m/

 
 

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via OSNews by donotreply@osnews.com (Thom Holwerda) on 5/7/12

"ACTA is effectively dead, the European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda admitted Friday. An official spokesman said the 'political reality' was the fight was over. Neelie Kroes, speaking at a conference in Berlin, told delegates: 'We have recently seen how many thousands of people are willing to protest against rules which they see as constraining the openness and innovation of the Internet. This is a strong new political voice. And as a force for openness, I welcome it, even if I do not always agree with everything it says on every subject. 'We are now likely to be in a world without SOPA and without ACTA.'" That's how we roll, web.

 
 

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20120502

Motorola wins Xbox ban in Germany

 
 

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via BBC News - Home on 5/2/12

Motorola Mobility is granted a sales ban against the Xbox 360 and Windows 7 in Germany.

 
 

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