| Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham | www.phdcomics.com | |
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| title: "Clue" - originally published 1/18/2012 For the latest news in PHD Comics, CLICK HERE! | ||
These might not be interstellar cockroaches like we saw on Men in Black but they are what many call RoboBugs, or Cyborg bugs. Since cockroaches are basically indestructible and seem to live forever what better bug to make our robobugs with right? You might not know much about this but scientists have been working on these type of bomb-sniffers, espionage, and search and rescue bugs for long time and might have finally made a break-through.
Case Western Reserve University has recently published some research papers outlining how these electronic sensor packing bugs might soon become a reality. One major issue has always been the power source for something of this caliber being so small. New research has been lightly detailed outlining a new process where researchers can harness power from insects movement, and even from the chemical reaction as they eat.
Chemistry professor Daniel Scherson and his team has found a way to create power from the bugs food intake. Converting food into electrons and then using this for electricity and power the little sensors and everything else. Creepy crawly gross indeed, but cool nevertheless. Previous advances in this unique research has needed movement to create power but being able to use those techniques along with what we are seeing with this report would give our Cyborg bugs and beetles plenty of power.
Obviously these are still from a reality but are definitely a work in progress. All we need now is to figure this technique out, get a few cockroaches and a trail of crumbs and they are good to go.
[via Huffington Post, via Engadget]
In what can only be described as seeming to be a Flawless Victory, not a few hours after Senator Harry Reid announced he'd be delaying the vote on PIPA, representative Lamar Smith, better known now as the sponsor of SOPA, has announced he would delay consideration on that bill as well. Both teams have been pressured by waves of not only internet-based groups during the blackout of major websites earlier this week, but by voters calling in from around the nation this week as a result of it. Both groups have noted their intent to "revisit" how to defeat "foreign thieves" in regards to piracy, but would be stopping votes on their legislature for now.
It's not that these kinds of bills won't ever crop up again, because they certainly will, but it is nice to see that these Senators and representatives can be influenced by the public rather than by those dropping cash on their re-election campaigns. Of course it's not as simple as all that, but there it is – these bills are essentially toast! The next thing that'll happen is they'll be re-written and tried for passage with much less media attention – we can't let that happen. That said, Lamar Smith had the following to say on the subject today:
"I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy. It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products. The Committee will continue work with both copyright owners and Internet companies to develop proposals that combat online piracy and protect America's intellectual property. We welcome input from all organizations and individuals who have an honest difference of opinion about how best to address this widespread problem." – Smith
Certainly that would be a problem if that were the case, mister Smith, but you and I know that this is not why the bill has failed you. Former Senator Chris Dodd, in the wake of this decision and certainly in the wake of yesterday's events with Anonymous, had a bit to say on the subject as well:
"With today's announcement, we hope the dynamics of the conversation can change and become a sincere discussion about how best to protect the millions of American jobs affected by the theft of American intellectual property. It is incumbent that they now sincerely work with all of us to achieve a meaningful solution to this critically important goal." – Dodd
This isn't the last we've heard of this subject, I assure you.
[via Ars Technica]
Apple is certainly one of the biggest tech firms in the world. Apple is riding high on the back of some of the most successful products in the world thanks to the booming popularity of things like the iPad, iPhone, and Mac computers. With the success of the Apple offerings, the company has, or at least had, a giant market cap of $400 billion reports CNN money.
It's hard to wrap your brain around that kind of money, but that makes Apple worth more than the country of Greece. Apple only stayed at $400 billion for a short while yesterday morning before it slipped back to $398 billion market cap. Even at $398 billion, Apple is still the world's most valuable tech firm.
While Apple rode high at $400 billion, it had a market cap higher than the gross domestic product of several countries, including Greece, Austria, Argentina, and South Africa. With Apple worth so much already it's even more impressive that the company just keeps growing. I still wonder whether Apple will continue to be so successful after the sad passing of Steve Jobs.
[via CNN]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-16554357
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ASUS has confirmed that the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the original Eee Pad Transformer is imminent, with Google giving the final package one last glance-over before it can be released. Questioned as to the company's release roadmap on Facebook, ASUS North America described the new ROM as "in the process of being approved by Google."
"Once that is done" the social media team continued, "we will be able to push it out to you guys." ASUS has already begun shipping versions of the newer Transformer Prime running Android 4.0 ICS natively, as well as offering an upgrade for existing Transformer Prime owners to get their Tegra 3 slate up to speed with the new version.
Although the Galaxy Nexus debuted ICS late last year, Android device manufacturers are generally still working on getting their existing range upgraded. So far there's ASUS' Prime that has been modified, but smartphones and other tablets remain works-in-progress. In fact, even new devices running Android 4.0 are thin on the ground; the bulk of the new smartphones announced at CES 2012 last week were still running Gingerbread.
[via Android Community]
Like the passing of a very, very old uncle after he'd been telling you he didn't have one whole heck of a lot of time left on this earth for so very, very long, the fifth oldest tree on the planet burned from the inside this week, falling not to any sort of arson on the part of a human body, but mother nature herself, deciding it was just time for The Senator to go. This titanically gigantic piece of forest was known as "The Big Tree" or, again, The Senator, and is survived by his wife, "Lady Liberty," a 2,000-year old tree in the same Longwood, Florida park. Though we rarely report on non-gadget news here at SlashGear, there comes a time when we must appreciate how the whole world can connect and respect one of the world's oldest natural living things, all together because of the web we've created. What a lovely thing.
The Senator was more than 3,500 years old when he passed. The bald cypress' death and collapse happened after its hollowed-out center was affected by a "curious confluence of natural events." These events may very well, they said, have been started several weeks ago when a lightening strike hit, it then smoldering until combustion occurred only this week. Another idea is that friction caused by buffeting winds made a tiny spark which then erupted into the flames that swallowed our old friend.
This tree was older than Egypt's Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV,) pre-dated the Trojan War, and popped up right at about the time the Bible says Moses was speaking to the burning bush. Now Longwood's number 1 attraction is no more. All things must pass, and this market that pre-American residents used as a compass, Calvin Coolidge dedicated a bronze plaque to, and Senator Moses Oscar Overstreet donated 11 surrounding acres to the state as parkland for in 1927, is now collapsed. We hope everyone who got the chance to see this 18-foot wide beast remembers him well!
[via The Daily, image from Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/MCT]
We know Intel hasn't shipped any phones, while Qualcomm had over $4 billion in revenue last quarter. But when you're done reading, you'll agree with us. To do this, we'll perform a magic trick with all three acts, The Pledge, The Turn, and The Prestige.The "Internet of Things" drive, where every electronic device can communicate with each other in a mesh of digital linkery, continues to gather pace, with Texas Instruments unveiling a low-cost embedded WiFi chipset targeting everyday gadgets. The TI SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3000 is described as a "self-contained 802.11 network processor" that minimizes the effort involved at making consumer, home and office devices internet-aware.
TI's targets include TVs, fridges, HVAC systems, printers, energy meters and more, each of which could be persuaded to share their data in a way that might better allow users to monitor and control how technology plays a role in their lives. Although low-power WiFi chipsets are already available, the CC3000 is appealing because TI has done most of the hardware already: no display for setup is required, it can be integrated "within hours" to existing hardware, has minimal microprocessor demands and needs no specific OS.
As Texas Instruments' video below suggests, everything from bikes to dishwashers and industrial equipment could end up talking to you via your smartphone or tablet, or indeed to each other, using standard WiFi with the promise of whole-house range. It's a gleeful idea for home automation enthusiasts; now we just have to see which vendors pick up TI's chip.
A TI SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3000 FRAM evaluation module kit is available from today, priced at $199, for those keen to integrate the chipset into their hardware.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-asia-16500567
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They are near :p
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:D
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-16349972
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Transformer Optimus Prime wants his name back, right now preferably originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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PaidContent | Email this | Comments| Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham | www.phdcomics.com | |
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| title: "The Claus Hypothesis" - originally published 12/19/2011 | ||
ASUS has thrown open UK pre-orders for the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, offering the Tegra 3 based Android tablet for £449 ahead of shipments beginning in January 2012. Only the 32GB WiFi model will be sold in the UK, bundled with the battery-toting keyboard dock, while those unwilling to wait for a quadcore can also get a discounted original Transformer to tide them over.
The original Transformer is now just £299 for the 16GB model, slate-only, while the 16GB bundle with the keyboard dock is now £399. The 32GB Transformer – again, slate-only, is now £349. Promotional pricing will last until December 30.
For most, though, the lure of the Prime will be too much to ignore. The 10.1-inch tablet has a high-quality IPS+ display, WiFi a/b/g/n, quadcore NVIDIA processor, an 8-megapixel main camera with 1080p Full HD video recording, and of course that special dual-battery capability. The internal battery on the Prime is rated for 12hrs alone, but the keyboard-dock adds a further 6hrs to that.
An Ice Cream Sandwich update will be pushed out OTA shortly, ASUS says. More details on the Transformer Prime in the full SlashGear review.
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Yet another Electronic Arts game will join the free-to-play category. Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances, announced today, is a new massively multiplayer online strategy game in EA's real-time strategy series. Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances will be the first in the series to be MMO style and free-to-play. Players can expect "a completely interactive and dynamic gameplay experience", according to EA.
There are two factions, Global Defense Initiative and Brotherhood of Nod. The two are engaged in a war over a potent yet volatile resource, Tiberium. Players must not forget they will also be battling the Forgotten, humans who have been mentally and physically mutated by exposure to this resource. As the title states, Alliances will be important for allying with players and fight the Forgotten or other players. Be careful who you trust.
With the popularity of social media continually increasing, it is not surprising we are seeing it more in-game. Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances will feature in-game social and news feeds updated in real time. Similar to some Battlefield titles, the game will run in Web browsers and on mobile devices, with support for cross-platform play. Testing for the closed beta begins December 15th , be sure to sign up!
[via Gamespot]
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sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ajf/trg
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install transmission-remote-gtk
There's nothing quite like a good ol' game of Diablo to get you out of the everyday hum-drum of normal human life, and as Blizzard has proven with their eternally entertaining first two installments of this birds-eye-view hack and slash adventure game, Diablo III has a lot to live up to — today we get our first glimpse of the first three minutes of the game as it's set to be released in 2012, cinematic one and the start of the continued hellish storyline. What you're about to see is Deckard Cain, also known as the dirty old man whose fortune it's been to both be the keeper of the lore of this game series and the one who's always burning in hell while you fight the forces of evil. Cain has a niece now too, and as a meteor shower is about to prove, his ramblings about the return of the forces of hell to the earth to bring about a new terror are more than just a little bit true – great holes of flame!
This isn't the first time we've posted an anticipatory story about the coming of the third Diablo game, also known as Diablo 3, and it won't be the last by the looks of it. Bear witness to this first cinematic and, if you're lucky enough, you'll not have seen the second one also in this post, the one with Cain's niece continuing Cain's work into the nightmare heart of the Black Soulstone. This language epic enough for you? It can never EVER be epic enough when it comes to Diablo. Here's how it all begins:
It looks basically like Cain has discovered that the evil is not finished, even though we've massacred Diablo Lord of Terror, Mephisto Lord of Hatred, and Baal Lord of Destruction already. Now what we've got is a show not unlike what we saw in the Lord of the Rings series from a few years ago with moving pages and stories of war, this time with some gigantic beasts with horns and fire galore – seems similar to the last game, doesn't it? Have a look at the stained glass window above Cain's desk and see Tryael, the Archangel of Justice you should be familiar with from the Sanctuary in the last level of Diablo II, the final defeat of Baal in Lord of Destruction, and under the desert in Tal Rasha's tomb as well. Will this protector of good be an ally to you the hero again as he was in Diablo II, or will he have become corrupted back to his original demonic form?
Then there's this slightly older and just as telling cinematic containing Azmodan, Lord of Sin. A fat grub of a demon whose goal it is to ravage the earth until they find the Black Soulstone. When the Black Soulstone is found, Azmodan says he'll be able to reign as the Prime Evil.
Lovely stuff – can't wait to see it! Burning flesh and the massacre of all goodness!
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Cool
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Continue reading ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime review
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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