VIA Technologies' small -- but not bite-sized -- Neo-ITX-based barebones Android PC is now up for pre-order. Folks willing to plunk down $49 now will be among the first to play with the APC's version of Gingerbread that's been modified for use with a mouse and keyboard. When can you expect the return on investment? Well, it's slated to ship in early July, meaning you'll get your hands on its 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 2GB of storage before the end of summer.
[Thanks, Nikolas]
VIA Technologies' $49 Android barebones PC available for pre-order, ships in July originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jun 2012 03:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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VIA Technologies | Email this | CommentsThe latest study involving advancements in robotic technology has an end result that by all accounts is pretty amazing – a robot designed to look like a zebrafish was fully accepted into a school of other zebrafish. That is, male zebrafish swarmed around the robotic female fish in the same way they would a real fish.
"We would like to use these robots for guiding fish away from danger. What we try to understand is how we can design visual features of the robot so that they can elicit attraction for the fish … We want to make sure first that we do have an attraction and that the fish are conditioned for the attraction" said Maurizio Porfiri, an engineer at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University where the study was conducted.
Because of their very predictable movements and easily replicated design, robotic fish have become a favorite experiment among researchers. There are even some bodies of water that already have robot fish swimming around for purposes like pollution tracking. This latest experiment furthers the proof that robots can perform the same functions as their living counterparts – if this can expand to other creatures that would be incredible.
[via MSNBC]
Large Hadron Collider not running properly? If you've read the docs and restarted it, check for a full moon. After noticing fewer particle collisions while on her shift, Pauline Gagnon reached out to a control room operator who casually explained that they adjust beam alignment during full moons. Yes, the tide-producing orbit of Earth's satellite tugs the LHC's inner workings ever so slightly askew. Though minute, the changes add up over the collider's 27km circumference and are picked up by monitoring equipment sensitive enough to measure elementary particles. However, Luna isn't the only thing that affects the accelerator -- the water level in Lake Geneva and passing high-speed rail trains also do the trick. Will your hand react differently to the LHC's beam under a Harvest Moon? Probably not. In any case, hit the source for the scientific details.
Large Hadron Collider affected by full moon, ocean commiserates originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 03:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ars Technica | Quantum Diaries | Email this | CommentsWhile 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]
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
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]
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/06/ipv6-launch-day/
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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]
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]
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]
http://feeds.slashgear.com/~r/slashgear/~3/0dxSXk3INgM/
ARM FTW
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| Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham | www.phdcomics.com | |
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| title: "Hearing problem" - originally published 5/25/2012 For the latest news in PHD Comics, CLICK HERE! | ||
| Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham | www.phdcomics.com | |
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| title: "What have you done?" - originally published 5/23/2012 For the latest news in PHD Comics, CLICK HERE! | ||
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]
