শুক্রবার, ৩১ জানুয়ারি, ২০১৪
SUST Reunion-2012
Fourth Bangladesh University games-2012
Conference on Community Based Adaptation (CBA) To Climate Change held at SUST
Vice Chanceloor Professor Dr. Md. Saleh Uddin addressed the opening session of the conference as chief guest. He said,
YoungBB National Congress held at SUST
A day long YoungBB 3rd National Congress 2012 was held at central auditorium of Shahjalal University of Science & Technology (SUST) on 23 March 2012.
SUST’s Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (GEB) department and Young Biotechnologist of Bangladesh (YBB) jointly organized the congress with the slogan
Independence Day observe at SUST
The 41st Independence Day was observed in Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Sylhet with renewing the pledge to uphold the spirit of the Liberation War.
Professor Dr. Md. Saleh Uddin, vice chancellor of SUST laid wreath at university’s Chetona’71 in the morning of 26 March 2012 which was followed by students, teachers, officials and different organizations of SUST. They paid rich tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their life for the country.
On the occasion university’s administration arranged a seminar at mini auditorium while Lecturer of Sociology department Mr Nikhilendu Deb presented a key note paper.
University’s Vice Chancellor delivered his speech as a chief guest and Treasurer Professor Dr. Md. Elias Uddin Biswas spoke as special guest while Dean of Life Sciences Prof Dr. Yesmeen Haque chaired the program.
Conducted over by Register Mohd Isfaqul Hussain the program was addressed among other by Chairman of Computer Science & Engineering department Prof Dr. Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, Lecturer of Sociology department Sebak Kumar Saha, Professor of Physics department Dr. Sushanta Kumar Das, Professor of Sociology department Dr. Abdul Gani.
Earlier university’s vice chancellor Professor Dr. Md Saleh Uddin inaugurated the cartoon and documentary exhibition.
Later a cultural program was held at Muktamancha in the evening.
About SUSTHome Act Map History Mission ContactAcademicsSchool Library Institutes Faculty Members SyllabusAdministrationVC Office Treasurer's Office Dormitories Registrar's Office OtherAdmissionGraduate Undergraduate Admission Test 2013-14 OthersResearchPublications Labs Centers Conferences Online JournalsCampusCultural Environment Living Muktijuddha CornerQuick LinkDownloads Noticeboard HEQEP ePayment© 2014 SUSTSubmarine cable cut disrupts internet
Authorities concerned said on Wednesday that it would take three to four days to repair the connection.
Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company's (BSCCL) Cox's Bazar Landing Station Deputy General Manager Mohammad Shakhawat Hossain told bdnews24.com that the east segment of the submarine cable, some 56 kilometres away from Singapore, had been cut.
"We're supplying bandwidth through the west segment now," he said.
Currently, Bangladesh is using only one submarine cable. But India, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia who also face the same debacle are coping with the internet traffic pressure through their alternative connections.
The submarine cable system, with which Bangladesh is currently connected, is a high capacity optical fibre Submarine Cable System linking 16 companies of 14 countries. It is called the South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe- 4 (SEA-ME-WE-4) cable network and is under an International Consortium.
Bangladesh is expected to connect with the SEA-ME-WE-5 by 2014.
Welcome to SUST email service for All students !!
Students’ email under SUST domain opened on 17 June 2012. Professor Dr. Md Saleh Uddin, vice chancellor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Sylhet inaugurated this email facility while Professor Dr. Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, director of Computer and Information Centre, and Professor Dr. Yasmeen Haque, dean of life sciences were present at the program held at SUST central auditorium.
Vice chancellor Professor Dr. Md Saleh Uddin, in a brief speech, advised the students to develop themselves with the knowledge of information and technology. He said, you will need not go outside but earn money along with your study if you can gather basic knowledge of computer and the internet. We will stand by you but you have to be enthusiastic.
Professor Dr. Muhammed Zafar Iqbal urged students to be respectful during the use of an email address under the domain of this university website.
Abu Awal Md Shoeb, lecturer of CSE department acted as a moderator of the program where more than one thousand students were present.
It is mentionable that the students holding email addresses under SUST domain will enjoy the free use of Microsoft products when they will not be available free of cost after June 2013.
About SUSTHome Act Map History Mission ContactAcademicsSchool Library Institutes Faculty Members SyllabusAdministrationVC Office Treasurer's Office Dormitories Registrar's Office OtherAdmissionGraduate Undergraduate Admission Test 2013-14 OthersResearchPublications Labs Centers Conferences Online JournalsCampusCultural Environment Living Muktijuddha CornerQuick LinkDownloads Noticeboard HEQEP ePayment© 2014 SUSTCall for Interview
Newly appointed Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Aminul Haque Bhuyan pays homage to Language Martyrs at Central Shahid Minar at SUST.
Apple Reports First-Quarter Results
WHERE: Via conference call. The dial-in number for press is (877) 616-0073 (toll-free) or (816) 581-1579. Please enter confirmation code 495624.
WHEN: Monday, January 27, 2014, 2:00 p.m. PST/5:00 p.m. EST
REBROADCAST: The conference call will be available as a continuous rebroadcast beginning Monday, January 27 at 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST through Monday, February 10 at 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST. The dial-in number for the rebroadcast is (888) 203-1112 (toll-free) or (719) 457-0820. Please enter confirmation code 9268358.
WEBCAST: Apple will provide live audio streaming of its FY 14 First Quarter Results Conference Call using Apple’s industry-leading QuickTime® multimedia software. The live webcast will begin at 2:00 p.m. PST on Monday, January 27, 2014 at www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq114 and will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter. The webcast is available on any iPhone®, iPad® or iPod touch® running iOS 4.2 or above, any Mac® running OS X 10.5 or above or any PC running QuickTime 7 or later. If you do not have QuickTime installed on your Windows PC, it is available at www.apple.com/quicktime.
This recording is the property of Apple and protected by US copyright law and international treaties. Any reproduction or distribution is strictly prohibited without prior written approval from Apple. Please contact Apple Public Relations or Investor Relations with any questions.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
Press Contacts:
Steve Dowling
Apple
dowling
Apple Reports First-Quarter Results
WHERE: Via conference call. The dial-in number for press is (877) 616-0073 (toll-free) or (816) 581-1579. Please enter confirmation code 495624.
WHEN: Monday, January 27, 2014, 2:00 p.m. PST/5:00 p.m. EST
REBROADCAST: The conference call will be available as a continuous rebroadcast beginning Monday, January 27 at 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST through Monday, February 10 at 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST. The dial-in number for the rebroadcast is (888) 203-1112 (toll-free) or (719) 457-0820. Please enter confirmation code 9268358.
WEBCAST: Apple will provide live audio streaming of its FY 14 First Quarter Results Conference Call using Apple’s industry-leading QuickTime® multimedia software. The live webcast will begin at 2:00 p.m. PST on Monday, January 27, 2014 at www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq114 and will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter. The webcast is available on any iPhone®, iPad® or iPod touch® running iOS 4.2 or above, any Mac® running OS X 10.5 or above or any PC running QuickTime 7 or later. If you do not have QuickTime installed on your Windows PC, it is available at www.apple.com/quicktime.
This recording is the property of Apple and protected by US copyright law and international treaties. Any reproduction or distribution is strictly prohibited without prior written approval from Apple. Please contact Apple Public Relations or Investor Relations with any questions.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
Press Contacts:
Steve Dowling
Apple
dowling
বৃহস্পতিবার, ৩০ জানুয়ারি, ২০১৪
Is your fridge sending spam? Not so fast
The security world lit up with news of the first instance of an Internet-connected appliance participating in a botnet. Our fears of Skynet made real had come to pass: not only was your fridge keeping your half-eaten tin of Spam cold, it was sending your e-mail account fresh digital spam at the same time.
Related stories:Symantec takes on one of largest botnets in historyMicrosoft, feds disrupt massive Citadel botnet'Chameleon Botnet' takes $6-million-a-month in ad moneyChameleon botnet steals $6M per month in click fraud scam Malware getting smarter, says McAfeeOne problem: the report appears to be based on incorrect assumptions.
Proofpoint, the security firm that published the report, said that the botnet was 100,000 machines strong and sent no more than 10 pieces of e-mail spam per IP address. However, Ars Technica noted that estimating a botnet size is difficult, and that the technique that Proofpoint used -- scanning public IP addresses -- is known to be hard to connect to specific devices.
Additionally, sending only 10 spam messages per IP address in a botnet is unusual. "Traditional spam botnets will push infected PCs to send as many messages as its resources allow," said Ars reporter Dan Goodin. "The botnet reported by Proofpoint requires too much effort and not enough reward."
As Goodin and independent security expert Bruce Schneier noted, though, just because this connected device botnet probably didn't happen this time doesn't mean it won't ever happen.
Despite being "skeptical" of the original report, Schneier said, "it could happen, and sooner or later it will."
Topics: Security Tags: botnet, Internet of Things, refrigerator, security, smart fridgeWhat should you look for when choosing a car stereo?
Apple looking to build mobile-payments service, report says
Apple already lets users buy music, books, and apps through an iTunes account. But the tech giant has plans to expand its mobile-payment efforts, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Citing anonymous sources, the report says Apple is exploring moving beyond the realm of digital goods and letting users pay for physical goods and services -- such as clothes or a taxi ride -- with an iTunes account. The Journal says Eddy Cue, the Apple executive in charge of iTunes and the App Store, has already met with industry executives to discuss the topic.
Related postsGoogle, Samsung strike patent cross-licensing dealWatch the first public Macintosh demo in newly released videoEarly Macintosh developer: We would have worked for freeApple has the Mac to thank for its next generation of devices Facebook bites backThe company has also moved Jennifer Bailey, a longtime executive who is running the company's online store, into a new role building the payments business, the article said.
Expanding into a mobile-payments business would leverage the hundreds of millions of credit cards Apple already has on file thanks to iTunes. The move would put the company in direct competition with services like Stripe and eBay's PayPal.
The space has been heating up of late. Stripe recently raised $80 million in funding, at a valuation of $1.75 billion. And activist investor Carl Icahn has also called for eBay to spin off PayPal. Later, he said Apple would make a good suitor for the mobile-payments service.
Apple did not immediately return a request for comment. We'll update this post if we hear back.
Topics: Apple Corporate, iTunes Tags: Apple, Carl Icahn, PayPal, StripeApple has the Mac to thank for its next generation of devices
How the 'Netflix of books' won over the publishing industry (Q&A)
Former homeless man finds success in the speaker business
Five years ago I wrote about a homeless man in California who wanted to start a speaker company. That man, Kevin Nelson, dared to be different: his speakers could produce stereo sound from a single box. He was way ahead of his time -- nowadays millions of Bluetooth speakers claim the same thing. But Nelson's speakers do a more convincing job of creating stereo. Nelson started working on the stereo from one speaker idea in 1989 and spent years perfecting the concept. He cooked up the name Zealth Audio early on and stuck with it.
Google ad patent would offer e-shoppers a free taxi to stores
Ingredients for life hitching ride on space dust, study says
For years, astronomers have been scanning nearby asteroids, the moon, Mars, and deeper space for evidence of the building blocks of life.
Now, a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that both water and organic material could actually have our planet surrounded, floating around space on ubiquitous interplanetary dust particles that constantly rain down on Earth and the other bodies in our solar system.
"It is a thrilling possibility that this influx of dust has acted as a continuous rainfall of little reaction vessels containing both the water and organics needed for the eventual origin of life on Earth and possibly Mars," researcher and study co-author Hope Ishii of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology said in a release.
Translation: tiny trace amounts of water and organics left over from the birth of our solar system could be riding the solar wind on specs of space dust that make their way to the surface of nearby planets, asteroids, and moons.
Scientists have suspected that one way water and other key components of life are delivered to the surface of Earth and other planets is by riding on the backs of comets that collide with them. This new research is in a way an extension of that hypothesis reduced to a molecular level, but with a key difference in how water molecules came to hang out on the rims of flecks of space dust.
Related storiesHubble spies water vapor plumes on Jupiter's EuropaForget winter in Westeros, summer's coming to TitanNewly spotted wet asteroids point to far-flung Earth-like planetsIn the case of comets, the icy space rocks import frozen water from beyond the solar system when they come to visit, but the traces of water on interplanetary dust particles are actually a product of the solar wind that blasts them with hydrogen ions, shaking up the atoms of the silicate mineral crystals in the dust particles. This process leaves behind some oxygen to react with hydrogen and create water molecules.
"Perhaps more exciting," Ishii said, "interplanetary dust, especially dust from primitive asteroids and comets, has long been known to carry organic carbon species that survive entering the Earth's atmosphere, and we have now demonstrated that it also carries solar-wind-generated water. So we have shown for the first time that water and organics can be delivered together."
In other words, the cheese and the sauce have been floating around space since nearly the beginning of time, just waiting to be wrapped up in a comfy corn tortilla atmosphere to seed the whole enchilada of life.
Next up, the researchers plan to look into how much water may be hitchhiking to the Earth's surface on space dust and what types of organic or inorganic compounds might be riding shotgun on the trip.
No research is in the works, however, to figure out how that jelly doughnut wound up on Mars.
Topics: Science, Space Tags: solar system, space dust, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and PlanetologyIt's not the bus, stupid. It's the system
A couple of hundred years ago, textile workers smashed stocking frames, burned factories, and clashed with police to protest the changes being wrought by what the essayist Thomas Carlyle later described as the new Mechanical Age.
They were afraid of losing their jobs in an economy with no social safety net. It's now clear that their enemy wasn't the new technology; it was a political and economic system which left the have-nots struggling for survival. But they didn't blame the Industrial Revolution, they blamed the face of the Industrial Revolution: the machine.
With the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, you'd think that we would have learned a lesson. Think again.
Over the last few months, a building inchoate rage against the technology industry has exploded into public view. In Paris and Lyon earlier this month, striking cab drivers attacked Uber cars to protest the launch of the private-car service in France. Rude Baguette, a French tech news site, reported tires slashed, car windows shattered, and vehicles being pelted with eggs. Closer to home, the Bay Area -- home to Silicon Valley and San Francisco -- has been pulled into a rancorous dispute over tech-driven gentrification and the responsibilities wealthy companies ought to shoulder to ameliorate the resulting social dislocations caused, in great degree, by their increasing prosperity.
Related storiesSan Francisco to charge for tech buses using city stopsSan Francisco approves tech shuttle bus pilot programTaxi dispute gets physical in France with attack on Uber car That's a fair debate for a city and a region with a long history of progressive politics. But somewhere along the line, this thing has gone off the rails.Earlier this week, a group calling itself "the counterforce" knocked on the Berkeley home of Google developer Anthony Levandowski to announce their intention to put up a protest banner in front of his house and hand out fliers around the neighborhod. The bill of particulars against Levandowski, a star engineer at Google, runs the gamut from being responsible for "the sterilization and gentrification" of downtown Berkeley to helping further the spread of the surveillance state. You can read their writeup here and make up your own minds. (Disclosure: Levandowski's fiancee is a former CNET reporter.)
But after living in the Bay Area for a while, you get used to batshit insane without flinching. After all, Berkeley exists to make San Francisco look sane. What doesn't so easily compute is how some Einstein concluded he could strike a blow for justice by tossing a rock through the window of a Google bus. I suppose that for the critics, the bus shuttles, which shepherd employees working at Google and Twitter, represent the social entitlement accorded fabulously compensated outsiders who don't have to wait in traffic or sit on subways like the rest of us. Not to mention their stock options, their big houses, and altogether wonderful lives -- and this while unemployment levels remain far above their historical norms. Still, they are focusing on the wrong target.
We're talking about larger economic and social forces at play. That's why monochromatic prescriptions aren't going to point the way out.
Tom Foremski, a longtime observer of the local tech scene, asks why the technology industry doesn't pitch in and "start making a difference." Twitter, which encourages its employees to volunteer on company time, is one of several local tech companies offering reach-out initiatives, but various do-gooder programs -- and I'm all in favor -- won't change very much. (For the record, San Francisco did recently approve a plan requiring shuttle buses to pay a fee for stopping at designated areas in the city.)
Slogans won't stop, let alone cushion, the effects of post-industrial capitalism. If you want a pinata, fine, you won't need to wait long to find some self-absorbed Gen X doofus, gabbing on his iPhone as he enters another outrageously pretentious eatery that's opened its doors on San Francisco's increasingly gentrified Mission Street. Caricatures only go so far. The way out of what is a legitimate concern is to create conditions that foster job creation, education, and housing policies to offer people a decent place to live. Those are big, complicated issues which require the attention of big brains thinking very hard and carefully.
If I may paraphrase James Carville, .
Topics: Media, Policy, Social networking Tags: San Francisco, tech backlashMicrosoft Surface: It's on a roll (and why it exists)
Stephen Hawking declares: 'There are no black holes'
Wait, so my life may not have disappeared down a black hole after all?
There is a chance for it to emerge and bloom like the career of David Hasselhoff?
It's charming when a phrase enters the language and we think we all know what it means. In the case of "black hole," we think of an infinity of black nothingness that swallows everything that slips into it.
But now, in a new paper called "Information Preservation and Weather Forecasting for Black Holes," Stephen Hawking has cast the cat among the black, holey pigeons and caused a scattering of incomprehension.
His precise words were: "The absence of event horizons mean that there are no black holes -- in the sense of regimes from which light can't escape to infinity."
It seems clear. There are no forever and ever holes of blackness. There is always the chance that light might emerge.
Hawking continued, however: "There are however apparent horizons which persist for a period of time. This suggests that black holes should be redefined as metastable bound states of the gravitational field."
So there are black holes. It's just that we should redefine them a touch. So what's this apparent horizon?
More Technically IncorrectMan runs into burning home to save his XboxPolice want to use your home security cameras for surveillanceGoogle ad patent would offer e-shoppers a free taxi to storesColbert: We must save 'mom-and-pop sites like Bing'People buy iPads, get floor tilesWell, it's "a surface along which light rays attempting to rush away from the black hole's core will be suspended."
But if they're suspended, they will never emerge, stuck in solitary confinement like the Man in the Iron Mask. The result is surely still the same. Once something disappears into a black hole, it's done for.
At times of existential stress like these, I turn to Nature magazine for help. It suggests that, at least in theory (and, let's face it, this is all theory), black holes might at some point disappear.
However, the magazine offers a dispiriting set of words from Don Page, a physicist from the University of Alberta in Canada. It might be possible that particles could emerge from black holes, he said.
Oh, cry of joy.
However, if particles did "it would be worse than trying to reconstruct a book that you burned from its ashes."
Ah, now that's a feeling I'm familiar with.
Topics: Random Tags: Technically Incorrect, Physics, black holes, Stephen Hawking, spaceLatest flu-related tech is largely about the greater good, not you
Arts and crafts chain Michaels says credit card data may've been nicked
Early Macintosh developer: We would have worked for free
This article is part of a CNET special report on the 30th anniversary of the Macintosh, looking at the beginnings of Apple's landmark machine and its impact during the past three decades.
CUPERTINO, Calif. -- For the people who created the Macintosh, it was the proverbial labor of love.On Saturday evening, the original Macintosh development team came together to celebrate the machine it had created three decades earlier -- a product that had paved the way for hits to come, including the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
How Verizon is bracing for Super Bowl insanity
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Like the millions of people tuning in during the Super Bowl, Michele White will be glued to her monitor.
But unlike everyone else, the big game won't be on her screen. Instead, White, the head of network operations and engineering in the New York metropolitan region for Verizon Wireless, will be staring at and stressing over something else altogether: the status of her network's ability to handle the estimated 82,000 people who will be in attendance at the game.
Battle of the (broad)bands: Online music's Grammy picks
How small can a bona fide high-end headphone amplifier be?
Meridian Audio may be one of Britain's oldest high-end audio brands. It was founded in the late 1970s, but it was always exploring new technologies. It introduced the world's first high-end CD player in 1984, advanced the state of the art in self-powered speakers, and pioneered digital loudspeakers. The company also developed the lossless compression technology used in many Blu-Ray discs.
So when I heard Meridian was introducing a high-end headphone amplifier, I immediately requested a review sample. When the box arrived, I thought they sent the wrong piece, it was too small to be a contender, but the Meridian Prime is a good deal more compact than the competition's models. It's also a stunning piece of industrial design. The desktop-friendly-size 6.3x2x5.9-inch all-metal chassis is gorgeous; fit and finish are what you'd expect from a high-end brand. The front panel hosts two 6.3mm jacks for full-size headphones, plus a 3.5mm jack for in-ear headphones. The back panel sports a USB input, stereo RCA analog inputs, and outputs that can drive self-powered desktop speakers. The Prime is made in England.
Meridian and Bryston are the only two established high-end brands making headphone amplifiers. Unfortunately, I didn't have the Bryston BHA-1 amp on hand to compare, but the BHA-1 is just an amp, the Prime has an onboard USB digital converter that handles up to 24 bit/192 kHz digital audio. The Prime can be run with the included wall wart, or from your computer's USB port. There's also an optional, upgraded power supply that's the same size and sports the same look as the Prime chassis.
With my Audeze LCD-3 headphones I compared the Prime with my old Red Wine Audio Corvina headphone amp. The Prime's clarity and detail resolution on Moby's "Play" CD far outpaced the Corvina's. The sound was more transparent; the Corvina's richer and warmer tonal balance was sweeter, but the Prime's more immediate, you-are-there sound won me over. The Prime has an Analogue Spatial Processing feature that ever so gently expands the stereo soundstage, I found it worked well on some recordings, but others sounded better with the processing turned off.
Watch the first public Macintosh demo in newly released video
Profile: Golf GTI
The seventh-generation GTI is a very grown-up car: fast, refined, sure-footed. It will no doubt be reliable and headache-free to own. But I can't help thinking that it lacks the pizazz of the first-generation GTI, and I think I know why.
The first GTI wasn't built because Volkswagen had a reputation to live up to, or because a product planner decided a GTI model would sell. In fact almost the opposite is true: in the early '70s Volkswagen was only known for rather old-fashioned air-cooled machinery with no sporting pretensions whatsoever. The GTI was pieced together by a bunch of petrolhead engineers as a Saturday morning 'skunk works' project, against the instructions of Ernst Fiala, the head of engineering. It was only when they presented him with a prototype built on the sly and asked him to drive it that Fiala started to see the potential.
Even then, the Volkswagen management wasn't at all sure the 'über-Golf' would sell. It tentatively agreed to a production run of 5000 so that the GTI could be homologated for Group 1 racing and rallying, and hoped there wouldn't be too many still lying around unsold by the time the next-generation Golf arrived in the mid-'80s... They needn't have worried, of course. After the GTI's launch at the Frankfurt show in 1975 the first 5000 sold in record time, and it kept on selling: after six months Wolfsburg has built 50,000. The 'hot hatch' was now a thing.
That stiffly-sprung fuel-injected little hatchback with tartan seats, red stripes, jokey Golf-ball gearknob and no brakes to speak of belongs to a long-gone era. It was left to Peugeot to produce a real replacement, with the 205GTI, while the second-generation Golf became much more grown-up. Every succeeding generation has become more sophisticated and more serious - faster, safer and altogether better. What's lacking is the character of those original GTIs.
In a Mark 1 Golf GTI you get the impression that the car relishes every chance to squeal through a bend with its inside rear wheel cocked in the air. You get the feeling that the seventh-gen GTI would be embarrassed at the thought of doing the same.
Over the years the GTI - and most other cars, as this is a universal problem - has got bigger, more powerful and much heavier, and that's partly what robs it of character. Some of that weight is inevitable, because it's what makes the current car far more able to look after you in an accident (you wouldn't want to hit anything solid in a '70s GTI, or any other '70s car for that matter) but a lot of it could be designed out by using innovative materials like high-strength alloys, and cleverer interior design.
Yes, the Golf GTI is great as it is. But it would be even greater if there was less of it.
Tags:xcarPolice want to use your home security cameras for surveillance
We're all in this together.
The authorities are peeking in on our progress thought life, and we accept it as part of our security.
But they don't want us to feel left out. So now they're wondering whether they might be able to use our security for, you know, everyone's.
An imaginative proposal emerging from San Jose, Calif., City Councilman San Liccardo asks for citizens to donate their own home security systems for the greater good.
As the San Jose Mercury News reports, all the citizens would have to do is to register their home security cameras with the local police.
In the event of a local incident of any kind, the police would be able to remotely access the video feed and view everything the home security camera captured.
Supporters suggest that this is an intelligent and logical suggestion to combat increasing crime in what used to be known as a safe part of America.
More Technically IncorrectMan runs into burning home to save his XboxStephen Hawking declares: 'There are no black holes'Google ad patent would offer e-shoppers a free taxi to storesColbert: We must save 'mom-and-pop sites like Bing'People buy iPads, get floor tilesHowever, Hanni Fakhoury, a staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, offered the Mercury News an alternative perspective: "Once you give the police unfettered access 24/7, you're relying on them to exercise their restraint."
This might, indeed, seem like an act of excessive faith.
One scenario also might haunt some minds. What if the police have remote access to your security cameras and you yourself are involved in certain activities that might, under strict interpretations, be regarded as against the law?
Still, San Jose isn't the first to enjoy this suggestion. Cities such as Philadelphia and Chicago are already testing the idea.
Los Gatos-Monte Sereno in California is another area that's achieved the cooperation of its citizens.
One of its police officers, Catherine Mann, assured the Mercury News that the police weren't "sitting around watching live videos" from people's homes.
But in our highly unstable world -- where many are desperate to be seen, but some still value a touch of privacy -- it's rarely the promises that disturb, it's the possibilities.
Topics: Music, Media, Random, Social networking, Advertising Tags: law, Technically Incorrect, San Jose, security, SurveillanceMan runs into burning home to save his Xbox
A sense of priorities is always helpful in life. As is a sense of passion.
The two miraculously came together for one Kansas man and, miraculously, he survived to tell the tale.
As ABC15 reports, the man's Olathe, Kan., home was on fire.
He woke up during the night to discover this phenomenon. He made it outside before the fire engulfed him.
More Technically IncorrectPolice want to use your home security cameras for surveillanceStephen Hawking declares: 'There are no black holes'Google ad patent would offer e-shoppers a free taxi to storesColbert: We must save 'mom-and-pop sites like Bing'People buy iPads, get floor tilesHowever, what engulfed him shortly afterward was a burning desire not to be parted from his Xbox.
So, as if it were a scene from one of his favorite games, he rushed back inside to rescue his system.
He found it and rushed back out of the house again.
The police say that he suffered only smoke inhalation. Some might say that he suffered from a lot more than that.
It's unclear from reports what kind of Xbox this was. However, one assumes it must have been a relatively new Xbox One.
Surely no one would re-enter their burning house to retrieve some gaming relic.
There again, we already have recent video evidence that gamers can be very particular human beings indeed.
Topics: Media, Random, Social networking, Advertising Tags: Technically Incorrect, Xbox, Gaming, fireSnowden return to US hinges on amnesty, his legal adviser says
Google, Samsung strike patent cross-licensing deal
The two companies provided essentially no details about the terms of the deal or what patents and technologies its covers, only saying that it's "mutually beneficial." However, they did take veiled shots at Apple, stressing how two big companies can work together to avoid litigation.
Related stories:Apple, Samsung CEOs agree to mediation over patent disputeSpin control: Apple goes on offense against AndroidCNET's take on the Galaxy Note 3 "Samsung and Google are showing the rest of the industry that there is more to gain from cooperating than engaging in unnecessary patent disputes," Seungho Ahn, the head of Samsung's Intellectual Property Center, said in a press release.Allen Lo, deputy general counsel for patents at Google, echoed Ahn's comments, saying that "by working together on agreements like this, companies can reduce the potential for litigation and focus instead on innovation."
Apple and Samsung have been embroiled in litigation for several years, and Apple also has sued other Android handset makers. In the case of Samsung, Apple accused the company of copying patents such as its technology for making a screen bounce back when you reach the bottom. Apple has been victorious over Samsung in US courts so far, and the next case, which covers gadgets such as the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5, goes to trial March 31.
The two companies have been ordered to hold talks by February 19 to try to resolve their issues. However, a settlement has seemed unlikely. In November, before jury election began in a separate patent infringement lawsuit Apple filed against Samsung, US District Court Judge Lucy Koh told both parties that she would like them to try to reach a settlement and that she would prefer the companies' CEOs participate in the talks. She prefaced the request by saying to the attorneys for Apple and Samsung that "you don't have to laugh at me, but even my chambers laughs at me when I mention settlement."
Meanwhile, Google and Samsung have been close partners over the years. Samsung's smartphone success has come from using Google's Android open-source operating system. There have been reports of tension between the two companies, but both are reliant on each other to keep their mobile momentum going. It's likely that many of the patents involved in the cross-licensing deal relate to mobile technology.
Samsung's new tablets go Pro at CES 2014 (pictures) 1-2 of 9Scroll LeftScroll RightWhere should I put my TV?
I can't come to your home to help with ideas (sorry), but I can give you some dos and don'ts when it comes to TV placement, to point you in the right direction (i.e., toward the screen).
Obviously if you have a massive entertainment center, you're limited in your placement potential. But putting the option out there for a room reorganization might be the leverage you need to convince your spouse to get a new TV (or a larger TV).
Before you get the idea of a 22-inch LCD stuck in the corner of the ceiling, or an 84-inch 4K smack in the middle of the room, keep the following tips in mind.
Find the perfect spot for your TVDo...
...Check height. While there's no set height for TV placement, ideally you don't want the TV to be too high. Staring up at a TV is like sitting in the front row of a movie theater. It's not ideal, not comfortable, and not conducive to long viewing sessions. Generally speaking, you want the center of the TV to be about eye level, or even slightly lower. This is true whether you're mounting the TV, or putting it on a stand. For more on this, check out How high should I put my TV?
...Check distance. It's unlikely anyone reading this is going to be sitting too close to their TV. Most people sit about nine feet from the TV, which is too far to distinguish between 1080p and 720p TVs of most sizes. Sitting closer to your TV has two benefits: it fills more of your field of view (so it's more immersive), and you can see more resolution (the image is more detailed). If you can't/don't want to sit closer, you can alternatively get a larger TV. Check out How big a TV should I buy? for more info.
Related storiesLED LCD vs. plasma vs. LCD Active 3D vs. passive 3D: What's better? Why all HDMI cables are the same TV tech explainer: Every HDTV technology decoded What is refresh rate? 1080i and 1080p are the same resolution What is 600Hz? Audiophile Odyssey: Behind the Scenes at B&W, Meridian, and Abbey Road Studios...Check placement. Room lighting and reflections are the No. 1 killer of TV images according to a study I just made up. The fact is, pretty much every modern TV has a reflective screen, and I don't care how awesome your lamps are, they're not as interesting as what's on TV (OK, that's arguable.) Sure, you can just turn off the lights (or close the blinds), but sometimes that's not easy or possible. If it isn't, check out How to rid your HDTV of reflections.
If you're thinking of wall mounting, keep in mind the all the Dos mentioned so far. Plus, if you're thinking of getting an LCD, make sure you get a wall mount that's able to pivot or adjust. With few exceptions, LCDs have worse performance if you're not sitting directly in front of them. Being able to pivot or move a wall mounted TV so it's aimed directly at your eyeballs will be a huge improvement in picture quality (compared to the same TV not aimed at you). It's worth mentioning at this point TV weight is not a limiting factor when it comes to mounting.
...Consider more than style. When it comes to TV stands, there are countless options. Consider the TV height in addition to whatever style you like. Most stands are fairly uniform in height, and a few inches above or below ideal isn't going to matter, but a large TV on a tall stand isn't a great idea.
...Consider the mini-humans. Turns out, falling TVs injure a child every half-hour. Check out How to keep your TV from falling over if you've got kids or lively pets.
Don't...
...Mount the TV too high. A TV at the correct height is going to look really low when you're standing. Which is fine, since most of the time you won't be standing when you're watching.
...Mount a TV above a fireplace. For the above reason and more.
...Mount a "regular" TV outside. There are TVs made for just that. Or, if you don't want to spend the money on a TV designed for outside, just know that any TV you leave out there isn't likely to last long (even if it's under an awning). Best to bring it in when you're not using it.
...Sit too far away. However, you can get a larger TV to compensate.
...Put the TV in an awkward location. If you have to turn your head to see the screen, it's just going to lead to sore necks. Twisting your head a bit may not seem like a big deal, but keeping it that way for hours at a time can be a pain -- literally.
Bottom line
Let's take two rooms as examples. First room: you have a great TV, mounted high on a wall near the corner, with the sofa and adjacent lamps, on the other side of the room in the other corner. These poor folks have a small-seeming TV, lots of reflections, and stiff necks from turning and looking up at the TV. Second room: the TV is mounted at eye level, the sofa is eight to nine feet away, and a bias light provides soft room lighting. In which room would you want to watch a marathon of "Arrested Development"?
Proper placement can determine a significant portion of the overall enjoyment of a new TV. It's worth considering adjusting your room to be more conducive to comfortable TV viewing. Not only will you gain potential picture and comfort improvements, but in the process, you might free up more space for other things. Like a rug that really ties the room together. Or that life-sized Storm Trooper you've always wanted.
Got a question for Geoff? First, check out all the other articles he's written on topics like HDMI cables, LED LCD vs. plasma, active versus passive 3D, and more. Still have a question? Send him an e-mail! He won't tell you what TV to buy, but he might use your letter in a future article. You can also send him a message on Twitter
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WHERE: Via conference call. The dial-in number for press is (877) 616-0073 (toll-free) or (816) 581-1579. Please enter confirmation code 495624.
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WEBCAST: Apple will provide live audio streaming of its FY 14 First Quarter Results Conference Call using Apple’s industry-leading QuickTime® multimedia software. The live webcast will begin at 2:00 p.m. PST on Monday, January 27, 2014 at www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq114 and will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter. The webcast is available on any iPhone®, iPad® or iPod touch® running iOS 4.2 or above, any Mac® running OS X 10.5 or above or any PC running QuickTime 7 or later. If you do not have QuickTime installed on your Windows PC, it is available at www.apple.com/quicktime.
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Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
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সোমবার, ২৭ জানুয়ারি, ২০১৪
COO Sandberg a billionaire as Facebook shares hit new high
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রবিবার, ২৬ জানুয়ারি, ২০১৪
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“The incredible content and tools available for iPad provide teachers with new ways to customize learning unlike ever before,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “We can’t wait to see how teachers in even more countries will create their new lesson plans with interactive textbooks, apps and rich digital content.”
iBooks Textbooks offer iPad® users gorgeous, fullscreen textbooks with interactive animations, rotating 3D diagrams, flick-through photo galleries and tap-to-play videos. iBooks Textbooks don’t weigh down a backpack, can be updated as events unfold and don’t need to be returned. With nearly 25,000 educational titles created by independent publishers, teachers and leading education services companies, including new educational content from Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press and Hodder Education, iBooks Textbooks now cover 100 percent of US high school core curriculum and the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) core curriculum in the UK.
“Oxford University Press is using iBooks Author for Headway, Oxford’s all-time best-selling English language series, to create engaging iBooks Textbooks for iPad,” said Peter Marshall, Managing Director, ELT Division at Oxford University Press. “In releasing 13 new iBooks Textbooks, including ‘Headway Pre-Intermediate,’ the best-selling level in the series, we are enriching the language learning experience for students around the world.”
“We believe resources like iBooks Textbooks represent a monumental shift in learning because they engage multiple capacities of each individual student,” said Miguel Dominguez, Marketing Director of Imaxina Novas Tecnoloxias in Spain, an independent educational content developer and publisher of iBooks Textbooks, including “The Senses,” which incorporates interactive elements such as video and animated images of the human eye and ear to illustrate how the body works.
With iTunes U Course Manager educators can quickly and easily share their knowledge and resources directly with their class or to a global audience on iTunes U. This free iOS app gives millions of learners access to the world’s largest online catalog of free educational content from top schools, leading universities and prominent institutions. iTunes U Course manager also gives teachers the ability to integrate their own documents as part of course curriculum, as well as content from the Internet, hundreds of thousands of books on the iBooks Store, over 750,000 materials from existing iTunes U collections, or any of the more than one million iOS apps available on the revolutionary App Store
শনিবার, ২৫ জানুয়ারি, ২০১৪
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Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Apple is getting into the sports software game by teaming up with "Sportstec" - a software program that provides quick edits of basketball game footage on iOS devices. Bloomberg's Senior West Coast correspondent Jon Erlichman takes a look.
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Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Most Watched VideosiPad Assisting Speedskater Bridie Farrell in Comeback Bid
TV Broadcaster Speeds Up Telenovela Production With Final Cut Pro X
While it’s hard to know what a nation might collectively be thinking at any point in time, it’s easy to see what it’s watching. And on any given day, millions of Mexicans are watching telenovelas, the Latin American equivalent of U.S. soap operas that draw even more ardent viewers.
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Apple Unveils iBeacon to Assist Shoppers
GPS will tell you how to get to the nearest Apple store. With iBeacon, Apple hopes to guide you around once you're inside, whether it's to pick up an order, upgrade to a new iPhone or shop for a pair of headphones.
The implications of iBeacon go beyond Apple stores. One day, commuters might get information on subway delays as they stand on the platform, while museum visitors might get details on the painting they are standing in front of. Other retailers will be also able to offer deals or track which aisles shoppers linger in the longest.
In-store location technology does raise privacy concerns, though many shoppers have shown a willingness to be tracked if there's something in it for them.
"With any new technology, you don't know how it's going to be used until it is being used," technology analyst Rob Enderle said.
He said Apple "is pretty good" at getting people to use new technologies, but it could take years for iBeacon to mature and reach its potential. He said Google, Microsoft and other tech companies will likely follow suit with their own location technology.
On Friday, Apple Inc. began using the technology at its 254 U.S. stores to send you messages about products, events and other information
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App Store Sales Top $10 Billion in 2013
“We’d like to thank our customers for making 2013 the best year ever for the App Store,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “The lineup of apps for the holiday season was astonishing and we look forward to seeing what developers create in 2014.”
With the introduction of iOS 7, developers were able to create stunning apps that took advantage of the redesigned user interface and the more than 200 new features and APIs. Developers such as Evernote, Yahoo!, AirBnB, OpenTable, Tumblr, Pinterest and American Airlines re-imagined the user experience, bringing content to the forefront while increasing the overall efficiency and performance of their apps.
2013 saw surprise hits like Ellen DeGeneres’ Heads Up, ProtoGeo’s Moves, Simon Filip’s Afterlight and Kevin Ng’s Impossible Road. Many of the year’s biggest successes like Candy Crush Saga, Puzzles & Dragons, Minecraft, QuizUp and Clumsy Ninja were created by international developers, while Duolingo (United States), Simogo (Sweden), Frogmind (UK), Plain Vanilla Corp (Iceland), Atypical Games (Romania), Lemonista (China), BASE (Japan) and Savage Interactive (Australia) emerged as developers to watch in 2014.
The revolutionary App Store offers more than one million apps to iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® users in 155 countries around the world, with more than 500,000 native iPad apps available. App Store customers can choose from an incredible range of apps in 24 categories, including newspapers and magazines offered in Newsstand, games, business, news, sports, health & fitness, travel and kids.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
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Apple Expands Worldwide Access to Educational Content
“The incredible content and tools available for iPad provide teachers with new ways to customize learning unlike ever before,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “We can’t wait to see how teachers in even more countries will create their new lesson plans with interactive textbooks, apps and rich digital content.”
iBooks Textbooks offer iPad® users gorgeous, fullscreen textbooks with interactive animations, rotating 3D diagrams, flick-through photo galleries and tap-to-play videos. iBooks Textbooks don’t weigh down a backpack, can be updated as events unfold and don’t need to be returned. With nearly 25,000 educational titles created by independent publishers, teachers and leading education services companies, including new educational content from Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press and Hodder Education, iBooks Textbooks now cover 100 percent of US high school core curriculum and the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) core curriculum in the UK.
“Oxford University Press is using iBooks Author for Headway, Oxford’s all-time best-selling English language series, to create engaging iBooks Textbooks for iPad,” said Peter Marshall, Managing Director, ELT Division at Oxford University Press. “In releasing 13 new iBooks Textbooks, including ‘Headway Pre-Intermediate,’ the best-selling level in the series, we are enriching the language learning experience for students around the world.”
“We believe resources like iBooks Textbooks represent a monumental shift in learning because they engage multiple capacities of each individual student,” said Miguel Dominguez, Marketing Director of Imaxina Novas Tecnoloxias in Spain, an independent educational content developer and publisher of iBooks Textbooks, including “The Senses,” which incorporates interactive elements such as video and animated images of the human eye and ear to illustrate how the body works.
With iTunes U Course Manager educators can quickly and easily share their knowledge and resources directly with their class or to a global audience on iTunes U. This free iOS app gives millions of learners access to the world’s largest online catalog of free educational content from top schools, leading universities and prominent institutions. iTunes U Course manager also gives teachers the ability to integrate their own documents as part of course curriculum, as well as content from the Internet, hundreds of thousands of books on the iBooks Store, over 750,000 materials from existing iTunes U collections, or any of the more than one million iOS apps available on the revolutionary App Store
শুক্রবার, ২৪ জানুয়ারি, ২০১৪
Did Microsoft Make a Smart Buy with Nokia?
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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৩ জানুয়ারি, ২০১৪
Accused ex-cop Benoit Roberge vows to name names in Hells Angels case
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Centrify Launches New Channel Partner Network
for On-premise, Cloud and Mobile Security Resellers, Systems Integrators and Consultants -- Updated Centrify Channel Partner Network Enables Resellers, Solution Providers to Grow their Security Business and Revenue by Addressing Rapidly Growing Cloud and Mobile Security Market Opportunities
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Google Steps Up Fight Against 'Bad' Ad Barrage
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বুধবার, ২২ জানুয়ারি, ২০১৪
Ukraine texts citizens: Hey, we see you're in a mass disturbance
Your government wants to protect you. Because your government cares. Because your government works for you.
Except, that is, when you don't like your government. That's when your government works against you.
Take the Ukraine, which several people are trying to do just at the moment.
It's decided to show what open government is really about. So it's openly texting its citizens to tell them when they've been spotted protesting against the government.
As The New York Times reports, the powers-that-be are being powered by phone technology that identifies any cell phone that happens to be adjacent to where protesters are clashing with the uniformed officers of the state. (Protesting, you see, has suddenly been made illegal.)
More Technically IncorrectJimmy Fallon tries to hide his Mac from Bill Gates30 years of Mac ads: How the rebel became a causeVW uses algorithm to create perfect Super Bowl adWeb scammers go too far: They're using cute doggie picsApple less fun to deal with than Microsoft, Samsung, study saysText messages are reportedly being sent that say: "We can see you!!!"
Yes, I have inserted quite some paraphrasing here. The texts actually say: "Dear subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance."
The accusation is that, surprise, the government is using technology similar to that employed (for a short time) by Nordstrom to follow its citizens and check their behavior.
Moreover, there's the suggestion that it's targeting the more moderate protesters, rather than any supposed ringleaders. Perhaps they already keep tabs on those as a matter of course.
More Technically IncorrectJimmy Fallon tries to hide his Mac from Bill Gates30 years of Mac ads: How the rebel became a causeVW uses algorithm to create perfect Super Bowl adWeb scammers go too far: They're using cute doggie picsApple less fun to deal with than Microsoft, Samsung, study saysCurrently, protesters are objecting to the government's rejection of closer ties with the European Union. For some reason, Ukraine is suddenly choosing to favor the genteel rulers of Russia as partners.
Kyivstar, MTS, and Life -- three Ukraine cell phone companies -- say the text messages have absolutely, positively nothing to do with them. Indeed, Kyivstar suggested to the local Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper that a "rogue" cell phone tower was in operation.
I wonder which rogues might be behind that.
Technology is increasingly being used by the forces of law and order. They experience a certain joy at the ease and the cost savings.
In the Ukraine, it seems the protesters care little that their government might be tracking them. Perhaps they already expect it.
It's not as if they're alone. Citizens across the world -- whether rioting or not -- have their own awareness that their privacy is being siphoned by phone and Wi-Fi for the, um, greater good.
Topics: Music, Media, Random, Social networking, Advertising Tags: law, Technically Incorrect, surveillance, cell phones, Ukraine, securityView the Original article
Icahn disses Apple board for not boosting stock buyback
Activist investor Carl Icahn is on the Apple warpath again.
In a tweet posted Wednesday, Icahn said that "Apple's board is doing great disservice to shareholders by not having markedly increased its buyback." He also promised an in-depth follow-up letter that no doubt will detail his ongoing grievances.
Related postsApple to shareholders: Vote against Icahn's stock proposalIcahn beats Apple buyback drum (again) with new proposal Carl Icahn to Apple: Now's time for $150B stock buybackApple now has 10 percent of all corporate cashEat and tweet: Icahn dishes on dinner with Apple CEO Tim CookIcahn has been battling to convince Apple to direct more of its $150 billion toward stock repurchases. Initially calling for a buyback of $150 billion worth of shares, Icahn scaled back the amount in December, instead asking Apple to commit to at least $50 billion of share repurchases in 2014.
Apple has urged investors to vote against Icahn's "precatory proposal" for an increase in the buyback plan when the issue comes up at the annual meeting scheduled for February 27.
Icahn has been playing good-cop, bad-cop in his quest to persuade Apple to up its buyback plan. The investor had dinner with Apple CEO Tim Cook last September to discuss the topic, an event he called "cordial." But Icahn hasn't been shy about publicly criticizing the company for not buying back more shares, especially at a time when he felt the stock was undervalued.
Icahn and his associates now own more than $3 billion worth of Apple shares after having purchased an additional $500 million over the past two weeks.
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Chromosome jewelry puts DNA on your sleeve
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Verizon Transparency Report reveals 164,000 subpoenas, 1,500 wiretaps
As expected, Verizon has released its 2013 Transparency Report, and the company's data shows the US is extremely interested in its network.
Last year, Verizon received more than 320,000 requests for customer information from US law enforcement agencies. Verizon was hit with more than 164,000 subpoenas and nearly 71,000 legal orders. Among those orders were 1,500 wiretap requests. Verizon received 37,000 warrants for information and about 50,000 "emergency requests."
Verizon has become the latest in a series of major companies to release information on government requests for its data. Google, Yahoo, and many others also have released such data. None of the companies, however, have been allowed to publish information about under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), due to the US government's claim of national security.
Related storiesRose gold Samsung Galaxy Note 3 coming to VerizonHow long can Verizon stay above the wireless pricing fray?Internet pay-TV is coming. Will you care?Intel TV is dead. Long live Web TV.Verizon posts Q4 profit of $7.9B, adds 1.7M connectionsThat said, Verizon was able to provide a range on how many national security letters it received in 2013: 1,000 to 1,999.
Verizon's Transparency Report reveals that its database of customers is a possible treasure trove of information for law enforcement agencies. Through the use of warrants, orders, and emergency requests, law enforcement was able to gain access to targeted customers' location information and "content that a customer may store through our services, such as text messages or e-mail." Law enforcement agencies, when presenting the proper information, can access real-time communication, including what phone numbers are being dialed.
For its part, Verizon made clear that it doesn't provide information unless it's legally bound to do so. The company also called on the US and foreign governments to be more transparent in their data requests:
In the United States, the government is especially suited to report the number of demands it makes from such companies. There is already a framework for this based on requirements for the government to report to Congress on the number of wiretap orders, pen register and trap and trace orders, certain emergency requests, and national security letters. The United States government should expand on this existing framework and report annually on the numbers of all types of demands made by federal and state law enforcement to telecommunications and Internet companies for data regarding their customers.One other interesting note from the Transparency Report: just a few thousand requests were made on Verizon by international law enforcement agencies.
Topics: Network access Tags: Verizon, wireless, Verizon Transparency Report, mobileView the Original article
Rose gold Samsung Galaxy Note 3 coming to Verizon
Samsung quietly announced that Verizon will be the only US carrier to offer the Galaxy Note 3 in a new color. A short mention on the hardware maker's Web site confirms Verizon will carry the 5.7-inch smartphone in Rose Gold.
Unfortunately, the phone's exact availability isn't clear, but we can assume it'll cost the same as the Jet Black and Classic White versions -- $299.99 on contract. And, while Samsung does have Rose Gold accents for both black and white body colors, it appears Verizon may only carry the white and rose gold version.
In addition to the this accent shade, Samsung also recently introduced a Merlot Red version for the global market.
The gigantic Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Topics:Phones,News,CarriersTags:galaxy note 3,verizon,samsungView the Original article
Jimmy Fallon tries to hide his Mac from Bill Gates
It all started so well.
Jimmy Fallon called Bill Gates "cool," which hasn't always been the first word used to describe Microsoft's co-founder.
Gates appeared on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" and talked about the stunning success he has contributed in the fight against polio.
Ultimately, though, Fallon wanted to talk gadgets. How will computing change?
Gates replied that tomorrow's computers will be able "to see, to listen, to talk, to recognize handwriting."
Gates has always been keen on handwriting and styluses, hasn't he? Though, I wonder how many of tomorrow's generations will even know how to hold a pen, never mind use one.
As Gates continued to explain his vision of a multiscreen world, Fallon became aware that he'd committed an on-screen faux pas.
More Technically IncorrectUkraine texts citizens: Hey, we see you're in a mass disturbance30 years of Mac ads: How the rebel became a causeVW uses algorithm to create perfect Super Bowl adWeb scammers go too far: They're using cute doggie picsApple less fun to deal with than Microsoft, Samsung, study saysHe noticed that Gates was looking over to his laptop. Oh, of course, it's a MacBook.
Suddenly, Fallon's features coursed with (fake) shame. "This is very disrespectful," he said, as he quickly tried to close the MacBook and remove it. The Apple keyboard and mouse had to go too.
Gates merely smiled.
I fancy that this may not have been a big deal to Gates at all. It's a scenario that must have been performed in his life many times.
Moreover, in recent years, Gates has shown a highly developed sense of humor. His very underrated Microsoft ads with Jerry Seinfeld were an utter breath of fresh personality.
And on the Fallon show, he promoted his GatesLetter.com report on the benefits of foreign aid with an amusingly self-deprecatory video. (See below)
Just over three years ago, his wife, Melinda, said that though their kids had asked for them, there were no Apple products allowed in her house.
Gates continues to champion Microsoft at every opportunity, but here he didn't even bother to suggest that Windows laptops are more advanced.
Perhaps he's got more important things to think about. Such as who on Earth will be Redmond's new CEO.
Topics: Media, Random, Social networking, Advertising Tags: Technically Incorrect, Bill Gates, Mac, Apple, Jimmy Fallon, MicrosoftView the Original article
This dwarf planet may contain more freshwater than Earth
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Leia, Han, and Luke to hit new 'Star Wars' set this spring
It's unclear if they'll be arriving onboard the Millennium Falcon, but Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill will be hitting the set of "Star Wars Episode VII" this spring.
According to TV Guide, Fisher said that she, along with Ford and Hamill, will be arriving on set to reprise their roles as Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker, respectively, in March or April.
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E-whiskers put sensitive catlike sensors on robots
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HBO blasts NPD study, says TV subscriptions are on the rise
No, streaming video services aren't eating traditional TV's lunch.
That's according to a representative for HBO and Cinemax, who blasted a recent NPD study that claimed TV subscriptions were on the decline over the past two years as streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu Plus were on the rise.
Related postsInternet pay-TV is coming. Will you care?Intel TV is dead. Long live Web TV.Verizon to buy Intel's TV business for undisclosed sumTV subscriptions drop as video streaming services riseSecurity camera captures decidedly low-tech Target 'hack'"The research is simply incorrect," said Jeff Cusson, a representative for HBO. Both pay-TV networks are owned by Time Warner.
The Los Angeles Times was the first to report the network's comments, which included similar statements from Showtime (a unit of CBS, which also owns CNET), and Starz.
HBO told CNET that both pay-TV networks have shown significant domestic subscriber growth over the past two years. Time Warner reported adding 1.9 million domestic subscribers to HBO and Cinemax in 2012, and expects similar numbers for 2013.
Likewise, Starz later responded to CNET and pointed out the strong subscriber growth of Starz and Encore.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the NPD report no longer appears on NPD's Web site.
CNET contacted NPD for comment, and we'll update the story when the firm responds.
Topics: Entertainment Tags: NPD, streaming, HBO, Cinemax, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Starz, ShowtimeView the Original article
Apple's original Mac can fetch $1,598 on eBay
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New year, new energy standards for fridges
The new congressional budget might give incandescent light bulbs a reprieve from new federal energy conservation guidelines, but new standards for large appliance energy efficiency remain intact. These new guidelines, made possible by the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act and set forth by the Department of Energy, outline the maximum amount of allowable energy in kilowatt-hours per year (kWh/yr) for residential refrigerators, freezers, and fridge-freezer combos. On September 15, 2014, these standards will be changing -- both for regular and Energy Star-certified appliances. That may seem far off, but some overachieving manufacturers are already selling their redesigned models in stores.
The DOE estimates that this update will save roughly 5.6 quads (that's 5.6 quadrillion BTUs) of energy as well as $97 billion in energy bills for models shipped from 2014 to 2043. It is also expected to eliminate approximately 295 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. That's roughly equivalent to the yearly greenhouse gas emissions of 57.8 million vehicles.
Related stories:New spending bill puts the brakes on Bulbageddon Bulbageddon is upon us Refrigerator buying guideManufacturer response
Since select manufacturers have already begun updating models in anticipation of the September deadline, some of the fridges in stores now were built according to the new energy guidelines (while others still have the old standards). That can get confusing because the energy labels aren't intuitive at all. The new products might even show a higher energy usage than past models. Why? The new standards rely on new measurements and updated electricity cost rates (using the national average of 12 cents per kWh). For that reason, it's a bit difficult to compare the new standard to the old standard. But, you can sift through appendix A of subpart B to learn more about the equations used to calculate the new energy standards for refrigerators and refrigerator-freezer combos and appendix B of subpart B for freezers. And, you can distinguish models with the old standard from models with the new standard by the yellow EnergyGuide label -- they look slightly different.
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Sweet! Scientists developing sugar-filled batteries
Sugar gives humans energy, so why not batteries, too? Researchers at Virginia Tech are developing what amounts to fuel cells, but with a sugar solution rather than hydrogen. Other attempts at sugar batteries have been made, but this one has an energy density that blows other versions out of the water. That means it can run for a much longer time before refueling is necessary.
"Sugar is a perfect energy storage compound in nature. So it's only logical that we try to harness this natural power in an environmentally friendly way to produce a battery," says Y.H. Percival Zhang, associate professor of biological systems engineering at Virginia Tech.
At its most basic level, the battery combines maltodextrin with air, which results in electricity and water byproducts. The innovation here centers around Zhang's use of enzymes.
Related storiesNanoribbons let beating hearts power their own pacemakersSamsung Galaxy S5 may get rapid-charging batteryDelicately delicious 3D-printed sculptures you can eatHere's the fuller explanation courtesy of Virginia Tech: "Zhang and his colleagues constructed a non-natural synthetic enzymatic pathway that strip all charge potentials from the sugar to generate electricity in an enzymatic fuel cell. Then, low-cost biocatalyst enzymes are used as catalyst instead of costly platinum, which is typically used in conventional batteries."
The first question to pop up in your mind is probably whether these batteries could be edible. The short answer is that you don't want to snack on batteries, even ones that are powered by sugar.
The sugar battery could be a staple in electronic devices within just a few years, if development goes according to schedule. It has the potential to keep a considerable amount of battery waste out of landfills. How sweet that would be.
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My dream smartwatch: Building a perfect wearable gadget from the best bits so far
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