Friday, October 31, 2008

Why Windows 7 Will Smash Vista


Windows 7 is what Windows Vista should have been, what we hoped it would be. The Batman Begins to Vista's Batman and Robin. While superficially both are kinda the same (Batman!), there's a completely different thought process at work.

its next release of Windows will run even faster than the previous one, an unprecedented feat for Microsoft.

• If an application or device runs on Vista, it should run on Win 7.
• If a system runs Windows Vista, should run Windows 7 even faster.
• Notebooks should get better battery life in Windows 7.
• Windows 7 will be more reliable than Vista SP1 from Day 1.

Windows 7 is also way more brainy when it comes to crashy apps and errors, in a couple different ways. The Problem Steps Recorder watches what you do to trip an error—if you can repeat it after turning on the recorder, that is—and it generates a useful, detailed error report in a language that actually resembles English!

read more | digg story

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Free AT&T Wi-Fi for iPhones users in the USA


Yup this Includes Starbucks stores too!

Accessing AT&T's Wi-Fi hotspots is easy. You can use any Wi-Fi enabled laptop or other device to connect quickly and seamlessly.

Get started with LaptopConnect

Log in to the AT&T hotspot web page with LaptopConnect
Activate the wireless networking functionality on your laptop or Wi-Fi-enabled device and look for the SSID "ATTWIFI"
Once connected to "ATTWIFI" you will be presented with options to order AT&T's Basic or Premier service

iPhone users, get started with Wi-Fi

Activate Wi-Fi from the settings icon on your iPhone
Select "attwifi" from the list of available networks
Enter your 10-digit mobile number and check the box to agree to the Acceptable Use Policy. Tap 'continue'
You will receive a text message from AT&T with a secure link to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot. You will not be charged for the text message.
The SMS link will only be valid for 24 hours at the location it was requested. Another request must be submitted when using another hotspot location.
Open the text message and tap on the link for 24-hour access to the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot

Road to Mac OS X Snow Leopard: 64-bit to the Kernel


Build notes leaked on the web of a prerelease version of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard indicate that the software only supports enabling its new 64-bit kernel on certain machines, including the Xserve, Mac Pro, and MacBook Pro, but this does not mean Snow Leopard's kernel will be limited to 32-bit operation on consumer machines.

A 64-bit kernel requires all of its extensions to also be 64-bit. Kernel extensions or KEXTs include drivers for audio hardware, graphics adapters, networking, certain printing components, and other devices on the logic board or attached as peripherals. Until Apple delivers 64-bit versions of the nearly 300 extensions it ships with Mac OS X (not all of which will need to be supported on 64-bit Macs; many are legacy), it is limiting official 64-bit kernel support to a subset of Macs in prerelease builds of the new operating system.

Snow Leopard will deliver the first 64-bit kernel for Mac OS X. Earlier versions of the operating system, including today's Leopard, can run 64-bit software but do so using a 32-bit kernel. More accurately, whether running on 32 and 64-bit CPUs, Mac OS X loads the same kernel image and run it as a 32-bit process, although when run on 64-bit hardware, the 32-bit kernel switches into "long mode compatibility mode."

read more | digg story

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Copper door handles kill 95% of superbugs in hospitials


Making door handles, taps and light switches from copper could help the country beat superbugs, scientists say. A study found that copper fittings rapidly killed bugs on hospital wards, succeeding where other infection control measures failed.

A study found that copper fittings rapidly killed bugs on hospital wards, succeeding where other infection control measures failed.

In the trial at Selly Oak hospital, in Birmingham, copper taps, toilet seats and push plates on doors all but eliminated common bugs.

It is thought the metal 'suffocates' germs, preventing them breathing. It may also stop them from feeding and destroy their DNA.

Lab tests show that the metal kills off the deadly MRSA and C difficile superbugs.

It also kills other dangerous germs, including the flu virus and the E coli food poisoning bug.

Although the number of cases of MRSA and C difficile is falling, the two bugs still claim thousands of lives a year.

read more | digg story

Sunday, October 26, 2008

7 of the Smallest Hotels and Hotel Rooms in the World [PICS]


Think your last apartment or hotel room was small? Believe it or not, there are a lot of contenders for the dubious title of smallest hotel on the planet. Some claim it by number of rooms, others by size and all are quick to defend their position. However, you can judge for yourself after taking a look at this incredible collection of tiny hotels!

read more | digg story

Saturday, October 25, 2008

California foreclosures spike 228%


A new law mandating delays in foreclosure actions may create a fleeting lull, but observers wonder whether it will lead to widespread mortgage workouts.

Reporting from Sacramento and Washington -- The number of people losing their homes in California hit a record high of nearly 80,000 in the last three months, but a new state law appears to be dramatically slowing the foreclosure process -- at least for now.

Loan default notices, the first step toward foreclosure, fell to 94,240 for the three months that ended Sept. 30. That's down sharply from the record 121,673 for the previous quarter, according to research firm MDA DataQuick.

read more | digg story

Think Firefox 3 is fast? Try Firefox Minefield

After spending some time with Minefield, one thing is clear: the future of Firefox is fast. Lightning fast.

How fast? Some claim that it has the fastest javascript engine on the planet, which means it leaves Google's Chrome browser in the dust. In my own unscientific tests, I'd say that this assertion is correct. Ars Technica pegs Minefield as 10 percent faster than Chrome.

You can download the latest nightly build for Mac OS X, Linux, or Windows, but be warned: it's alpha code.

read more | digg story

World's first wave farm now generating power for 1500 homes

There's power in them thar waves! That's why Portugal built Agucadoura, the world's first wave farm off its coast, consisting of three Wave Energy Converters generating a total of 2.25MW.

The elongated metal contraptions bob up and down with the waves, while internal pistons, attached to the sea floor, remain stationary and pump hydraulic fluid. This drives electric generators, whose power is brought ashore by underwater electrical cables. The wave farm is now tapping into enough constant, renewable energy to power 1500 homes.

Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights: What it means for you


While the $700 billion bailout and presidential election have dominated the news, the U.S. House passed a major piece of credit card reform legislation. The Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2008 passed the House on Sept. 23 by a vote of 312-112 (with nine members not voting).

The bill, which still needs to pass the Senate before heading to the White House, would have a major impact on everything from how credit card issuers apply cardholder payments to outstanding debt to limits on interest rate increases.

Here are some of the more significant provisions of the act:

read more | digg story

Friday, October 24, 2008

18 Means for Living Below Your Means


Live a comfortable life, not a wasteful one. Do not spend to impress others. Do not live life trying to fool yourself into thinking wealth is measured in material objects. Manage your money wisely so your money does not manage you. Always live well below your means.

read more | digg story

Hey, Dad...Can I have Linux back?

My oldest son, creator of flame wars, finally discovered that you can only surf to the nether regions of the Internet so many times before even Vista business succumbs to malware. His computer an unusable mass of pop-ups, spewing traffic over our network actually asked me tonight to reinstall Linux for him.

He still wants a Vista virtual machine since Spore is a pretty fine game and his Zune probably won’t play nice with Linux. However, for everyday use, he’s done with Vista. Not only does it lack the “amusing desktop effects” (which his mother hates, by the way, on her new Linux desktop), but even running Clamwin and Windows Defender, he still managed to infect it with a variety of junk, rendering it useless when he had a term paper to write.

Yale MBA dean to found Apple University


Apple has hired the dean of Yale's School of Management to head up a new program called Apple University. It's not clear exactly what Joel Podolny will be working on at Apple, but a note from Yale President Richard Levin to students announcing Podolny's departure said he would be leading "educational initiatives at Apple."

read more | digg story

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Apple iPhone Sales Surpass RIM's Blackberry


Though Apple's live broadcast of its fourth quarter earnings doesn't start for another few minutes, they've already dumped the numbers on us. Here are the important ones: 6.9 million iPhones, 2.6 million Macs, and 11 million iPods. Wryly noting that "we sold more phones than RIM," Steve Jobs says they're still not sure how the recession is going to affect them, but whatever, bitches, they've got "$25 billion of cash safely in the bank with zero debt." We'll be following the call live in the post below, in case any other news breaks—like the death of the Mac mini. Update: Steve is on the call, says that iPhone is now 39 percent of their business, Apple is now world's "third largest mobile phone supplier."

read more | digg story

Sunday, October 19, 2008

In downturn, solar industry sees bright days ahead


SAN DIEGO--People in the solar industry are hopeful that the sun is a good place to put money these days.To be sure, the financial crunch is rippling through even the fast-growing solar business: With falling house prices and general belt-tightening, consumers may be more reluctant to purchase solar panels.

To be sure, the financial crunch is rippling through even the fast-growing solar business: With falling house prices and general belt-tightening, consumers may be more reluctant to purchase solar panels, even if they want renewable electricity. And less available capital makes it difficult to finance large-scale projects, like corporate rooftop arrays or solar power plants.

But even with the gloomy economic outlook, the mood at this week's Solar Power International 2008 conference was decidedly upbeat. The solar industry scored a major policy win, getting an eight-year extension to federal tax credits that tacked on more generous terms for homeowners.

And in a volatile investment environment, solar looks solid, purely from a financial point of view, many executives argued.
"I think there's a flight to quality and we believe there's a flight to solar because of that," said Tom Werner, the CEO of California-based solar panel manufacturer and installer SunPower. He noted that big solar projects over the past three or four years have created a track record of delivering expected financial returns.

read more | digg story

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Calling Out Bad Guys Online


Inspired by his sister, a social entrepreneur uses the Internet to stop bullies. Justin Bergener remembers how deeply a bully's harassment affected his sister. When Angela was a sophomore in high school, a classmate tormented her with crude sexual remarks until, after several months, she switched to a private school that offered online classes.

The beauty of the site, Bergener said, is that it allows for two-way anonymous conversation. It gives even the shyest kids a way to come forward while giving school authorities a mechanism to probe for additional information, he said.

Ever on the lookout for approaches to stem school violence, many educators and parents welcome a technology that encourages kids to speak up. But other experts in cyberbullying caution that, because Internet-based harassment can differ from face-to-face harassment, the online tool could be an insufficient -- and potentially harmful -- Bandaid.

read more | digg story

Due Next From Apple: Refreshed 20- And 24-Inch iMacs

Assuming last minute snags are avoided, Apple in the coming weeks is expect to unveil a family of refreshed iMacs that will round out its 2008 introductions and send the company into the holiday shopping season with one of its strongest product portfolios ever.

Avid AppleInsider readers will notice that our little 2008 hardware roadmap -- published back in August and reprinted below -- has thus far panned out quite nicely, clearing the way for new iMac models to edge their way to market sometime in the next four weeks.

People familiar with the company's plans have said changes to the iMac family will largely consist of performance improvements and technology refreshes. And while there's admittedly been few concrete details to go by since the August report, this week's notebook overhauls offer a window into the future of the iMac line, which sports an architectural resemblance to the MacBook lines.

read more | digg story

Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex - Review & Tutorial


Ubuntu 8.10, the latest version of a phenomenally popular and successful distro, is supposed to hit the world scene on October 30. Being a fervent fan and a loyal user of the Ubuntu family, especially the autumn releases, I have decided that I could not wait and that I had to test the Beta build and get the first impression of the newcomer.

Naturally, the first thing I did was check the live CD.

read more | digg story

Friday, October 10, 2008

New Chips Poised to Revolutionize Photography, Film


For the first time, professional-grade single-lens reflex cameras are gaining the ability to record high-definition video. That capability, photographers say, has the potential to transform both still photography and moviemaking.

While compact digital cameras have had video-recording capabilities for years, the image quality provided by these cameras has been disappointing because of their small image sensors and comparatively poor, miniaturized optics. High-end video and movie cameras produce top-notch HD video and their interchangeable lenses give filmmakers the creative control they crave, but the cameras are big and expensive. Even the RED ONE, a super-high-definition movie camera that records digital video that's comparable in quality to that of film stock, rings up at about $17,000. That's a bargain compared to movie cameras, but it's still a lot of dough for most people.

By contrast, the 21-megapixel Canon 5D Mark II, which shoots 1080p HD video, will cost $2,700 (plus the cost of lenses) when it becomes available later this year. The 12-megapixel, highly rated Nikon D90, which records 720p HD video and is available now, costs even less: a mere $1,300 gets you the body plus a basic zoom lens.

read more | digg story

Creationist Adnan Oktar offers trillion-pound prize for fossil proof of evolution

Turkish creationist Adnan Oktar has just offered ten trillion lira - a mouth-watering $7.5 trillion (10 trillion Turkish lira or £4.4trn) - to "anyone who produces a single intermediate-form fossil demonstrating evolution". So Paleontologists: this could be your lucky day!

Mr Oktar is a household name in Turkey after publishing hundreds of books, pamphlets and DVDs to contest Darwin's theory of evolution.

Using the pen name Harun Yahya, his book The Atlas Of Creation sold 10,000 copies worldwide. The 800-page book detailed his claims that for millions of years life forms have not developed, thus supporting his Islamic creationist beliefs.

The former architecture student claims there are no fossils to support Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. He said: "Not one [fossil] belongs to strange-looking creatures in the course of development of the kind supposed by evolutionists."

However IMHO as usual I am sure evolutionists will not take up the offer after all its much better to worship at the alter of science rather then actually prove anything with oh say real facts. Yup I am still waiting to see a half man / monkey running around the forest. OK, no I don't think big foot is real or nor do I think there are little green men from mars too. So in the end I have always said that evolutionists have much more faith then I do, with my faith in a wise creator. Oh am sure to make some evolutionists angry but hey I have been running my watch in a tumbler for days and you know all the little parts have not magically reassembled them selfs, but you know it could happen it was a nice watch : )

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The True Costs of Renewable Energy


As utility costs mount ever higher, Americans now have real options to take home energy matters into their own hands with "green" systems that can pay for themselves in as little as a few years.

Among the choices: wind, solar, geothermal and a "microhydro" option that is potentially cheaper than a year's tuition at many state colleges.

Choosing the do-it-yourself route can offer the freedom of going partially or totally off the grid. And, if the energy generated exceeds your actual usage, you can even sell the excess juice to your utility company. But none of this is free. Here's how much change you should expect to kick in:

read more | digg story

Monday, October 6, 2008

Apple Details Cursor-Based QuickLook and Advanced Functions

Apple is exploring new ways to use the Mac OS cursor to provide users with additional information and usability options for files residing on their hard drive or linked via the internet before they're triggered or activated.

A patent filing published for the first time on Thursday notes that it's often useful for a user to be given an indication as to the content of a target file or link, before the user clicks on the user-activatable element that will open the target.

read more | digg story

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Microsoft gives users six months longer to flee from Vista

Never mind that Microsoft has kicked off a hyped ad campaign to convince the public to buy Windows Vista PCs, - it's also given users more time to switch back to Windows XP. OEMs have been given an additional six months to sell PCs running Windows Vista with the ability to downgrade to Windows XP using an accompanying recovery disc. 

 The goal seems to be to help PC users who cannot move to Windows Vista move smoothly to the next version of Microsoft's desktop operating system, Windows 7.


read more | digg story

IBM Lotus Embraces Apple's iPhone with Free iNotes App


IBM threw its hat into the iPhone ring with the introduction of iNotes ultralite, a free Web application that lets corporate workers access their Lotus Notes e-mail, calendar and contacts lists through Apple's Safari browser on Apple's iPhone. The messaging and collaboration application heightens the iPhone's viability as an enterprise-grade device. How soon before IBM creates a Lotus Notes application for T-Mobile's G1 phone, based on Google's Android operating system?

Lotus Notes and Domino adoption has grown to more than 140 million licensed users worldwide, but most of these Lotus Notes mobile users are owners of RIM BlackBerrys, Nokia Symbian devices, maybe even Palm Treos.

read more | digg story

Saturday, October 4, 2008

All-polymer solar cells improve efficiency, flexibility

Polymer-based solar cells have received a fair bit of attention in the research community, some of which has been covered here at Nobel Intent. Much of the attraction is in being able to move away from the expensive raw materials used in inorganic solar cells and the costly manufacturing that accompanies them. Researchers have recently demonstrated an all-organic solar cell with a high efficiency, one that can provide both thin and flexible solar cells and routes to cheap manufacturing.

read more | digg story

What's eating eBay? Market bidding isn’t going Ebay’s way

Recessions are supposed to be boom times for yard sales and flea markets, so what’s eating eBay (EBAY), the world’s largest bargain bazaar? Ebay shares hit a new five-year low Thursday as yet another analyst weighed in on the nagging deterioration of the auction giant’s business. 
But wait there is more! Power sellers are unhappy about rate structure changes, they claim the new CEO drove off good sellers while keeping the below par ones, changed feedback policies so buyers can rob sellers (and sellers can't even leave negative feedback about it) and messed up the site’s SEARCH beyond repair. Most buyers have walked away because they cannot find anything on the site.

read more | digg story

Friday, October 3, 2008

Accurate Economist Predicts Widespread Hunger & Cold Homes

By The Common Sense Investor
Almost every financial call Peter Schiff has made relating to the current US economic crisis has turned out to be right, and now he's predicting that things will get so bad that a large portion of the US population will not be able to heat their homes or buy the food they need. Make sure to click on the read more to see all of the videos.

Peter Schiff is the Permabear who appears on all the financial shows as a foil to all the optimistic pundits. He’s told his clients to short sub-prime mortgages when everyone was buying, he told people to get out of tech stocks in 1998 and 99. Every financial call Schiff has made has turned out to be right, and this time he’s saying the stock market is headed even lower, gold prices are headed up around $1,500 by the end of the year, and at the minimum, the dollar will lose another 40 to 50 percent of its value. Schiff thinks we’re headed for a period worse than the Depression.



Every time Peter Schiff appears on TV, other pundits always seem to get upset, and it invariably turns into a screaming match, but he’s always right. Time has always proven him correct, consistently on almost every call he’s made. Learn from it, realize it’s happening, and most of all, take his advice, buy gold and Euro stocks and foreign currency. His track record speaks for itself, it’s just Common Sense.

Credit card processors finally get clue, will ban WEP

Companies that accept major credit cards will be barred from using WEP for their WiFi security, but not until mid-2010. The rule is part of new security standards defined and released this week by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, which is made up of companies like Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. The sad thing is that WEP—which can be cracked in as little as two minutes—is still widely used in the old and decrepit point-of-sale systems used by many retailers; the new rules should help move along the long-overdue adoption of tighter security in credit card processing.

WEP's hackability has been widely known since 2001, and has been blamed for the largest incident of consumer data theft in history. TJX, parent company of discount retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, disclosed last year that hackers had stolen data covering over 45 million credit and debit cards over an 18-month period. In addition to pilfering over 45 million—and possibly as many as 200 million—credit card and debit card numbers, the hackers were also able to obtain other personal data from over 450,000 customers. This included driver's license numbers and Social Security numbers.

read more | digg story

The Curious Politics of Pizza and Ranch Dressing, it should be a crime!

Where Frank and Vinny come from, dipping pizza in ranch dressing is not done. “It's a crime against nature,” railed New York food writer Ed Levine, author of Pizza: Slice of Heaven, when I e-mailed him about the pizza/ranch combination.But pizza dipped in ranch dressing is gaining ground in the rest of the country. The Washington Post credited inebriated college students with making the combination popular at a pizzeria in Georgetown. “Ranch Chicken Pizza,” a grilled chicken pizza covered with ranch dressing, was a special this summer at the Schlotzsky's sandwich chain. The pizza came with more ranch dressing for dipping.

read more | digg story

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Apple Threatens iTunes Shutdown


For five years, Apple's iTunes Music Store has been the Internet's most successful music store. "If the [iTunes music store] was forced to absorb any increase in the ... royalty rate, the result would be to significantly increase the likelihood of the store operating at a financial loss - which is no alternative at all," Cue wrote. "Apple has repeatedly made it clear that it is in this business to make money, and most likely would not continue to operate [the iTunes music store] if it were no longer possible to do so profitably."But as music publishers have sought a higher share of its proceeds, Apple has threatened to shutter iTunes.

read more | digg story