Thursday, April 22, 2010

Automated Encyclopedia Cpedia

Image representing Cuil as depicted in CrunchBaseImage via CrunchBase

The project is Cuil, which loudly proclaims himself a "killer" Google, has launched a new search service - namely, automated Encyclopedia Cpedia.

In contrast to the well-known and the now de facto standard for Wikipedia, whose articles are written by visitors to Cpedia such articles will be provided automated, special robot.

Moreover, they will emerge on the fly, in real time on user's search query. In other words, unlike conventional search engines, SERPs will be formed not in the form of a list of links, tips, and in the form of ready facts - in the form of articles.

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Series for users of the BitTorrent network.

If some community and government organizations last week attacked on torrents and their users, closing around the world dozens of servers, while others, conversely, are using the new technology that looks much more constructive way forward.

Thus, American filmmakers Josh Bernhard and Bracey Smith started shooting fiction series "Pioneer-1. Feature film, the authors define as a mix of political drama, "cop" movie and science fiction. Anecdotal story unfolds around the landing in the U.S. Soviet spacecraft, which was launched from Earth in the time of the Cold War.

This series will be distributed, especially among users of the BitTorrent network, and created - based on technology VODO (from the English. Voluntary donation), that is, to finance shooting themselves will be Internet users by voluntary donations.

As the portal TorrentFreak, currently directing the group has already completed the selection of actors and began shooting. The first series of Pioneer-1 "will be available in the torrent network in the summer or autumn of 2010.

For Bernhard and Smith is not the first experience with torrents. In early 2010 they released the film "The lion's share", which is also distributed through the protocol BitTorrent.Serial user torrent networks.

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Lenovo buys the company Palm?

LAS VEGAS - JANUARY 08:  A new Palm Pre smartp...Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Publication Electronista puzzled his readers the publication of corporate rumors that the company Palm could be sold to Chinese computer company Lenovo. This information is not yet officially by either party is not confirmed and is based on hearsay, that walk on private investment funds. Yet these are based on rumors of unfavorable financial performance of one of the leading manufacturers of smartphones based WebOS.

It is difficult to say whether Lenovo intends to seriously address the promotion Platform WebOS. But we know that the Chinese computer giant has long cherished "smartphones" ambitions. Therefore, industry experts are inclined to believe that Lenovo just wants to use the experience and market share of Palm, to increase its presence in the smartphone market.

Today, all that is in the asset Lenovo, - is preparing to release Android-smartphone LePhone. It is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1 GHz, 3.7 "display with a resolution of 800x480 pixels, modules Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3,5-mm audio jack, two cameras and a folding dock with a physical QWERTY-keyboard.

A growing interest in Lenovo to portable devices shows held at CES 2010 announcement smartbuka Lenovo Skylight. It is assumed that the device will be available starting in June, but was formerly known as April. This gadget is also built on a hardware platform and Qualcomm Snapdragon running Linux. The device has a 10.1 "display with a resolution 1280h720 pixels, flash drive 20 GB, module Wi-Fi, 3G-modem and a HDMI-port.

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A new vulnerability in the standard PDF

Adobe AcrobatImage via Wikipedia

Company NitroSecurity today announced that PDF files can be used to spread malware. Infection can occur when using the Adobe Acrobat Reader or Foxit Reader.

This malicious code is the Executive should be recorded in the PDF-file. User has to run this code (the command launch) - well, and hackers to take advantage of the methods of social engineering. Of course, the computer will ask the user whether he wants to run. However, the risk of infecting your computer is still great - in fact, many users probably do not understand the situation, may press the "Open".

If an infection occurs, will be fatally damaged by all on the hard disk PDF-files. Later, when you try to open them, you will be automatically redirected to a site specified by hackers. At the same time protect against the new scourge impossible to disable JavaScript, or using any other program to read PDF. The reason - the fact that the vulnerability is not in the software, but in the specification of PDF.

Now Adobe and Foxit Software have already researched the problem and seek ways of improving it. However, the company F-Secure notes: according to statistics, almost 61% of hacker attacks account for one single application - Adobe Acrobat Reader. For example, of the 900 attacks, the investigated F-Secure for the first two months of 2010, more than 500 had it on have Adobe for reading PDF-files.

Cheapest music online store in the USA.

Not a word about Google!

Cover of "Googled: The End of the World A...Cover via Amazon

The war between the Chinese authorities and the corporation Google, the rapidly flared up earlier this year, continues. In the Celestial restrictions on mentioning the U.S. internet giant in the press. More specifically, the national Chinese media special order limited in what they write about Google. In particular, the first order "recommended" not to mention the conflict in the business, but in a political context. But behind him followed by a second indication in which the government "strongly requested" the press in general did not report on Google.

One of the first affected by the actions of the Government of China was a journalist edition New Yorker Ken Auletta. He is known as the author of Googled: The End of the World as We Know It. In the U.S. the book was published last fall, and recently the right to translation and publication of this work was sold to state-owned China Citic Press. But now it is clear that in China, the book probably will not work.

Ken Auletta himself on this occasion said: "I'm disappointed, if not outraged. I do not know where to begin to address the Chinese government. It's sort of faceless. To whom to appeal?" It's like "1984" Orwellian".

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48 cores from Intel will soon become available.

Image representing Intel as depicted in CrunchBaseImage via CrunchBase

Intel has until the end of II quarter of this year, will begin shipping the experimental processor with 48 cores. However, while we are talking about a limited number of chips that are on the Rights of the pilot will be directed to various academic institutions. But the issue of commercial versions of 48-core processor is not expected - CPU Technology, in this case too strongly ahead of related technologies for commercial release to "tighten" the level of other PC components.

All this at a recent New York event, said lead engineer Intel Shawn Coelho. And Intel Labs engineer Christopher Anderson elaborated: new chips operate at a frequency of modern processors Atom (about 1,6-1,8 GHz). In this case all 48 cores total spend no more than 25 watts in standby mode and 125 watts at peak performance. Moreover, each core can operate at its voltage and its frequency, or be completely turned off the no-load. During the public demonstration of Intel engineers loaded the system with 48-core processor financial application - with the chip power consumption less than one second decreased from 74 to 25 watts. This is due to an automatic stop a certain number of nuclei.

The processor is made on the basis of a full mesh (mesh) architecture - that is, any kernel has a switching channel to each of the neighboring nuclei. This can greatly increase the speed of data transmission in comparison with the architecture of x86. In addition, this architecture allows to multiply the number of nuclei.

Remember that 48-core processor was designed by engineers in the Intel research project on the massive parallel computing, called Intel Terascale Computing. The chip was originally not supposed to put on the market, its purpose - testing technologies that will continue to be implemented already in commercial chips. First of all be working out mechanisms for managing the work of a large number of nuclei and the ways of coordination.

Actually, the prototype 48-core processor has been demonstrated in late 2009. The developers then called him "single-chip computer to cloud computing," and argued that the performance of the experimental chip is 10-20 times higher than today's models of a family of Core.

Now the public has not demonstrated a prototype 48-core processor, but actually working computer based on it. However, experimental computer case clearly is not limited. Intel is saying that the concept of multi-core, inherent in the 48-core processor, you can use derivatives technology devices, from servers to cell phones.

Adding a new chip cores is now considered the most effective way to improve processor performance without a substantial increase in electricity consumption and increase clock speeds, "thanks" to which CPU gets very hot.

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Hewlett-Packard will replace the flash memory memristor.

Image representing Hewlett-Packard as depicted...Image via CrunchBase

April 8 scientists and engineers from Hewlett-Packard have demonstrated their achievements in the development of a new type of non-volatile memory - so-called memristor. According to them, memristor-based devices may soon replace conventional flash memory. Their advantages are obvious: Memristors much simpler than common today semiconductor transistors. In addition, they are capable of storing information in the absence of electric current and, moreover, can be used both for processing and storage. This universality can seriously reduce the price of electronic components.

The theoretical basis for the creation of the memristor was developed in 1971 by Professor Leon Chua, University of California. But it took 37 years before in 2008 in a California laboratory Hewlett-Packard created the first working example of the memristor. Develop it was a group of researchers led by Stan Williams.

Report on the experiment was published in the journal Nature. In this paper, in particular, stated that Memristors operate on the principle of neurons in the brain. The first laboratory model memristor created in 2008 in the laboratory of Hewlett-Packard, driven by chemical reactions in the two-layer film of titanium dioxide. One of the layers of the film is depleted of oxygen, making oxygen "holes" migrate between the layers under the influence of the applied voltage to the device. This allows you to use it as a memory cell.

The developer of the theory of the memristor Leon Chua before repeatedly noted that the system based on these elements will operate similar to biological brains. Quote: "Our brains are made of the memristor. Now we have the elements to create an artificial brain."

Now - at the presentation April 8 - Stan Williams said that in two years that have passed since the establishment of the first sample of the memristor, his team made significant progress in using these elements. In particular, managed to increase the speed of their work, which is now comparable with silicon transistors.

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Bioprinter help from burns.

A group of scientists and physicians from Wake Forest University in North Carolina found an unusual use of traditional ink jet printer. The modified inkjet printer to use for application to the wound solution, consisting of skin cells and stem cells. As shown by experiments on mice, the wound is treated with such an unusual way to completely heal within 2-3 weeks, while the control group healing lasted 5 weeks and leave visible scars. "Ink" for the printer are made from skin cells the mouse itself, reproducing in the nutrient solution and then mixed with stem cells. Now scientists plan to test the new technology of healing wounds on pigs and then to obtain permission for clinical trials. If tests are successful, then a new application of inkjet printing can make a real revolution in the treatment of burns. After all, statistics claims that now the victims of extensive burns, in most cases die within 2 weeks of infection, if they do not produce skin grafts.

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iPhone OS 4

Image representing Apple as depicted in CrunchBaseImage via CrunchBase

April 8, Apple announced a new version of mobile operating system iPhone OS 4. The developer states that iPhone OS 4 has about a hundred innovations. Consider the most significant of them. So, finally, there was a long-awaited multi-tasking, however, will get its only owners iPad, iPod Touch and the third generation iPhone 3GS. Older devays, according to Steve Jobs, hardware can not provide the applications in the background. Also in the new firmware was introduced several new services: a game center, iAd, iBooks. Game Center is a social network of all the fans to play multiplayer games. Next on the list iAd - advertising services, through which developers will be able to provide free one to benefit from the display of advertisements. I would like to mention the ability to create folders in the menu, set as background wallpaper own and extra features for formatting text. Available for download the new OS will be the summer, when will the next generation iPhone.

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GTA in real life.

There is ample evidence that good driving simulators improve the skills of driving a real person and a great experience virtual racing is able to save lives in emergency situations.

In the computer game, few choose the type of cabin. Usually we choose a third-person (just behind and above), so it looks more colorful. But is it possible in real life to manage a real car with this angle? It turns out you can. You are literally transported into a computer game, without leaving your car.

The guys from Rooster Teeth of the project decided to conduct real-world experience. They consolidated the HD-camera on the back of a pickup. The driver had been pasted over windshield and side windows, and he drove his vehicle solely on the picture with the camera.

The experimental badly handled the task. Perhaps, instead of booster should be given to them by a joystick on the Xbox 360.

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Microsoft and the Russian Football.

RAMENSKOE, RUSSIA - AUGUST 02:  Sergei Kornile...Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Portal MSN has bought the rights to broadcast video on the Internet Russian Premier League for one year. Now this site will be the only place where you can watch games for free.

Last weekend, MSN began testing an online broadcast: pictures and comments offered NTV-Plus, because the portal has no right to comment on the matches.

Audience MSN portal in Russia amounts to 6.5 million unique visitors per month, due to football broadcasts MSN they can attract more 0,5-1 million visitors.

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