Merry X-Mas to all!))

What 2011 was for us all?

some good points here - http://www.littleabout.com/Techno/biggest-loss-of-2011/98907/

some links again

http://my.desktopnexus.com/keepyouout

http://speaklolspeak.com/account/monkeydust

http://extratasty.com/profile/53197/hitherto

http://datarecovery.crowdvine.com/posts/35280463

http://mhzgps.com/jcow/index.php?p=blogs/viewstory/51526

http://godfather.com.br/blogs/1205/16167/the-most-recent-dangers-of-the-c

http://sudoku.nctu.edu.tw/view_profile.php?userid=2221

http://www.myfiwifi.net/index.php?p=blogs/viewstory/233247

http://www.memdream.com/index.php?p=blogs/viewstory/136950

Some links

LOL, didn't know that: twice-hacked Sony!

Hard as it may be to believe, Sony has been hacked yet again.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, So-net Entertainment Corp., a Japanese ISP owned by the technology giant, said that hackers accessed its customer rewards site earlier this week and stole customers' redeemable gift points worth about $1,225.

source - http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/05/20/sony-hacked-playstation-so-net-isp/

It's been a while, isn't it?

Don't worry, I'm alive)

Pirate Bay Blocked By Comcast?

source - http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/12/is-comcast-blocking-the-pirate-bay/

Sophos Acquires Internet Security Appliance Maker Astaro

UK-based security software maker Sophos has acquired Astaro, a privately-held provider of network security solutions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Astaro booked $56 million in billings last year, which makes it the fourth largest dedicated unified threat management (UTM) provider in the world.

source - http://www.techcrunchit.com/2011/05/06/sophos-acquires-internet-security-appliance-maker-astaro/

Warner Bros. Acquires Rotten Tomatoes

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group has acquired social movie discovery site Flixster. The acquisition also includes Rotten Tomatoes, a movie review site Flixster acquired from News Corp. last year. Under the terms of the deal, Flixster will continue to operate independently and will expand its services beyond movie discovery. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

source - http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/04/warner-bros-acquires-social-movie-site-flixster-and-rotten-tomatoes/

Visa backs mobile payment startup Square

Square, a mobile payment technology company founded in 2009 by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has received an undisclosed investment by credit giant Visa. According to Square CEO Keith Rabois, Visa will take a "strategic adviser" role in Square's development, which could include assisting with a broad expansion into international markets.

source -  http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_technews/20110427/tc_yblog_technews/visa-invests-in-square

White iPhone Available!

source - http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/27/technology/white_iphone/index.htm

Social Networks Are 'Huge Boondoggle for Bad Guys'

You've gotta love social networking. It lets us make zillions of "friends" all over the world, it's making corporations scramble to meet customer requirements, and it's made Mark Zuckerberg and a few other people very, very rich. Unfortunately, cybercriminals are among those other people enriched by social networking.

source - http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Social-Networks-Are-Huge-Boondoggle-for-Bad-Guys-72316.html

Hunting for Gaps

ETH Zurich researchers have developed a cognitive model that explains how pedestrians move in a crowd. The model could be used to prevent crowd disasters as well as to develop new navigation approaches for robotics and better architectural designs. The model assumes that pedestrians want to minimize the coverage of their vision field while trying to keep away from other pedestrians. It also assumes that pedestrians are seeking gaps and perceive groups as a whole. The model enables researchers to simulate the behavior of individuals and crowds, and demonstrates that crowds self-organize. The project is part of a larger FuturICT EU flagship project, led by ETH Zurich's Dirk Helbing. "One of the goals of the project is to prevent disasters through the use of new computer technologies and by learning to better understand the complexity of social systems," Helbing says.

source - http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-site-crowd-sourcing-internet.html

Strong Protection for Weak Passwords

Max Planck Institute researchers have developed a password protection system based on a combination of characters and a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA). The researchers also used mathematical techniques from the physics of critical phenomena to make the CAPTCHA safer. "We thus make the password protection both more effective and simpler," says Max Planck researcher Konstantin Kladko. The researchers used the CAPTCHA in the image, which can only be solved by humans, as the actual password. They further encrypted the password using a combination of characters. The team then let the system develop chaotically for a period of time, resulting in an image that no longer contains a recognizable word. Although the new system only requires relatively weak passwords, the real strength is in the CAPTCHA's encrypted password, according to the researchers.

source -  http://www.mpg.de/2823498/effective_password_protection?filter_order=L

Rumored New Nintendo Console Would Push Wii to Bargain Bin

source - http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/04/wii-price-drop-150/

A Brand New Social App for iOS

source - http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/13/vodpod-founders-launch-showyou-a-social-video-app-for-ios/

DOJ Approves Google’s $700M ITA Deal, With Conditions

Google has been embroiled in a investigation by the Justice Department over the search giant’s acquisition of the travel software company. Despite intense scrutiny and opposition from competitors, the deal was finally proved. Of course, the DOJ has a few conditions

source - http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/08/breaking-doj-approves-googles-ita-deal-with-conditions/

 

LinkedIn announced a new platform Wednesday for its business-focused social networking site -- offering websites and developers easy tools to embed "recommend" buttons, company-profile boxes and contact widgets on third-party websites -- as well as a way to log in to other sites using LinkedIn 

source - http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/04/07/linkedin.facebook.wired/index.html

Nerds Are Cool!

Nerdcore has no clear origins, but several well-known practitioners, artists like MC Frontalot, MC Paul Barman, MC Lars, Beefy, ytcracker, Schaffer the Darklord, Random, and perhaps, MC 900 Ft. Jesus, have been leaders in the underground genre for years. The themes are geek, the musical stylings are hip hop and rap. Just without all the references to drugs and guns. But nerdcore rappers definitely extol their virtues. They might just use their lines to tell the world how much better a programmer they are than anyone else 

source - http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20047667-52.html

Check also:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerdcore_hip_hop

Who Will Beat iPad?

With both MWC and CTIA out of the way, the overall layout of the tablet scene is beginning to take shape. Maybe iPad 2 has the momentum for now, but recently arrived rivals and upcoming contenders could pose a true challenge. Will Motorola give Apple a run for its money? Will Amazon put a horse in the tablet race? Or will Samsung's Galactic army catch on with its variety of sizes?

source - http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Will-the-Real-iPad-Challenger-Please-Stand-Up-72139.html

Yuilop raises €1 million for social communication app

Yuilop, a startup based in Barcelona, Spain, has secured 1 million euros in seed funding from Nauta Capital. The company has launched its mobile communication service in Germany, and says more markets will follow ‘soon’.

source - http://eu.techcrunch.com/2011/03/22/yuilop-raises-e1-million-for-social-communication-app/

Art Online and Beyond

It used to be that to see art you had to go to a physical museum, stand in line, buy a ticket, and get your exercise for the day walking from gallery to gallery. Now, however, virtual museums abound, offering up-close-and-personal art experiences without requiring you to leave the comfort of your own home.

source - http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Art-Online-and-Beyond-72040.html

Microsoft products we hardly knew

source - http://news.cnet.com/2300-10805_3-10007066.html

iPad launch 2.0

The overwhelming success of the original iPad ended up taking Apple by surprise last year, with the company announcing sales of more than 300,000 Wi-Fi iPads on its first day, going on to hit 1 million in just under a month. Over the following months, supply was scarce, with Apple resorting to a reservation system that would have users waiting weeks in some cases. This ended up affecting Apple's plans to release it outside the U.S., causing sales in nine other countries to be delayed for about a month.

source - http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20041347-37.html

Fixing The Android

Android Honeycomb got its moment in the sun Wednesday at AnDevCon as presenters Chet Haase and Romain Guy of Google expanded on some of the features of the tablet OS. Also up for discussion was Android fragmentation and the technology being used to remedy it. One feature called "Fragments" lets app devs adapt their wares to different form factors.

source - http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Fixing-the-Fragmented-Face-of-Android-72018.html

Ex-Alice In Chains Bassist Mike Starr Dies At 44

Mike Starr, the original bassist in Alice In Chains who recently appeared on VH1's Celebrity Rehab, died March 8th in Salt Lake City of unknown causes. He was 44. Starr played with the grunge band on their first four studio LP's – including their hit singles "Rooster" and "Man In The Box" – before leaving the band in 1993. He struggled with drugs during much of the past two decades, and last month was arrested in Salt Lake City after being caught with unauthorized prescription drugs.

source - http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/alice-in-chains-bassist-mike-starr-dies-at-44-20110309

New Google Chrome Browser

Three weeks ago, Google kicked off the Year of the Rabbit with a beta version of Chrome 10. Today, the company is launching a stable release of the upgraded desktop browser solution, which it points out comes with a speed boost that corresponds to a 66% improvement in JavaScript performance on the V8 benchmark suite. (see chart below)

source - http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/08/speedier-easier-google-chrome-browser-now-out-of-beta/

WebGL 1.0 Premiere

At least, if you use Firefox, Chrome, Opera, or Safari. Those are the browsers that support--though sometimes only in developer-preview editions--a technology called WebGL. And today, the Khronos Group standardizing the graphics interface announced that WebGL 1.0 is finished.

source - http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20038823-264.html

HD Catalogue By Stones: Pay For Downloads

The Rolling Stones plan to sell high-quality downloads of their first 27 records for the first time online

source - http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/02/28/rolling.stones/index.html

Jobs Presents iPad2

Check this video here - http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2011/03/02/apple.steve.jobs.cnn

Is “App Store” As Generic As Microsoft’s “Windows”?

As tech companies fight for ubiquity, it’s no surprise that there should be disputes like this. Using common words for product names is always a risk, as is establishing generic traditions (like Apple’s “i-” prefix) that are difficult to regulate. At stake today is Apple’s trademark on “App Store,” which as I’m sure our readers are aware, was established in 2008 as arguably the first real platform through which independent developers could offer mobile applications, games, and so on.

source - http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/03/01/is-app-store-as-generic-as-microsofts-windows/

Google Tapes Up Gmail Sprain

Google says it's turned to a tape backup system to restore information some Gmail users lost during a service meltdown last weekend. The problem, according to the company, was caused by a storage software update that introduced an unexpected bug. However, since restoring data from tape backups is a relatively slow process, it may be a while before affected users see their information returned.

source -  http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Google-Tapes-Up-Gmail-Sprain-71969.html

Hackruiter

Previously video-hiring service HireHive, the founders behind Y Combinator-backed Hackruiter have taken the next logical step in being solving the problem of hiring good people, and have actually become recruiters themselves. While we’ve chronicled the Silicon Valley talent crunch in a number of ways, we’ve never covered a startup actually attempting to disrupt the process of engineering recruiting. 

source - http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/21/hackruiter/

Internet Killswitch Reintroduced?

A Senate proposal that has become known as the Internet "kill switch" bill was reintroduced this week, with a tweak its backers say eliminates the possibility of an Egypt-style disconnection happening in the United States

source - http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20033717-281.html

3G Speed Tests Winner!

The Verizon iPhone and AT&T iPhone have gone head-to-head in thousands of broadband tests, and the numbers tell the story you'd expect: AT&T's network is much faster

source - http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/02/18/att.verizon.3g.speed.wired/index.html

Google's MWC 2011 Android Booth Tour

source - http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/18/googles-mwc-2011-android-booth-tour/

New Radiohead Video On YouTube!

Apple's Workplace Violations Report

"Foxconn is not a sweatshop," Steve Jobs told the audience at All Things Digital last June, speaking of the world's largest electronics manufacturer and Apple's (AAPL) primary supplier of iPhones, iPads, iPods and Macs.

source - http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/02/16/apples-2011-sweatshop-report/

Loads Of Facebook Friends = Depression?

"WebProNews reports that according to a new survey, the more Facebook friends you have, the more likely you are to feel stressed out by the site. 'The results threw up a number of paradoxes,' says Dr Kathy Charles, who led the study

source - http://slashdot.org/story/11/02/16/2249243/Number-of-Facebook-Friends-Linked-To-Anxiety

Russian iPhone?

OAO Mobile TeleSystems plans in April to start selling Russia’s first smart phones equipped with the Glonass navigation network, a rival to the U.S. Global Positioning System. 

source - http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-16/mts-to-sell-first-russian-phone-with-glonass-navigation-system.html

Radiohead Releases Another Download-Only Album

 Abandoning the “pay what you want” pricing model that grabbed headlines in 2007, Radiohead is releasing its next record in multiple formats, including what the band calls “the world’s first newspaper album.”

source -  http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/02/radiohead-king-of-limbs/

Google And CRM Market

While the CRM market is far different than Google's business model, there's speculation that it might become Google's next frontier. With lots of cash and some traction in the enterprise market, Google could be tempted to try CRM, but an analyst thinks that would invite spectacular failure. He said a CRM move would "make Steve Ballmer's day." 

source -  http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=0320036VR1J4

New Nissan Concept

Undaunted by these limitations, Nissan has rolled out a new futuristic EV called ESFLOW -- with a roofline inspired by modern Z cars and an elongated bonnet reminiscent of the original 240Z -- to titillate our inner gearhead

source - http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/11/nissan-unveils-sexy-esflow-concept-ev-sports-car/

Detroit To Have A Robocop Statue?

When it comes to things the city of Detroit needs, there’s undoubtely a pretty long list. And if there is an official version of such a list, I’m pretty sure that a statue of RoboCop isn’t on it. But that’s dumb. It totally should be. And that’s exactly why God invented the Internet.

source - http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/11/detroit-robocop-statue/

Free Software Heroes

 Linus Torvalds was the first suggestion of Hyperlogos blogger Martin Espinoza for the Award for the Advancement of Free Software: "It is hard to conceive of a world in which he doesn't already have one, but we appear to live in it. I can't imagine anyone who doesn't have one who deserves one more." Next in line, "I would nominate Dries Buytaert, the unifying force behind Drupal

source - http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Who-Are-This-Years-Free-Software-Heroes-71830.html

Guitar Hero Cancelled

Citing the lower revenues brought in by the genre, Activision Blizzard announced that it will cease production of new Guitar Hero games and dissolve its development team. Additionally, the company has canceled True Crime due to quality concerns

found here - http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/218158/activision-cancels-guitar-hero-franchise-true-crime/

Another Google Issue

Over the last few months, Google has received more than 100 copyright infringement warnings from MPAA-affiliated movies studios: most are directed at users of Google's public Wi-Fi service but others are meant for Google employees. The MPAA is thus warning the search giant that it might get disconnected from the Internet

originally taken from here

More info:

http://gigaom.com/video/mpaa-to-google-colleges-get-rid-of-the-pirate-bay/

http://www.zenobank.com/blogs/pcspeedup/

Dual-Screen Smartphone

Sprint Nextel rolled out a smartphone, which features a twin set of touchscreens. The mobile device is called the Echo. It is manufactured by Kyocera Corp

originally taken from here

More info:

http://machelper.me.pn/

http://slowcomputer.cz.cc

Sliding touchscreens PCs

HP has been cranking out its touch-enabled, all-in-one TouchSmart PCs for years now, but the latest model comes with a twist: a 23-inch display that slides almost all the way down, turning the system into something akin to a jumbo touch panel

originally found here

More info:

 http://www.trustedreviews.com/pcs/news/2011/02/07/HP-Announces-Two-New-TouchSmart-All-In-One-PCs/p1

http://pchelpishere.wetpaint.com/

NASA Shows The First 3D Sun Images

On Feb. 6th, NASA's twin STEREO probes moved into position on opposite sides of the sun, and they are now beaming back uninterrupted images of the entire star—front and back. "For the first time ever, we can watch solar activity in its full 3-dimensional glory," says Angelos Vourlidas, a member of the STEREO science team at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC. NASA released a 'first light' 3D movie on, naturally, Super Bowl Sunday

originally found here

More info:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stereo/news/stereo3D_press.html

http://machelper.me.pn/

Sorry, that's not tech news

but I really loved this lad




http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Showbiz-News/Musicians-Pay-Tribute-to-Gary-Moore-Former-Thin-Lizzy-Guitarist-Found-Dead-In-Spanish-Hotel/Article/201102115924590?lpos=Showbiz_News_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15924590_Musicians_Pay_Tribute_to_Gary_Moore%2C_Former_Thin_Lizzy_Guitarist_Found_Dead_In_Spanish_Hotel

No Room at the Internet?

The supply of Internet addresses has run dry, but it's no cause for alarm. A new system for assigning Internet addresses will allow trillions of new possibilities. For most people, the change from IPv4 to IPv6 will go unnoticed, but a few users may experience some headaches before the transition is complete.

originally taken from here

More info:

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/03/ipv4-addresses-gone-what-does-it-mean-for-internet-users/

http://pcspeedupnow.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/retarded-computer/

Verizon iPhone

It seems the first Verizon iPhone has been delivered to its customer. The video shows an individual picking up his iPhone 4 from a UPS center on Saturday. Meanwhile, many of our readers who have ordered expect their deliveries on Monday, February 7th.

originally taken from here

More info:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/index.html

http://hubpages.com/hub/macreviews

Duty Calls: a shooter parody

People Can Fly, Epic Games and Electronic Arts, the companies behind the upcoming Bulletstorm first person shooter, have thought of a novel way of promoting the title, and released a free game, called Duty Calls, which parodies modern combat shooters, with Call of Duty receiving the biggest amount of cheeky insults.

originally taken from here

Following yesterday's fracas over whether Microsoft was culling search results from rival Google, Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft's senior VP of its Online Services Division, has weighed in, reiterating that Google's claims are false.

originally taken from here

Internet 'kill switch'--help or hindrance?

There's nothing like a whole-country Internet disconnect to focus attention on how a so-called "kill switch" would work

originally found here

More info:
http://www.pccontrol.66ghz.com/
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/01/kill-switch-legislation/
http://www.pcgetsfaster.iblogger.org/

http://www.speedupapcit.isgreat.org/

Google Launches Voice-to-Tweet Workaround for Egypt

Google launched a special service to allow people in Egypt to send Twitter messages by dialing a phone number and leaving a voicemail, as Internet access remains cut off in the country amid anti-government protests. 

 originally found here

More info:
http://www.google.com/Top/Regional/Africa/Egypt/
http://www.pcdociz.2kool4u.net/
http://www.33registry.22web.net/