All Things News

Straight from Slashdot: “NewScientistTech has a fascinating story about a paralysed man who can control a computer and robot arm using electrodes implanted in his brain. The electrodes measure neural signals generated when he concentrates on trying to move one of his paralysed limbs and software translates these imagined gestures into the movement of an on-screen cursor or a robotic arm. Other researchers have also revealed a way to dramatically boost the efficiency of similar brain implants in monkeys.”

Straight from Ars Techinca: “The latest in what has become a series of delays in rolling out next-generation optical devices has hit Toshiba’s high-definition HD DVD recorder. Toshiba said today that it will delay the launch of what would be the first high-def HD DVD recorder until the end of month in order to avoid launch-time shortages.The RD-A1 will be available in Japan on July 27, instead of July 14, as originally planned. Unfortunately for budding HD DVD enthusiasts, Toshiba hasn’t yet announced availability for the RD-A1 outside of that country.”

Straight from Joystiq: “Rocky comes out of retirement (again) to go in the ring against reigning champion Mason “The Line” Dixon. The difference this time, is that a “computer fight” (read: video game) was the catalyst in making the Rock re-think his boxing resignation.”

Watch the YouTube trailer.

Straight from Slashdot: “OSWeekly.com talks about net neutrality and how it would impact the world of operating systems, both online and offline. The author states, ‘I know of a couple of people who support the legislation despite the fact that it could possibly enable ISPs to restrict access for those who are not willing to pay a premium fee for broader access. They have a strong belief that it is needed in order to make sure that ISPs have the tools and funds to expand their already overtaxed networks. Keeping in line with their belief system, this allows ISPs to make sure that developing connectivity can in fact, keep up with the explosive demand for broadband in more places. In other words, it allows for fatter pipes.’”

Straight from Slashdot: “MSNBC is reporting that scientists are finding differences in many of the current scientific ‘constants’ including the speed of light, alpha (the fine structure constant of the magnetic force), the ratio of proton to electron mass and several others. These findings were made by observing quasars and comparing the results to tests here on the earth.”

Straight from Ars Technica: “One of the ways Dell has become the number one PC maker on the planet in terms of sales is by selling cheap PCs. The company has caused ripples throughout the PC manufacturing industry by offering PCs for as little as US$299. If all you want is a basic box for web surfing, e-mailing, and word processing, it’s adequate. However, if you want to move much past basic tasks, you’ll quickly run into the limitations of the Dimension B110’s 256MB of RAM, 80GB hard drive, integrated Intel Extreme Graphics, and Celeron D 325 CPU. Once you begin customizing your system to meet your particular demands, the price starts to rise.Dell is moving away (subscription required) from the Big Mike’s House of Insane PC Bargains model. While it will still offer budget PCs for those who are interested in sub-US$400 computers, it has begun a new ad campaign emphasizing the first word in “personal computer.”"

Human Bones Found Near Dolphin Stadium

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Investigators are scouring a field near Dolphin Stadium for clues after human remains were discovered Wednesday.

Fark Comments

Straight from Ars Technica: “Legislating “immoral” activity on the Internet has been a popular pastime for as almost as long we’ve been online. The latest salvo in the ‘Net legislation war comes in the form of a bill that would make life difficult for online gamblers in the US. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act fo 2006, which was introduced last year, passed today by a 317-93 margin. It attempts to address online gambling by prohibiting wire transfers, “payment system instruments,” and credit cards from being used as payment methods for online gambling sites.”

Straight from Slashdot: “Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have discovered that under certain conditions, some very common bacteria can form nanowires. These bacteria were able to produce nanowires as small as 10 nanometers in diameter, but which can reach hundreds of microns in length. What is interesting here is that these nanowires are electrically conductive ones. This means that bacteria could be used to build microbial fuel cells or bacteria-powered batteries. As one researcher said, ‘Earth appears to be hard-wired.’”

Straight from Ars Technica: “The entertainment industry and the EFF have been at each other for years, and the EFF has just launched the latest salvo in the war of words between the two groups. It’s a list of “tough questions” to ask MPAA and RIAA reps, questions designed to force them to go on the record with unpopular opinions or explanations. As the EFF puts it, “Asking hard questions is a way of ‘keeping honest people honest’ and revealing when they’re actually being deceptive.”"

Follow the link to the Ars Technica story for the questions.

Straight from Slashdot: “Microsoft kills off support for Windows 98 and Windows ME today, and ZDNet is reporting that the move will boost demand for Linux on the desktop. Unlike two years ago — when support for Win98 was extended because Linux was seen as a serious competitor — this time it seems there is no turning back.”

Straight from Slashdot: “As reported by MSNBC, ‘The most potent force shaping the future of the Internet is neither Mountain View’s Googleplex nor the Microsoft campus in Redmond. It’s rather a small army of Gucci-shod lobbyists on Washington’s K Street and the powerful legislators whose favor they curry.’ The article examines several pieces of legislation and lobbying initiatives which are poised to affect you and your rights online. Topics covered include Net Neutrality, fiber to the home, the Universal Service Fund, codecs, and WiFi bandwidth usage.”

Straight from Engadget: “Despite Major League Baseball’s disdain for the practice, place-shifting is a hot feature that will only get more popular as it becomes easier for people to stream their content — and software company SageTV is at the forefront of the movement to make that happen. Less than two months after adding the feature to its media center package for Windows, the company is supposedly on the verge of offering similar “slinging” functionality to open-source fanatics, with GigaOM reporting that we can expect to see SageTV Media Center for Linux V5 announced within the week. Until the official unveiling, not much is known about this product save for its Media Extender support, although we’ve also learned that Mac users will be getting their own version at some unspecified future date. There are certainly other ways for the Linux faithful to place-shift their content — we recently saw a rather convoluted how-to on Engadget Mobile which uses MythTV — but if you’re willing to pay for commercial software, it sounds like Sage’s upcoming solution will be the easiest way to go.”

Straight from Joystiq: “Depicting a white woman grappling with a black woman, a recent series of Sony PSP ads in the Netherlands have caused many to engage in some grappling of their own, mostly with issues and allegations of racism. After defending the images and claiming that they had “no other message or purpose” besides flaunting the white PSP, Sony has now confirmed that they have yanked the ads and banished them to a mysterious marketing misfire graveyard.”

Straight from Ars Technica: “Give customers what they want and they will open their wallets. That seems to be the story behind the newest figures from Nielsen SoundScan, which paint a more positive picture of the music industry than the RIAA’s gloomy prognostications often suggest.The figures from the first half of this year show that CD sales, not surprisingly, are falling. Compared to the first half of last year, they are down by more than 4 percent. More than making up for that decrease is the tremendous growth in digital downloads. Downloads of complete albums soared by 126 percent, while downloads of individual tracks grew by a mere 77 percent. As you might imagine, individual track downloads still dwarf those of complete albums, lending credence to the theory that the album as an art form is dying.”

Straight from Slashdot: SonicSpike writes to mention that the House is set to vote on an act designed to choke off the U.S. money flow to internet gambling. Though illegal here in the states, overseas operators are getting a good deal of business from individuals with U.S. bank accounts and credit cards. From the article: “The legislation would make it illegal for banks and credit card companies to make payments to these sites. It also allows law enforcement officials to force Internet service providers to remove links to the websites. Many major credit card companies already refuse to process such payments. Opponents of the bill, including online gambling sites and a new group representing U.S. poker players, noted the growing popularity of Internet gambling and predicted that people would continue to sidestep laws.”

Straight from Ars Technica: “It was almost two years ago to the day that we reported on Internet Explorer’s first-ever drop in browser market share. At the time, IE usage had dropped from 94.8 percent at the beginning of 2004 to 93.9 percent a few months later. As Firefox approached the big 1.0 milestone, its market share continued to soar, and it passed the 10 percent barrier in October 2005.Web analytics firm OneStat.com is now reporting that Firefox has grabbed an almost 13 percent market share worldwide, while IE has dropped to just over 83 percent. Firefox’s current 12.93 percent market share is up from 11.51 percent in November 2005, while Internet Explorer is down almost 2.5 percentage points. In the US, IE has dipped below the 80 percent mark, down to 79.78 percent, while Firefox has 15.82 percent of the market.”

Straight from Ars Technica: “Hardware manufacturer Ricoh has developed a new optical drive capable of reading and writing several formats, including HD DVD, Blu-ray, CD, and DVD. The device will be demonstrated at the International Optoelectronics Exhibition later this month, and a read-only version could potentially be available to OEMs by the end of the year. A write-enabled version, which will require a more powerful laser than conventional optical disk recording devices, will hit the market at a later date.”

Straight from My Way News: “TOKYO (AP) – Japan said Monday it was considering whether a pre-emptive strike on the North’s missile bases would violate its constitution, suggesting it could take stronger action against the reclusive regime if the U.N. Security Council rejects its resolution calling for sanctions.Japan was badly rattled by North Korea’s missile tests last week and several government officials openly discussed whether the country ought to take steps to better defend itself, including setting up the legal framework to allow Tokyo to launch a pre-emptive strike against Northern missile sites.”

Straight from Ars Technica: “The Boston Globe has an interesting piece on these “WiFi wars.” Cafe owners have found that WiFi brings customers, but also a host of problems. Some people purchase nothing at all, some buy the cheapest item on the menu, and most stay for hours at a time, tying up tables that are especially needed during the lunch rush. Others park outside and surf the Net from the comfort of their vehicles—for months on end.”