Wed, 04 Jul 2007 01:03:08 GMT

The search engine for life sciences data

What a great web 2.0 based site (watch the demo)! Just like you’d use Pubmed, but in a more dynamic way:

NextBio is a web-based scientific data search engine that offers instant access, search and collaboration across a vast repository of life sciences information. Our query interface makes it easy to ask questions about genes, pathways, study results, disease areas, compound treatments and biomarkers, just to name a few.

Genes, proteins, clinical experimental study result, everything. Give it a shot! Posted by: Bertalan      Read more     Source

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 17:51:37 GMT

A breathtaking way to interact with large sets of images

Blaise Aguera y Arcas demonstrates some new technology for registering and interacting with images. Make sure you wait for the end: a three dimensional reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral constructed by a computer using people’s digital camera photos downlFlickr.

I would love to see this technology adopted for scientific publication. His sample page from the Guardian was a great example of how it would work. Figures could be much richer and “supplementary” information (which is often important for a paper’s narrative but is left out because of space limitations) could be included where it makes the most sense.

Of course, this would mean different formatting for print and online versions, but jouPLoS ONE might have the flexibility to implement it.

See more talkhere. Posted by: Andre      Read more     Source

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 03:05:23 GMT

Can Microsoft Survive Its Rivals’ Onslaught ?

Microsoft has been riddled with law suits filed by various companies that programs bundled along with its popular desktop operating systems have compromised them and put them at risk of going out of business.

It is a rather weak argument, considering that all these companies are competitors of Microsoft. By bundling all these softwares along with its Windows XP and Vista Operating Systems, Microsoft has sloten a march over its rivals. Microsoft is no evangelist. It does business. So do its rivals. I do not understand why it has to face lawsuits if it is bundling these add-ons to gain business.

Netscape was one of the first to do so. Sun, Google, Yahoo, you can continue to name a million companies claiming to be disadvantaged by MS. There will be a day when a manufacturer of an OS will sue MS for jeopardising its sales. Its just not done. Someone up there has to realise that taking Microsoft to court is not going to do any good. If they have to beat MS, they would need to make better software than it does. And if need be, develop an operating system too.

Mozilla and real have shown that it can be done. Firefox brwoser may not be the market leader, but it does command a decent market share, and has its dedicated band of loyalists. That is because its software is better than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Same case with Real. Real Player is way ahead of Microsoft’s Windows Media Player in more ways than one.

But do the lawmakers and law upholders think in that direction? Do they really understand the simple reason why Microsoft gets riddled by these suits? Well, if they do, then a lot of uneasy quibbles between these companies would be eliminatedImage Credit

Reference Posted by: Vrij      Read more     Source

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 01:59:42 GMT

Microsoft Home Office Makeover

If you are tired of your home office and you want something done about it, say a $25000 worth makeover, let Microsoft do it for you!

How? SMicrosoft's Home Office Makeover contest wherein you'll be asked to write a 250-word essay on how a Microsoft Home Office Makeover will create an overall positive change in your personal and/or business life. Also, you need to submit a photo or an online video of your home office.

Here are the home/home office requirements to qualify:

Home office space is between 12' x 12' and 20' x 20' in size.
Home/home office space has high speed Internet access.
Home/home office space has no known structural, electric, or safety issues.
Home office space has at least two (2) standard, functional outlets.

Lots of Microsoft and HP products to win. You have until July 4 to join the contest.

Enter there. Posted by: noel      Read more     Source

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 21:04:31 GMT

Computers Emit As Much Carbon Dioxide As Aviation

Did you ever think how much do you contribute to the greenhouse gases emissions while using your personal computer? How much did the global emissions increase with every computer manufactured?

Every single computer requires about 1.8 tonnes of chemicals, fossil fuels and water for its manufacture. And once in use, it emits about 0.1 tonne of carbon dioxide in a year.

According to a research, computers generate an estimated 35 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. The emissions by computers account for 2 per cent of world’s total carbon dioxide emissions, almost equal to that contributed by aviation.

Every computer is good for some three years and then turns into junk. Though it’s a different story in less developed countries where a computer is used for a longer period and even those considered scrap in the developed nations are junked and used here. The junk computers are often dumped in landfills, polluting the soil with poisonous elements like cadmium and mercury.

The carbon emissions by computers is causing concerns that it may wreck attempts to reduce emissions. The dumping of old computers into developing countries is another concern. Dumping is just a way of transferring your burden to someone else. This will obviously have a negative affect on the health of the environment in the developing countries. The increasing penetration of computers is not only worsening the global warming but also polluting soil.

But with such heavy dependence on computers, a decrease in number of computers is quite unlikely. Imagine a world without computers. We will have to revert back to old days for this. Since the decrease in number of computers is not possible, efforts are being made to turn the computers green. Energy efficient computing along with access to Internet, mail and other common processes like word-processing without a CPU are being looked at as possible solutions.

A company in India has already ventured into providing computing to homes without having to have a computer. All one need is a monitor with keyboard and mouse and a connection with the service provider’s server. The server does the processing job, enabling computing without a CPU. (Sorry! I don’t remember the name of the company offering the service.)

In the increasing global warming scenario, we should obviously switch over to more energy efficient computing and also other gadgets like TV. Obviously, we don’t want to be responsible for worsening the climate change on the planet. And one last suggestion for the corporates Please turnoff computers in your office when not in use. This will save lot of energy and thus saving the planet from significant amount of emissions.

Source: Independent

Image Source: Wblibrary.org Posted by: Bahadurshahzafar      Read more     Source

June 13, 2007, 9:41 AM CT

Evacuation software finds best way to route

Yi-Chang Chiu wants to move people efficiently lots of people, millions of people in response to a terrorist attack or natural disaster.

Suppose, for instance, that a disaster occurred in Southern California and suddenly 700,000 vehicles headed for the Arizona border" How would transportation officials generate the best traffic management strategy to cope with the traffic".

One very good option would be to use the computer simulation package that Chiu, an assistant professor in The University of Arizona Civil Engineering Department, has been developing since 1995, when he was a graduate student at the University of Texas in Austin.

"Solving large-scale evacuation problems is overwhelming," Chiu said. "No one can just sit down with a map and draw lines and figure out the best answer to problems like these".

No single plan or even series of plans is sufficient, he added. "We're not focusing on a script because a disaster scenario is very unpredictable. You can't have one plan that fits all situations, and you can't evaluate hundreds of scenarios or your 'plan' will end up looking like a phone book".

Instead, Chiu and colleagues have focused on developing software that can react to a situation in real time, adjusting as conditions on the ground change......... Posted by: Ethan      Read more         Source

June 10, 2007, 8:04 PM CT

Computer guide may boost security testing

Providing strong security for complex federal information systems is a challenging job. But now theres a new version of a draft guide* for assessing the effectiveness of security of controls in federal information systems from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that aims to make the job easier. The content of the new guide is expected to be incorporated into automated tools that support the information security programs of federal agencies.

The 387-page guide is designed to help information system owners and security managers ensure that appropriate computer security controls work as intended to protect information systems from being improperly accessed or compromised. NIST will accept comments on the draft document through July 31, 2007. Comments should be emailed to sec-cert@nist.gov or mailed to NIST at 100 Bureau Dr., M.S. 8930, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-8930.

The guide is a companion document to NIST Special Publication 800-53, Minimum Security Controls for Federal Information Systems, which spells out the types of security controls such as user authentication, spam protection, cryptography and transmission confidentiality that must be used to protect federal information systems. The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002 instructs NIST to prepare minimum computer security requirements for all federal information systems other than national security systems......... Posted by: Ethan      Read more         Source

Mon, 21 May 2007 15:19:55 GMT

Dell Sued for Unfair Sales Practices

Dell, the second biggest PC maker has been dragged to court by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, accusing it of making false promises to customers to increase sales.

The lawsuit filed in Albany County Supreme Court accuses Dell and Dell Financial Services LP of fraud, false advertising and deceptive business practices including offering misleading financing terms, rebates and other benefits but ultimately sticking them with high interest on lines of credit. It also claims Dell avoids giving customers rebates through various tactics and fails to honour warranties and service contracts by misleading customers and making it difficult for them to obtain technical support.

The suit seeks an injunction against Dell’s practices, and unspecified damages to affected customers.

Dell is strongly defending itself against the suit, computer giant asserts that customers are their top priority and dell will come out neat and clean.

Dell spokesman Bob Pearson said that the company will contest the suit.

We are confident that our practices will be found to be fair and appropriate. While even one dissatisfied customer is too many, the allegations in the AG’s filing are based upon a small fraction of Dell’s consumer transactions in New York. We are committed to providing a positive experience to all of our customers every day

In an unrelated probe, the Securities and Exchange CommDell’s own audit committee have been investigating the company’s accounting practices.

In the concluding months of 2006, analyst firm Friedman Billings Ramsey raised their apprehension over Dell’s accountes for warranties, accusing company for using an wrong method for accounting for the money it takes in from warranty sales and the money it reserves to handle expected warranty claims.

Via: yahoo

Posted by: Rahulbhandari      Read more     Source

Mon, 21 May 2007 15:11:21 GMT

Google's spider goes universal

Google Inc., online search leader, started showing videos on its main results page Wednesday along with photos, books and other content previously separated into different categories. In line with said universal approach, Google's search engine results will begin rolling out more than just a series of links and snippets pointing to other Web sites.

In a press release, it was noted that the videos will be shown on Google's results page if it's contained in the company's own database or the vast library of its YouTube subsidiary. A thumbnail will direct traffic to videos hosted on other sites like Metacafe.com.

The report continued:
The increased emphasis on video also could alienate some longtime users who revere Google for its traditionally staid results page. "It's going to be interesting to see how people react," said Greg Sterling, who runs the research firm Sterling Market Intelligence. "I think it will create more value for users."

The changes also illustrate the challenges facing Yahoo Inc. Microsoft Corp. and a host of smaller Internet search engines as they try to gain ground on Google. While those rivals have been investing heavily in improvements just to catch up, Google has been spending even more to soup it search engine. "I do think this opens the door for a richer medium on the search results page," said Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president of search products and user experience. "For us, ads are answers as well." Posted by: noel      Read more     Source

Sun, 13 May 2007 14:57:22 GMT

Free Easy To Use Digital Image Editor

Source:www.scanhelp.com

Are you intimidated by complex digital image editing programs?

If not my hat is off to you, but if you are, welcome to the club.

As is the case with most things, you have to crawl before you can walk, and even if you have a sophisticated, or at least mid-level graphics program you may want to cut your teeth on something with fewer options.

There's no need to sacrifice quality with a simple program, all you're giving up are a lot of options that you won't use at first, or maybe ever.

I came across this easy to learn, free program that's perfect for making basic changes to your digital photo files.

"Scan Help.com" is giving away the demo version for free, with no strings attached, and you can download the program, "Viewing Boothhere.

Note too that there are many other useful links on this page such as help with scanning and other free demo software that may interest you.

As always keep your original photo files in a separate folder in case you screw up and want to start over.

Have fun Posted by: jim      Read more     Source