Lynda.com online tech courses Lynda.com, which offers very affordable online training courses for learning software and Web design - for geeks as well as ordinary people - has introduced closed captioning to their learning library. Because Lynda.com courses require that you follow the instructor''s voice as he takes you through various pages on your computer screen, up until now, they weren''t accessible to the hearing impaired. The other benefit of closed-captioning is........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 4/6/2008 6:55:08 PM) Sony HDR-TG1 Gadget blogs everywhere are buzzing about how Sony has created the world's smallest handycam with the HDR-TG1. This particular model can shoot 1080i video as well as 4 Megapixel stills. It has a 2.7" touch panel LCD display, along with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 10x optical zoom lens. It also has a 2-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor, as well as face detection technology. All of this was somehow crammed into a 1.3 x 4.7 x 2.5 inch........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 4/6/2008 6:38:33 PM) Soccer robots compete for the title Robot soccer is an ambitious high-tech competition for universities, research institutes and industry. Several major tournaments are planned for 2008, the biggest of which is the 'RoboCup German Open'. From April 21-25, over 80 teams of scientists from more than 15 countries are expected to face off in Hall 25 at the Hannover Messe. In a series of soccer matches in several leagues, they will be putting the latest technologies on display. The........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 4/1/2008 10:14:29 PM) Music File Compressed 1,000 Times Smaller than MP3 Scientists at the University of Rochester have digitally reproduced music in a file nearly 1,000 times smaller than a regular MP3 file. The music, a 20-second clarinet solo, is encoded in less than a single kilobyte, and is made possible by two innovations: recreating in a computer both the real-world physics of a clarinet and the physics of a clarinet player. The achievement, announced recently at the International Conference on........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 4/1/2008 8:52:09 PM) Samsung L210 Samsung has taken another trek into digital camera territory with the L210, a point-and-shoot job. The L210 has lots of great features including a 2.5 inch LCD display, as well as a 10.2 megapixel sensor with 3x optical zoom. It also has two of Samsung's programs with Digital Image Stabilization and Intelligent Face Recognition technology. All of this is included with 10MB of internal flash memory as well as the ability to record MPEG-4........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 3/30/2008 6:40:28 PM) Is Graphene the New Silicon? Research results from University of Maryland physicists show that graphene, a new material that combines aspects of semiconductors and metals, could be a leading candidate to replace silicon in applications ranging from high-speed computer chips to biochemical sensors. The research, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and published online in the journal Nature Nanotechnolgy, reveals that graphene conducts electricity at room........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 3/27/2008 9:16:01 PM) Platform As A Service: Cloudo Platform As A Service, or PaaS is the latest development in virtualization. Where companies started to offer applications online (Saas, Software As A Service) and the use of virtual servers is becoming mainstream, more and more companies now offer a complete operating system as a service online. Cloudo is the latest addition to platform providers. There are several others that have existed for a while now in the consumer market, but to be........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 3/18/2008 7:54:38 PM) Locks On Microchips Could Reduce Hardware Piracy Hardware piracy, or making knock-off microchips based on stolen blueprints, is a burgeoning problem in the electronics industry. Computer engineers at the University of Michigan and Rice University have devised a comprehensive way to head off this costly infringement: Each chip would have its own unique lock and key. The patent holder would hold the keys. The chip would securely communicate with the patent-holder to unlock itself, and it........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 3/5/2008 8:42:05 PM) Students With Cell Phones May Take More Risks Carrying a cell phone may cause some college students - particularly women - to take risks with their safety, a new study suggests. A survey of 305 students at one campus observed that 40 percent of cell phone users said they walked somewhere after dark that they normally wouldn't go. A separate survey observed that about three-quarters of students said that carrying a cell phone while walking alone at night made them feel somewhat or a........Go to the Cell-phone-blog (Added on 3/3/2008 10:10:53 PM) Attack on computer memory reveals vulnerability A team of academic, industry and independent scientists has demonstrated a new class of computer attacks that compromise the contents of secure memory systems, especially in laptops. The attacks overcome a broad set of security measures called disk encryption, which are meant to secure information stored in a computers permanent memory. The scientists cracked several widely used technologies, including Microsofts BitLocker, Apples FileVault........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 2/24/2008 10:23:07 PM) Are Booth Babes Really Worth the Money? I'm pretty sure that getting attractive women to spend time in a place full of geeky men takes some money. MyTreo.net calls it the "oldest consumer electronics marketing trick." Whatever the case, I don't think booth babes are effective marketing tools (pardon my objectification of women), for the same reason why I think giving away free phones on The Ellen Degeneres Show is a waste of money Do we honestly think that the........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 2/12/2008 5:42:33 PM) Copper connections for high-speed computing As computers become more complex, the demand increases for more connections between computer chips and external circuitry such as a motherboard or wireless card. And as the integrated circuits become more advanced, maximizing their performance requires better connections that operate at higher frequencies with less loss. Improving these two types of connections will increase the amount and speed of information that can be sent throughout a........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 2/11/2008 10:33:47 PM) How about a 40-hour laptop battery? Unbelievable isn''t it? A laptop battery that can keep your laptop going for 40 hours! Yes, research is underway at Stanford Tech to develop a hi-tech lithium ion battery that can juice up your laptop for 40 hours, keeping those charging woes at bay for a longer period. Apparently, the new battery uses a discarded technology that has been been revamped by Professor Yi Cui and team - silicon anodes in the form of nanowires for charging.........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 1/23/2008 7:09:00 PM) Contact lenses with circuits Movie characters from the Terminator to the Bionic Woman use bionic eyes to zoom in on far-off scenes, have useful facts pop into their field of view, or create virtual crosshairs. Off the screen, virtual displays have been proposed for more practical purposes -- visual aids to help vision-impaired people, holographic driving control panels and even as a way to surf the Web on the go. The device to make this happen may be familiar. Engineers........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 1/17/2008 9:27:43 PM) Fraudsters beware Yong Guan had scribbled 12 arrows across his office whiteboard, each black line going from one little box he had drawn to another little box. He had written five long formulas up there, too. And that was bad news for cyber criminals. Guan, the Litton Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University, and his students are developing technologies to fight cyber crime and make online activities such as........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 1/7/2008 11:05:17 PM) Google's Knol against Wikipedia? Google loves the content of Wikipedia. Just do some Google searches and you’ll see the Wikipedia articles among the top results. While Google tries to battle Wikipedia and to create their own encyclopaedia ( under the name Knol), I thought I should share my thoughts with you as a Wikipedia administrator. But Larry Sanger, the head and founder of Citizendium, the expert-encyclopaedia, has beat me to it There are a few problems First,........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 12/28/2007 8:32:13 AM) Combimouse The left unit of the Combimouse is stationary and provides the function of the left hand side of a conventional QWERTY keyboard.The right unit has a similar mass and centre of gravity to a conventional mouse. It can be moved around on a support surface like a conventional mouse.........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 12/19/2007 11:14:44 PM) Tablet Computers Would a tablet computer help you in your business Tim Berry has a blog entry at Small Business Trends were he talks about what he likes about a tablet computer over a standard laptop. The biggest advantage tablets have according to Berry is that they are easier to use on airplanes. It allows you to adjust the screen if the person in front of you lowers his seat back. Another versatility offered by the tablet is the ability to do........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 12/16/2007 7:59:09 AM) Fun and unique gift ideas I'm all about the giving of Christmas presents and in fact, I live giving better than receiving. I like trying to find the perfect gift for a person's personality and I really put some thought into it. Well, I am here to make your shopping a little easier. I have some hilarious and sure to please presents. Don't go with the usual scarf or cuff links, really go for it this year Probably one of the most hilarious alarm clocks I........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 12/16/2007 7:55:28 AM) About noise canceling headphones One of the common mistakes we all make when wearing headphones is that we crank up the volume when there is noise around us. This is the worst thing to do according to Electronic House in the article "The Buzz on Noise Canceling Headphones"........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 12/11/2007 6:24:51 PM)

Backscatter Backscatter is a problem that arises when an email server receives bounced messages that come from remote site to a non-local recipient. In simple terms non-delivery reports or delivery status notifications are sent to a mail server that never originated the emails. Backscatter can be a big IT administrative headache, if it's not fixed it can bring down a server and spammers can use this to create a DoS style attack. Best way to prevent........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 4/6/2008 6:38:40 PM) Do you book travel on the mobile internet? © jaja I read today that you can now make bookings at HostelWorld through mobile internet on your iphone. HostelWorld are keen for you to book this way with entry into a prize draw for a $100 iTunes voucher and no booking fees for one year with your first iphone booking The mobile ecommerce market is predicted to increase to $90 billion dollars by 2009. However there have been warnings that if it doesn't become easier and more........Go to the Cell-phone-blog (Added on 4/5/2008 1:25:35 PM) Faster, cheaper technology for computers A modern computer contains two different types of components: magnetic components, which perform memory functions, and semiconductor components, which perform logic operations. A University of Missouri researcher, as part of a multi-university research team, is working to combine these two functions in a single hybrid material. This new material would allow seamless integration of memory and logical functions and is expected to permit the........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 4/3/2008 8:29:14 PM) Microsoft Open to Spammers? That's what some folks are saying about Microsoft's new partnerships with LinkedIn, Tagged, Hi5, Bebo and Facebook. Calling it a new commitment to openness and data portability, the partnerships allow users of those sites to import their Windows Live contacts and vice versa. While this will make it easier for users to invited their contacts to the social networking service of their choice, it may also give spammers a new tool. I........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 3/30/2008 6:40:42 PM) Skyfire Browser for Windows Mobile Smartphones We know that web browsing is one area that is still in its premature stages due to the unavailability of user friendly browsers with powerful features. We also know that mobile manufacturers and mobile software vendors are trying to come up with browsers that are more powerful and would give a boost to mobile web browsing. Apple's iPhone Safari browser is one browser that is doing well and offers a number of new user friendly features........Go to the Cell-phone-blog (Added on 3/30/2008 6:21:48 PM) Dropclock Dropclock is an aesthetically intriguing motion clock screensaver. Every minute of real time is numerically expressed with heavy Helvetica dropping into water in super slow-motion.........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 3/30/2008 4:56:05 PM) Microchip fingerprints used to lock out chip pirates Pirated microchips -- chips stolen from legitimate factories or made from stolen blueprints -- account for billions of dollars in annual losses to chipmakers. But a series of novel techniques developed at Rice University over the past year could stop pirates by allowing chip designers to lock and remotely activate chips with a unique ID tag. When a chip is locked with the new technology, only the patent-holder can decipher the key and........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 3/11/2008 9:50:31 PM) Magnetic levitation gives computer users sense of touch Computers, long used as tools to design and manipulate three-dimensional objects, may soon provide people with a way to sense the texture of those objects or feel how they fit together, thanks to a haptic, or touch-based, interface developed at Carnegie Mellon University. Unlike most other haptic interfaces that rely on motors and mechanical linkages to provide some sense of touch or force feedback, the device developed by Ralph Hollis,........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 3/4/2008 6:00:55 PM) Paper weighing scale is a featherweight If the concept design for the paper weighing scale designed by Duck Image Studio sees the light of day, then I will no longer have to worry if someone else is looking down at the embarassingly high figures on my scale while I am standing on it. Ask how? Because the paper weighing scale is different from other weighing scales - it is inconspicuous, almost like paper, and can be placed anywhere in the house as it is ultra-thin and flexible.........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 3/3/2008 7:50:25 PM) Ranger Supercomputer For Texas Computing Center Ranger, the most powerful supercomputing system in the world for open science research, entered full production on Feb. 4. Open science research makes clear accounts of methodology, along with data and results extracted therefrom, freely available. Ranger, which will enable the leading scientists in the country to advance and accelerate computational research in all scientific disciplines, was dedicated by the National Science Foundation (NSF)........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 2/26/2008 4:52:40 PM) Tiny solar charger for cell phones From Strapya World, the mecca of miniatures that dangle from cell phones, comes this tiniest solar charger (which, unfortunately, only works with cell phones in Japan). The idea behind it is that it dangles from your cell phone to charge it whenever it''s exposed to sunlight. You can also charge it at home with the AC adapter. It''s more of a novelty item, as it takes 6 to 10 hours to charge up in the sun (though I suppose it could be a life........Go to the Cell-phone-blog (Added on 2/12/2008 5:43:07 PM) Mind the (online) gap Instant messaging, blogs, Facebook, MySpace there are limitless ways your child communicates online with the offline world. And the risks and opportunities are only increasing. A new Tel Aviv University research study has observed that, despite what parents might believe, there is an enormous gap between what they think their children are doing online and what is really happening. In her study, Prof. Dafna Lemish from the Department of........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 2/4/2008 9:28:16 PM) Nokia PC Phone Needs Some More Work The folks at Technograph found that Nokia PC Phone, a utility that turns Firefox or Explorer into a remote control panel for a Symbian S60 or S40 smartphone, works as advertised We were able to view the phone's messages and call log, and even manage the contacts themselves. Incoming calls were announced through a pop-up on the computer, with buttons allowing the user to answer or reject the call, and quickly send an SMS to the caller.........Go to the Cell-phone-blog (Added on 1/23/2008 7:43:42 PM) Health effects of wireless technologies A new National Research Council report chaired by University of Colorado at Boulder Distinguished Professor Frank Barnes calls for a stronger research effort on the potential health effects of exposure to radio frequency energy tied to the global explosion in wireless technology like cell phones, laptops and hand-held Web-surfing gadgets. Requested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from the National Research Council last year, the........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 1/21/2008 9:24:10 PM) Leap Frog Products I realize that the holidays are over, and most parents have already bought wonderful toys for their children. However, I still recommend these products from Leap Frog. The LeapPad is a pretty neat thing that uses cartridges and spiral notebooks for both education and fun. Just use the digital pen to touch the words, and the LeapPad reads to your children. Also on the LeapPad books are little games your kids can play as well. The........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 1/3/2008 11:08:54 PM) Active computer games no substitute New generation active computer games stimulate greater energy expenditure than sedentary games, but are no substitute for playing real sports, as per a research studyin this weeks Christmas issue of the BMJ. Young people are currently recommended to take an hour of moderate to vigorous physical exercise each day, which should use at least three times as much energy as is used at rest. But a number of adolescents have mostly sedentary........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 12/20/2007 9:59:38 PM) Roadrunner: A New Age of Super- computing Laboratory officials celebrated Los Alamos's decision to pursue, pending approval by the National Nuclear Security Administration, the final phase of Roadrunner, a high-performance computer (HPC) slated to become the computational cornerstone of Laboratory mission-related work. "Roadrunner ushers in a new era in high performance computing," said Terry Wallace, principal associate director for science, technology, and engineering (PADSTE).........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 12/20/2007 9:31:13 PM) Fisheye lens, anyone? A photo taken with a fisheye lens has a certain appeal. The price of a fisheye lens isn't that appealing, however. It's a little expensive. Thanks to Photojojo.com for sharing with us this DIY Fisheye Lens. All you need is an old eyeglass, some tape, and your camera. So, without further adieu, here is a do-it-yourself on building your own fisheye lens........Go to the Gadget-blog (Added on 12/16/2007 8:15:15 AM) Motorola Now Number 3 Ouch. According to Gartner, Motorola has sold 38% less phones in the third quarter of this year than the same quarter of last year. Samsung has taken over the number 2 spot, while Nokia now enjoys 38% market share. All despite total mobile sales increasing by 15% to reach 289 units Gartner's report speculates on the reason behind Motorola's troubles Its problems have been two-fold, according to (Gartner analyst) Milanesi.........Go to the Cell-phone-blog (Added on 12/12/2007 9:39:45 PM) From Wal-Mart for $198 Need a new computer at home and don't want to pay the earth for it? Your next computer could very well be the Everex gPC bought from Wal-Mart for just US$198 This is a rather modest little number, but has the added feature of a Ubuntu 7.10 (the latest version of the best Linux software) already installed. Great for a kids machine in the family or rumpus room The computer features a middle of the road computer as far as capability,........Go to the Computer-blog (Added on 12/11/2007 6:25:03 PM)