Solar cells could make fossil fuels virtually redundant if they were cheaper, but their use of rare elements and complex manufacturing processes makes them expensive. Now IBM Research has developed a prototype solar cell that solves both problems, using common, cheap elements and using an inexpensive manufacturing process
Iceland could become a journalism haven
if a proposal put forward by some Icelandic MPs aided by whistle-blowing web site Wikileaks succeeds. The Icelandic Modern Media Initiative (IMMI), calls on the country’s government to adopt laws protecting journalists and their sources. It will be filed with the Althingi — Iceland’s parliament — on 16 February.—If the proposal succeeds it will require the Icelandic government to consider introducing legislation
The European Parliament has blocked a key agreement that allows the United States to monitor Europeans’ bank transactions — angering Washington. The US called the decision a setback for EU-US counter-terror co-operation
. The vote was a rebuff to intensive US lobbying for EU help in counter-terrorism investigations
Most of us do not think twice about paying for something in a high street shop by keying in our pin. It is easy, fast and in most cases it works. But scratch a little under the surface and there are persistent reports of people who say they have been the subject of fraud of one kind or another on their credit or debit card. Now a team of computer scientists at Cambridge University has found a flaw in chip and pin so serious they think it shows that the whole system needs a re-write
Google has acquired Aardvark, a San Francisco start-up whose service melds internet search and social networking. Aardvark co-founder and top strategy manager Max Ventilla told Reuters his company had signed a deal to be acquired by Google recently
, but would not comment on the price. A report on the technology blog TechCrunch said the deal was for $US50 million, citing a source briefed on the transaction
PayPal does not have authorisation in India to provide cross-border money transfers, a spokeswoman for the country’s central bank said on Thursday. PayPal needs authorization to operate a cross-border money transfer service, under the country’s Payment and Settlement Systems Act, Alpana Killawala, spokeswoman of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), said Thursday. In a Tuesday blog post PayPal said that the suspension of personal payments to and from India would continue for at least a few months until it resolves questions from Indian regulators
Google says it will not voluntarily
comply with the government’s request that it censor YouTube videos in accordance with broad refused classification
(RC) content rules. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy referred to Google’s censorship on behalf of the Chinese and Thai governments in making his case for the company to impose censorship locally. Google warns this would lead to the removal of many politically controversial, but harmless, YouTube clips
The Iranian government plans to permanently suspend Google’s email service in the country, the Wall Street Journal reported on its web site on Wednesday
Google announced plans to build a high-speed fibre-optics network. The move is limited to small communities for now, but could eventually bring Internet prices down and transform the broadband industry
The famous chain renting out DVD, Blu-ray, and video games discs worldwide has announced it has gone bust in Portugal. Of course, it blames piracy
An internet group has taken down the Australian Parliament House web site and hacked into Kevin Rudd’s web site in a series of coordinated protests against plans to filter the internet. The government’s recently-commissioned Cyber Security Operations Centre discovered Wednesday’s attack was coming on February 5 but still couldn’t stop it entirely. Anonymous, the group responsible, is known for its many attacks against Scientology websites and has recently turned its attention to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and his plan to filter the internet. The attack came in the form of what is known as a denial of service — sites are bombarded with millions more communication requests than can possibly be handled
Following iiNet’s huge win over anti-piracy group AFACT, Aussie ISP Exetel has taken steps to soften its copyright infringement notice procedures and will no longer suspend accounts on mere accusations. Optus said today that although it planned to work with other internet service providers and the government on preventing internet piracy, it did not believe in sending alleged infringement notices to users
Google announced on Tuesday that it was immediately rolling out Google Buzz, a location-aware social networking tool highly integrated with its Gmail client, Google Maps and a new Android app
Scientists from the University College London in the UK have found that living a life of boredom can kill you
Australia’s drive to protect its own population from the horrors of the internet may be starting to have knock-on effects on the surfing habits of its neighbour, New Zealand — some web sites are no longer accessible in NZ via Aussie ISPs
Google has managed to get some decent press by announcing that, in a few years, it might be able to translate speech — something iPhone owners can already do. The Times picked up the story, and breathlessly reports that such a development could transform communications among speakers of the world’s 6,000-plus languages
— nice to know that those sticking to the medium of mime will be unaffected. Anyone unwilling to wait the couple of years
for Google’s solution will just have to download the Jibbigo iPhone application, or join the US army. Comparisons to Douglas Adams’ creation the Babel Fish are inevitable, though The Times credits Google with creating a text translation tool while neglecting to mention the rather-earlier version from AltaVista named after the unfortunate fish (unfortunate
as it was forced to live in the user’s ear)
Hand-held devices could soon have pressure-sensitive touch-screens and keys, thanks to a UK firm’s material that exploits a quantum physics trick. The technology allows, for example, scrolling down a long list or webpage faster as more pressure is applied. A division of Samsung that distributes mobile phone components to several handset manufacturers has now licensed the Quantum Tunnelling Composite
. The approach could find use in devices from phones to games to GPS handsets
Tired of waiting for the randomness of natural evolutionary advancement,
the Pentagon has decided to take matters into its own hands: military scientists will create synthetic organisms
that can live forever. But don’t fear — they can be killed with a molecular kill-switch. What could go wrong?
Beer is a rich source of a nutrient that can help prevent weak bones — but it depends what type you drink, claim researchers at University of California, Davis, today. As one of the nation’s favourite tipples, beer is a rich source of dietary silicon, which can help cut the chance of developing diseases like osteoporosis, they conclude. However, not all beers are the same, with those containing malted barley and hops having higher silicon content than beers made from wheat
A new study shows that bacteria-killing jets of plasma could soon replace the drills used to treat cavities in our teeth, making visits to the dentist’s office a bit less nerve-racking. Plasma is the fourth state of matter, after solids, liquids and gases. It is formed when gases are energised to the point where electrons fly off some or all of their atoms. Researchers recently demonstrated that a small, blowtorch-like device emitting a relatively cool beam of purple plasma can eliminate oral bacteria in cavities, leaving more tooth structure intact than a drill does
RSS – Posts