Six of the world’s biggest computer companies — Microsoft, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Apple and Netgear — are trying to crack one of the CSIRO‘s patents. The CSIRO developed groundbreaking technology in 1996 that allows computers to network with each other without cables. The technology is now built in to most laptop computers and manufacturers pay the CSIRO a licence fee to use it. CSIRO chief executive Dr Geoff Garrett said the system made it possible to increase the speed of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) by a factor of five
The densest materials known have been made to levitate on a pool of liquid air. The trick may one day be used to separate precious minerals, metal and gems from rock and soil
Fluff is a composting material made from recycled household garbage that can also be extruded into posts, timbers and other construction materials. It uses undifferentiated household waste and processes it into pathogen free
Fluff in 30 minutes. Composite Products of America extrudes the Fluff into 8″ x 8″ tongue and groove posts or landscaping timbers for the building of retaining wall or small one room structures. There is even a bench made of extruded fluff currently located in the Tennessee State Capital Building — talk about adding waste to the government — via BoingBoing
Pros and cons on the new job vs. old job
New:
- Pro: I get to draw little people for a good part of the day, and design the rest
- Pro: I get to travel
- Pro: I get to work with designers
- Pro: I get paid more
- Con: It’s in North Sydney (pain for me to travel)
- Con: I have to work on a DELL!
Old:
- Pro: I get full creative control over internal projects, including drawing
- Con: I don’t get full creative control over projects for external clients
- Pro: internal projects getting more priority
- Pro-ish: possibility of travel
- Pro: Will be heading new team of designers, currently training junior designer
- Pro: Just been offered same as new job
- Pro: It’s near central station
- Pro: I have a G5 and a nice cinema display monitor
Arrggh!!! Decisions!
Giant Microbes have new designs.
They’ve introduced TB, The Clap and, my favourite, The Pox.
I think I need more giant microbes
Researchers at the University of Essex are using Linux and tiny embedded computer modules to build fleets of unmanned aircraft that fly in flocking formations like birds, while performing parallel, distributed computing tasks using Bluetooth-connected Linux clustering software. The Gridswarm project includes model trainers that can fly 120mph, while a parallel Ultraswarm project uses co-axial helicopters. A prototype of the later is believed to the world’s smallest flying web server. The aircraft will run Linux on embedded computing modules from Gumstix — via Slashdot
Carnegie Institution researchers have learned to produce 10-carat, 12mm thick diamonds at rates of about 100µm per hour, which in the diamond business is blazingly fast. These aren’t industrial diamonds either, but gem-quality stones. The goal is to create a 300 carat diamond in whatever shape they want — via Science Blog
Microsoft has confirmed that the upcoming version of its Internet Explorer browser will include tabbed browsing, a feature made popular by competitors Opera and Firefox
Sporadic shooting continued today in an eastern Uzbek city where an uprising sparked a crackdown by security forces that left up to 500 people dead, and a human rights group reported that clashes in another town killed an additional 200
Animal Liberation Victoria‘s ten year fight to shut down the Learmonth puppy farm, the largest in Australia, has ended in victory with Ballarat Council announcing the farm will close at the end of July 2005. The misery is almost over for the dogs, but not for owner Dr Ron Wells who has been called up before the Victorian Veterinary Registration Board and asked to explain cruelty and neglect allegations
In the four years since its introduction, the iPod has proven to be a versatile little device. Despite a relatively closed architecture, hackers have found their way in. Content creators and software makers put information at your fingertips when you’re on the go. Would-be designers have added to the fashionable stylings of the now-ubiquitous white ear buds. Hardware makers and enthusiasts have augmented the iPod with new add-on gadgets. For fun, Jason Kottke has compiled a bunch of hacks, add-ons, accessories and such
The identity of a man found wandering on a beach on the Isle of Sheppey in an evening suit and who will not talk but who expertly plays piano concertos for hours is baffling police
A Japanese research team has developed a fuel cell that runs on blood without using toxic substances, opening the way for use in artificial hearts and other organs. The biological fuel cell uses glucose, a sugar in blood, with a non-toxic substance used to draw electrons from glucose, said the team led by Matsuhiko Nishizawa, bio-engineering professor at the graduate school of state-run Tohoku University
A battery with a lifespan measured in decades is in development at the University of Rochester, as scientists demonstrate a new fabrication method that in its roughest form is already ten times more efficient than current nuclear batteries — and has the potential to be nearly 200 times more efficient
Hyper-Threading, as currently implemented on Intel Pentium Extreme Edition, Pentium 4, Mobile Pentium 4, and Xeon processors, suffers from a serious security flaw. This flaw permits local information disclosure, including allowing an unprivileged user to steal an RSA private key being used on the same machine. Administrators of multi-user systems are strongly advised to take action to disable Hyper-Threading immediately
Goliath is the oldest oversized coffin company in the United States, at 2.1m wide it’s certainly the biggest coffin the Goliath Casket Company had ever built. The 2.1m casket was built for a 408kg man who died in Alaska — via Paul Mellen
Scientists have announced the discovery of an unknown family of rodent sold as food in Laos. The species studied by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society is known locally as kha-nyou
and is thought to have split from other rodent families millions of years ago — via BoingBoing
Leader Propulsion Systems has prototyped a centrifuge gun that spins up ball bearings and releases them at speeds of 300 meters per second, equivalent to a handgun. Inventor Charles St George says that a large US defence contractor has signed on to further develop the weapon, appropriately named DREAD. Oddly enough, it looks and works a hell of a lot like a toy I have — via BoingBoing
Don’t put your iPod through the washing machine. And if for some reason you do, don’t try to fix it with a screwdriver. That’s the advice of fire investigators probing a small explosion that burned a hole in the bed of a Melbourne teenager who tried to perform emergency surgery on his ailing mp3 player — via Lucie
The government of Idaho has commended Jared Hess and his film Napoleon Dynamite for their contributions to the state.
The text of bill HCR029 lists the aforementioned contributions with bureaucratic zeal. Highlights include the following:
16 WHEREAS, the friendship between Napoleon and Pedro has furthered
17 multiethnic relationships; and
18 WHEREAS, Uncle Rico's football skills are a testament to Idaho athletics;
19 and
20 WHEREAS, Napoleon's bicycle and Kip's skateboard promote better air qual-
21 ity and carpooling as alternatives to fuel-dependent methods of transporta-
22 tion;
The bill was unanimously passed, possibly due to the clause stating:
2 WHEREAS, any members of the House of Representatives or the Senate of the
3 Legislature of the State of Idaho who choose to vote "Nay" on this concurrent
4 resolution are "FREAKIN' IDIOTS!"
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