3-D modeling technology offers groundbreaking solution for engineers
May 16, 2013 10:35 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsSoftware developed at the University of Sheffield has the potential to enable engineers to make 'real world' safety assessments of structures and foundations with unprecedented ease. Developed in the Department of Civil & Structural Engineering, the software can directly identify three-dimensional collapse mechanisms...
Japanese reactor said to stand on fault line
May 16, 2013 10:10 am | by HIROKO TABUCHI, Associated Press | News | CommentsSeismologists said Wednesday that a nuclear reactor in Tsuruga, in western Japan, stands above an active seismic fault, a finding that could lead to the first permanent shutdown of a reactor since the Fukushima crisis two years ago. Japan’s newly installed Nuclear Regulation Authority also said...
Transistor series is presented as highest power for radar and communications systems
May 16, 2013 10:08 am | Product Releases | CommentsM/A-COM Technology Solutions introduced a series of GaN in Plastic packaged power transistors for high-performance civilian and military radar and communications systems. The family scales to peak pulse power levels of 100 W, which is asserted to be the
Space not the final frontier for viewing movies
May 16, 2013 10:01 am | by SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsThe crew of the International Space Station is boldly going where no one has gone before - to see the new "Star Trek" film. The three astronauts were offered a sneak peak of "Star Trek Into Darkness" days before it opens Thursday on Earth, seeing it not in 3-D, but Zero-G.
Google's products dig deeper into people's lives
May 16, 2013 9:56 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsIn the latest display of its technological prowess and sweeping ambition, Google is rolling out another wave of products and services that will test how much more people want computers to control their lives and enhance their perceptions of reality.
Idaho spud giant bets on biotech potatoes
May 16, 2013 9:52 am | by JOHN MILLER, Associated Press | News | CommentsA dozen years after a customer revolt forced Monsanto to ditch its genetically engineered potato, an Idaho company aims to resurrect high-tech spuds. This month, tuber processing giant J.R. Simplot Co. asked the U.S. government to approve five varieties of biotech potatoes. They're engineered not to develop ugly black bruises. McDonald's, which gets many of its fries from Simplot, rejects those.
US judge in Ore. dismisses movie pirating lawsuit
May 16, 2013 9:43 am | News | CommentsA federal judge has dismissed a movie company's Internet piracy complaint against 34 Oregonians, saying the company was unfairly using the court's subpoena power in a "reverse class-action suit" to save on legal expenses and possibly to intimidate defendants into paying thousands of dollars for viewing a movie that can be bought or rented for less than $10.
Russians attempt to topple Google in Vietnam
May 16, 2013 9:41 am | by CHRIS BRUMMITT, Associated Press | News | CommentsA Russian-financed search engine seeking to challenge Google's dominance in Vietnam is redirecting queries for some politically sensitive terms to the American company's website, apparently as a way of avoiding government anger or legal liability for sending surfers to sites containing criticism of the ruling party.
Experts: Smartphones another avenue for hackers
May 16, 2013 9:38 am | by TONY WINTON, Associated Press | News | CommentsSmartphones are increasingly popular not only with consumers, but also with thieves who see the devices as another way to tap into bank accounts and other sensitive information, experts say. Many consumers simply don't realize how vulnerable their Androids, iPhones and other devices can be. An April study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta said threats are proliferating....
Tiny camera in Illinois offers bug's eye view
May 16, 2013 9:36 am | News | CommentsA tiny new camera developed at an Illinois university is giving researchers a bug's eye view. The camera created by a research team at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is about the size of a penny and mimics insects' bulging eyes. It features 180 micro-lenses, giving it a panoramic field of view....
Wind farms get pass on eagle deaths
May 16, 2013 9:26 am | by Dina Cappiello, Associated Press | News | CommentsIt happens about once a month here, on the barren foothills of one of America's green-energy boomtowns: A soaring golden eagle slams into a wind farm's spinning turbine and falls, mangled and lifeless, to the ground. Killing these iconic birds is not just an irreplaceable loss for a vulnerable species. It's also a federal crime....
Signal Conditioner features analog and RS485 outputs
May 16, 2013 9:05 am | Macro Sensors | Product Releases | CommentsMacro Sensors introduces the EAZY-CAL LVC 4000 Signal Conditioner with analog (4-20mA or user selectable voltage) and RS-485 outputs. Compatible with most LVDT and RVDT linear position sensors, including half bridge, the EAZY-CAL LVC 4000 LVDT/RVDT Signal Conditioner digitally communicates with up to 16 devices simultaneously....
Google boosts photo offerings to rival Facebook
May 15, 2013 7:57 pm | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE - AP Technology Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsGoogle is digging deeper into its technology toolkit to turn its social networking service into a more formidable threat to Facebook, sprucing up its photo features at a time when sharing snapshots online and on mobile gadgets is growing more popular. Many of the 41 new features being added to...
Arduino-compatible boards tout prototyping-friendly 32-bit MCU packages
May 15, 2013 5:39 pm | Microchip Technology Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMicrochip Technology Inc. expanded its Arduino compatible chipKIT platform ecosystem, with new tools from Digilent, Inc., the Fair Use Building and Research (FUBAR) Labs, and Schmalz Haus LLC. These new tools are based on Microchip’s 32-bit PIC32 microcontrollers (MCUs) in prototyping-friendly
Modules combine capacitive humidity sensor features with ASIC functionality
May 15, 2013 5:04 pm | Innovative Sensor Technology | Product Releases | CommentsThe HYT Series digital I2C humidity sensor from Innovative Sensor Technology combines the features of a capacitive humidity sensor with the high functionality of an ASIC. Calibrated, temperature compensated, and with


