News
Microsoft Windows 8 update will be free
May 14, 2013 11:31 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsMicrosoft says a planned update to its Windows 8 operating system will be made available for free later this year. The update is meant to address complaints and confusion that have been blamed for deepening a slump in personal computer sales. Microsoft isn't saying what kind of changes will be...
IT industry ignores silver surfers at its peril
May 14, 2013 11:02 am | by EurekAlert! | CommentsHardware and software vendors are foolish to ignore the needs of the growing population of older computer and information technology users, the so-called "silver surfers." US researchers offer convincing evidence in a monograph that from the business perspective, seniors represent a rapidly growing sector of the market...
New software spots, isolates cyber-attacks to protect networked control systems
May 14, 2013 10:51 am | by North Carolina State University | CommentsResearchers from North Carolina State University have developed a software algorithm that detects and isolates cyber-attacks on networked control systems – which are used to coordinate transportation, power and other infrastructure across the United States.
Gov't obtains wide AP phone records in probe
May 14, 2013 10:48 am | by MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press | CommentsThe Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative's top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how news organizations gather the news.
Kids coding in the cloud
May 14, 2013 10:32 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsOne of the most popular online destinations on the MIT network is not a website for scientists, engineers or college students, but an online community where kids learn to code.Every day, thousands of young people, ages 8 and up, gather on MIT’s Scratch website, where they program their own interactive stories, games, animations and simulations — and share their creati...
Project aims to track big city carbon footprints
May 14, 2013 9:46 am | by ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer | CommentsEvery time Los Angeles exhales, odd-looking gadgets anchored in the mountains above the city trace the invisible puffs of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases that waft skyward. Halfway around the globe, similar contraptions atop the Eiffel Tower and elsewhere around Paris keep a pulse on emissions from smokestacks and automobile tailpipes.
Microsoft embraces a Google service for a change
May 14, 2013 9:35 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE - AP Technology Writer - Associated Press | CommentsMicrosoft's disdain for Google doesn't extend to all of its rival's products. In a rare bit of cooperation, Microsoft's Outlook.com is giving users of its free email service the option of logging into Google Chat to exchange instant messages and engage in audio or video conversations. The tie-in...
Astronaut exits space station with music video
May 14, 2013 9:27 am | by Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer | CommentsIn a high-flying, perfectly pitched first, an astronaut on the International Space Station is bowing out of orbit with a musical video: his own custom version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." It's believed to be the first music video made in space, according to NASA. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield's personalized rendition of "Space Oddity" was posted on YouTube on Sunday....
Big 4 cellphone carriers unite on anti-texting ads
May 14, 2013 9:18 am | by PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer | CommentsThe country's four biggest cellphone companies are set to launch their first joint advertising campaign against texting while driving, uniting behind AT&T's "It Can Wait" slogan to blanket TV and radio this summer. AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile will be joined by 200 other organizations backing the multi-million dollar ad campaign.
Hedge fund wants part of Sony entertainment sold
May 14, 2013 8:00 am | by YURI KAGEYAMA - AP Business Writer - Associated Press | CommentsA U.S. hedge fund has proposed that Sony Corp. sell up to 20 percent of its entertainment business and use the money to strengthen its ailing electronics unit, drawing a quick rejection from the sprawling Japanese consumer conglomerate. In a May 14 letter to Sony President Kazuo Hirai, first...
Sharp reshuffles management after record loss
May 14, 2013 6:32 am | by ELAINE KURTENBACH - AP Business Writer - Associated Press | CommentsJapanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. named a new president Tuesday, reshuffling its top management to help restore profitability after reporting a record loss. The Osaka, Japan-based maker of Aquos TVs said that Kozo Takahashi, currently an executive vice president, will become its president...
Sharp reshuffles management, forecasts profit
May 14, 2013 4:18 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsJapanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. has named a new president as it reshuffles top management while seeking to restore profitability after reporting a record loss of 545.4 billion yen ($5.4 billion). The Osaka-based maker of Aquos TVs said Tuesday that Kozo Takahashi, currently an executive...
Good Design Improves Health By Fostering Physical Activity
May 14, 2013 12:00 am | by Georgia Institute of Technology | CommentsActive Design: Affordable Designs for Affordable Housing is a new report that builds on the Active Design Guidelines published by New York City in 2010. The report examines strategies and costs for incorporating active design principles specifically aimed at increasing physical activity among children ages 3 to 18 years old in family-focused affordable housing developments....
Icahn nominates himself, 11 others for Dell posts
May 13, 2013 6:12 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsCarl Icahn is nominating himself and 11 other candidates for spots on the Dell Inc. board of directors. The billionaire investor and Southeastern Asset Management own a combined 13 percent of the computer maker's shares. They want to keep Dell public, and oppose a $24.4 billion offer from an...
GM says supercomputers to keep recalls in check
May 13, 2013 5:56 pm | by TOM KRISHER - AP Auto Writer - Associated Press | CommentsGeneral Motors Co. says a new supercomputing data center and a fledgling shift to bring software development in-house should help it limit the size of future safety recalls. The Detroit automaker, which formally opened the giant data storage center in suburban Warren, Michigan, on Monday, said...
