News
Best Buy seeks to spark interest in '4K' TVs
May 16, 2013 3:45 pm | by MAE ANDERSON - AP Retail Writer - Associated Press | CommentsBest Buy will start offering the high-end Sony 4K Ultra High Definition TV sets in 700 of its U.S. stores on Sunday in an effort to shake up the stagnant TV category. The TVs — which have 8.3 million pixels compared with the 2.1 million pixels on regular high-definition TVs — are purported to...
In a bowl of breakfast cereal, principles of attraction on display
May 16, 2013 3:33 pm | by Yale UniversityYale University | CommentsAndong He saw a phenomenon at work in his breakfast bowl that he couldn’t explain. It prompted this question: How does cereal shape influence the way cereals floating in the milk join?...
Renault and ESI Group sign a framework agreement for strategic collaboration
May 16, 2013 11:49 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsTo accelerate innovation with Virtual Prototyping Paris, France - May 16, 2013 - ESI Group , pioneer and world-leading solution provider in ...
Apple says App Store hit 50 billion downloads
May 16, 2013 11:16 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsApple says its customers have downloaded more than 50 billon applications from its App Store since its launch in 2008. Apple Inc. said Thursday that the 50 billionth download was a game called "Say the Same Thing" by Space Inch. The App Store had 500 apps when it first opened. It now has more...
Moth-inspired nanostructures take the color out of thin films
May 16, 2013 10:42 am | by NC State University | CommentsInspired by the structure of moth eyes, researchers at North Carolina State University have developed nanostructures that limit reflection at the interfaces where two thin films meet, suppressing the “thin-film interference” phenomenon commonly observed in nature. This can potentially improve the efficiency of thin-film solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.
3-D modeling technology offers groundbreaking solution for engineers
May 16, 2013 10:35 am | by EurekAlert! | 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 | 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...
Space not the final frontier for viewing movies
May 16, 2013 10:01 am | by SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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....
