News
Microsoft touching up Windows 8 to address gripes
May 7, 2013 1:14 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsMicrosoft is retooling the latest version of its Windows operating system to address the complaints and confusion that have been blamed for deepening a slump in personal computer sales. The tune up announced Tuesday are part of a software package known as "Blue" scheduled to be released in time...
Cleaner energy, warmer climate?
May 7, 2013 12:00 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsThe growing global demand for energy, combined with a need to reduce emissions and lessen the effects of climate change, has increased focus on cleaner energy sources. But what unintended consequences could these cleaner sources have on the changing climate? Researchers at MIT now have some answers to that question, using biofuels as a test case. Their study, recently released in Geophysical Research Letters, found that land-us...
Adobe shifts to subscriptions for software package
May 6, 2013 4:26 pm | by BARBARA ORTUTAY - AP Technology Writer - Associated Press | CommentsAdobe says it is moving to an online subscription-based model for the software package it sells to designers, Web developers, video editors and other creative professionals. Adobe Systems Inc. said Monday that it will not release new versions of its Creative Suite software package. Instead, the...
McAfee to acquire Finnish company StoneSoft
May 6, 2013 3:14 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsSoftware company McAfee Inc. said Monday that it will acquire firewall product maker StoneSoft Corp. for about $389 million. McAfee said the purchase of the Finnish company will extend its global leadership position in network security and provide customers with unparalleled security. "McAfee is...
MIT signs Compact for Sustainable Future with City of Cambridge and Harvard
May 6, 2013 3:10 pm | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsIn what is considered to be the first agreement of its kind, MIT, Harvard University and the City of Cambridge have entered into a compact to work collaboratively to address issues related to climate change on a local basis.The “Community Compact for a Sustainable Future” lays out a framework for the signatories — and othe...
More than a good eye: Carnegie Mellon robot uses arms, location and more to discover objects
May 6, 2013 12:35 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsA robot can struggle to discover objects in its surroundings when it relies on computer vision alone. But by taking advantage of all of the information available to it — an object's location, size, shape and even whether it can be lifted — a robot can continually discover and refine its understanding of objects, say researchers.
EU: Motorola may have violated antitrust rules
May 6, 2013 12:30 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe European Commission said Monday that Motorola Mobility may have abused its dominant market position by denying Apple the right to use technology essential for mobile phones. It is a violation of European Union antitrust rules for a patent holder to deny use to technologically essential...
A KAIST research team developed in vivo flexible large scale integrated circuits
May 6, 2013 12:27 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsThe Department of Materials Science and Engineering at KAIST has developed in vivo silicon-based flexible large scale integrated circuits for bio-medical wireless communication. Silicon-based semiconductors have played significant roles in signal processing, nerve stimulation, memory storage, and wireless communication in implantable electronics.
Do-it-yourself invisibility with 3-D printing
May 6, 2013 12:18 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsSeven years ago, Duke University engineers demonstrated the first working invisibility cloak in complex laboratory experiments. Now it appears creating a simple cloak has become a lot simpler. "I would argue that essentially anyone who can spend a couple thousand dollars on a non-industry grade 3-D printer can literally make a plastic cloak overnight
Portable device provides rapid, accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis, other bacterial infections
May 6, 2013 12:11 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsA handheld diagnostic device that investigators first developed to diagnose cancer has been adapted to rapidly diagnose tuberculosis and other important infectious bacteria. The portable devices combine microfluidic technology with nuclear magnetic resonance to not only diagnose but also determine the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.
Bulldogs Racing places first in major hybrid racecar contest
May 6, 2013 11:41 am | by Yale UniversityYale University | CommentsThe race car was a hybrid, but the win was all Yale. Bulldogs Racing, a student group, placed first in the 2013 Formula Hybrid International at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on May 2. The annual contest, open to universities around the world, challenges teams of student engineers to design and build open-wheel, single-seat electric or plug-in hybrid race cars, then race them in a series of contests. Yale placed first in several categories, includi...
Improving materials that convert heat to electricity and vice-versa
May 6, 2013 11:20 am | by EurekAlert! | CommentsThermoelectric materials can be used to turn waste heat into electricity or to provide refrigeration without any liquid coolants, and a research team from the University of Michigan has found a way to nearly double the efficiency of a particular class of them that's made with organic semiconductors.
Dell buys cloud software firm Enstratius
May 6, 2013 11:13 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsDell Inc. on Monday said that it has acquired Enstratius, a provider of software and consulting services for companies that want to use "cloud" computing. The terms of the acquisition were not announced. Enstratius is based in Minneapolis and provides tools that help customers manage computing...
Nintendo turns to smartphone apps for its consoles
May 6, 2013 11:13 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsNintendo Co. is trying to enable users of its game consoles to enjoy popular smartphone applications on their devices in a bid to boost sales and return to profitability on an operating basis in the current business year, company sources said Saturday.
Are you a tax cheat if you shop online tax-free?
May 6, 2013 11:11 am | by STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press | CommentsBuy anything on the Internet lately without paying sales tax? In all but a few states, you're probably a tax cheat. That's right, even if Internet retailers don't collect sales tax at the time of the purchase, you're required by law to pay it in 45 states and the District of Columbia.
