Serving the Electronic Design Community Since 1956
Broadcasters blame zombie hack on easy passwords
February 14, 2013 12:37 pm | by Jim Finkle, Reuters | News | CommentsPoor password security allowed hackers to broadcast a bogus warning on TV networks that the United States was under attack by zombies, broadcasters said, and one expert in the technology said the emergency channel they broke into remained vulnerable.
Egyptian regulator appeals against court's YouTube ban
February 14, 2013 12:36 pm | News | CommentsEgyptian authorities appealed on Thursday against a court order banning the video file-sharing site YouTube for a month over an amateur video that denigrates the Prophet Mohammad, saying the ruling was unenforceable.
U.S.-based inventors lead world in nanotechnology patents: study
February 14, 2013 12:35 pm | by Erin Geiger Smith, Reuters | News | CommentsInventors based in the United States led the world in nanotechnology patent applications and grants in 2012, according to a new study by law firm McDermott Will & Emery. Nanotechnology involves manipulating matter that's measured at the tiny "nanometer" length level.
Cooperation seen as crucial in facing U.S. cyber threats
February 14, 2013 12:34 pm | by Alina Selyukh, Reuters | News | CommentsA day after U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order on ways to better defend against cyber attacks, administration officials told a packed audience of industry insiders that no government agency can tackle the threat alone.
Retrofitting an old-school game controller with a USB interface
February 14, 2013 12:25 pm | by Parker Dorris and Greg Posey | Silicon Laboratories Inc. | Blogs | CommentsPlaying retro-style, side-scrolling computer games from indie developers with a keyboard and mouse just doesn't feel right. The 16-bit sprite animations, simple player controls and synthesized audio all harken back to the days when game consoles couldn’t deliver photorealistic graphics and lifelike gaming experiences.
Not all fat is packaged the same way, Yale researchers find
February 14, 2013 12:04 pm | by Yale UniversityYale University | News | CommentsFat is stored in the body in two distinct ways, Yale researchers have discovered. While the finding may not help people shed excess pounds, it may shed light on how to prevent health problems associated with weight gain...
Iranian clown car flies ... with the help of Photoshop
February 14, 2013 11:06 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsTake that, free world! For all you naysayers out there who thought Iran’s clown car, er ... stealth fighter ... smelled a bit fishy, the Islamic Republic has the ultimate retort: a badly-Photoshopped image of the Qaher-313 set against stock photo #3.
Liskov named Charter Fellow of National Academy of Inventors
February 14, 2013 11:00 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | News | CommentsInstitute Professor Barbara Liskov, a principal investigator at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), has been named a 2012 Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Charter Fellows are selected for their work, “in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society,” according to the NAI.Li...
World's richest men aid 'Green Revolution' center
February 14, 2013 9:52 am | by MARK STEVENSON - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsThe research center largely responsible for launching the "green revolution" of the 1960s that dramatically raised crop yields is getting support from the world's richest men to develop genetically-modified seeds to help farmers in the developing world grow more grain in the face of a changing...
Engineering Update #4: Robots driven by moths, recycling Nike & Nokia, and a hacking kit that flies
February 14, 2013 9:52 am | Videos | CommentsIn the latest episode of ECN 's Engineering Update, brought to you by Mouser Electronics (http://www.mouser.com): In case you were looking for a more dramatic way to steal competitive data or hack Facebook accounts, a build-it-yourself quadrocopter, called Crazyflie, is now available.
Michael F. Johnston Joins Dover's Board as Independent Director
February 14, 2013 9:06 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMICHAEL F. JOHNSTON JOINS DOVER'S BOARD AS INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR Downers Grove, IL, February 14, 2013 - Dover (NYSE: DOV) today announced that Michael F. Johnston has been elected to the Company's Board of Directors. He will serve as a...
NetApp 3Q earnings up 32 percent
February 13, 2013 5:03 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsData storage company NetApp Inc. said Wednesday that its net income rose 32 percent in the latest quarter, as it kept costs in check while revenue inched up. The Sunnyvale, Calif., company also provided a profit range for the new quarter that stretched above the analyst forecast. In the fiscal...
Gartner: Global cellphone sales fell in 2012
February 13, 2013 4:25 pm | by PETER SVENSSON - AP Technology Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsResearch firm Gartner says worldwide cellphone sales fell last year, as economic turmoil dampened shopper appetites. The decline was 1.7 percent, and it was the first time since 2009 that cellphone sales have fallen, Gartner says. Sales amounted to 1.75 billion units, meaning that one out of...
Mouser Electronics honored with State proclamation as Employer of Excellence
February 13, 2013 4:25 pm | Mouser Electronics | News | CommentsMouser Electronics was formally recognized with a State Proclamation from the Texas Senate for its economic and civic contributions and for being named the 2012 Employer of Excellence for Tarrant County. The Texas Senate proclamation specifically cites Mouser for its economic development, community giving, and educational initiatives throughout the community and the state.
Large-scale free WiFi is still a dream worth pursuing
February 13, 2013 3:34 pm | by Chris Warner, Executive Editor | Articles | CommentsSometimes, it seems our nation no longer aspires to great things. These days our astronauts hitch rides to the International Space Station on Soviet spacecraft, and just recently, the U.S. Postal Service — once the envy of the world — announced its intention to eliminate Saturday mail service.
