News
Google poised to show off latest devices, services
May 15, 2013 1:22 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE - AP Technology Writer - Associated Press | CommentsGoogle is expected to use its annual software developers' conference to showcase the latest mobile devices running on its Android software, while also unveiling other features in its evolving product line-up. The gathering, scheduled to begin Wednesday morning in San Francisco, provides Google...
Secret of efficient photosynthesis is decoded
May 14, 2013 5:42 pm | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsPurple bacteria are among Earth’s oldest organisms, and among its most efficient in turning sunlight into usable chemical energy. Now, a key to their light-harvesting prowess has been explained through a detailed structural analysis by scientists at MIT.A ring-shaped molecule with an unusual ninefold symmetry is critical, the researchers found. The circular symmetry accounts for its efficiency in converting sunlight, and for its mecha...
Three X-class flares in 24 hours
May 14, 2013 12:29 pm | by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center | CommentsThe sun emitted a third significant solar flare in under 24 hours, peaking at 9:11 p.m. EDT on May 13, 2013. This flare is classified as an X3.2 flare. This is the strongest X-class flare of 2013 so far, surpassing in strength the two X-class flares that occurred earlier in the 24-hour period.
Solar panels as inexpensive as paint? It’s possible
May 14, 2013 12:10 pm | by University at Buffalo | CommentsResearchers are helping develop a new generation of photovoltaic cells that produce more power and cost less to manufacture than what’s available today. One of the more promising efforts involves the use of plasmonic-enhanced organic photovoltaic materials.
Yale psychiatrist: Get the most out of life — get out of your own way
May 14, 2013 12:00 pm | by Yale UniversityYale University | CommentsThose moments in life when you are most fully engaged have a common element — you let go of all concerns, resentments, and thoughts of yourself, says Yale psychiatrist Dr. Judson Brewer, who asserts that people can improve their performance and even quit smoking through a technique called neurofeedback....
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...
