Pat Crowe
For more information, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/weekinreview/15markoff.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Do We Need a New Internet?
Has the internet become so unsafe that some are considering the thought of a new internet? As the internet has aged, like any organism, it in a way has became diseased with worms, viruses, and hackers. *Believe it or not, there is a growing belief among engineers and security experts that Internet security and privacy have become so maddeningly elusive that the only way to fix the problem is to start over. What a new Internet might look like is still widely debated, but one alternative would, in effect, create a “gated community” where users would give up their anonymity and certain freedoms in return for safety.
NanöNanu,
Friday, February 13, 2009
NEWEST AUTOMOBILE COMPUTER TECHNOLIGIES
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- Cell phones and TVs converging with the Internet? That's so 2008. The next big tech trend may be the marriage of computer technology to your car or truck. This spring, Ford will offer a dashboard computing system on its full-size pickups and E-series vans.
This month, Hyundai is launching a system that warns motorists when they drift out of the lane they're traveling in. Another manufacturer has developed pedestrian-detection software that works with heat-seeking cameras to alert drivers when someone is in their path.
In March, Ford will release a fully functional, dashboard computer -- complete with keyboard -- geared to contractors and other business folks who want to access the Web, review documents and log inventory while on the go. In the spring, AT&T will launch an in-car entertainment service with 22 satellite TV channels.
Industry executives hope the new technological bells and whistles will put some sizzle back into stagnant vehicle sales.
"Consumers want a vehicle that's always on and always connected," said Kieran O'Sullivan, vice president at Continental Automotive Systems, which supplies parts and technology to automakers. In the near future, he said, "consumers and carmakers will be able to customize the [dashboard] instrument panel to their individual tastes the same way that people customize their mobile phones."
O'Sullivan spoke Thursday at a panel discussion at the International Consumer Electronics Show subtitled, "The Automobile's Convergence with Consumer Electronics." Panelists, including executives from Microsoft, Nokia and GM's OnStar service, agreed the industry is just beginning to tap the potential of in-car computing.
"We'll someday use this information technology in ways we can't even predict today," said Tom Phillips, general manager of Microsoft's automotive unit. "To me, we're in the infancy in terms of the amount of evolution that's going to occur."
As consumers are growing accustomed to having mobile Internet through their smart phones, more car buyers are seeking connectivity in their vehicles that will allow them to move seamlessly between their digital lives at work and home, panelists said.
Half of the new vehicles sold in the United States are now compatible with MP3 players and 80 percent can connect with wireless Bluetooth headsets, said automotive technology expert John Waraniak, who served as the panel's moderator. General Motors' OnStar service, which can remotely unlock car doors, reduce gas flow to a stolen vehicle or dial 911 if a car is involved in a crash, now has almost 6 million subscribers. Toyota said this week it plans to launch a similar driver-assist program on certain models beginning this summer.
Not to be outdone, Ford's similar Sync system, which now comes standard on many vehicles, is adding voice-activated, on-demand traffic, sports and weather reports, plus GPS-assisted navigation. In a keynote speech Thursday at CES, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said the automaker is learning to think more like an electronics company.
Ford will begin installing its Works Solutions package on its full-size pickups and E-series vans this spring. The dashboard computing system costs $1,195 plus a monthly Web access fee, has a 6-inch touch screen and runs on Windows. It will allow electricians and other contractors to create Excel spreadsheets, print invoices and even access other computers.
"Ford is truly making the office mobile," said Ford product development manager Bill Frykman while demonstrating the system Thursday to reporters in an F-150 parked in a large tent outside the Las Vegas Convention Center. "This bridges the gap between the full laptop and a smart phone."
Meanwhile, an entire hall at CES is devoted to the latest in automotive technology, from portable navigation units to rear-mounted cameras which, with the help of a dashboard screen, allow the driver to see what's immediately behind his vehicle while backing up.
Here's a quick peek at some other automotive technology on display at CES this week:
-- FLIR Systems, Inc. makes a thermal-imaging camera, an option on BMW's 6-series sedans, with a new pedestrian-detection feature. When the camera detects a heat source in the shape of a human being, the on-board computer alerts the driver by highlighting the pedestrian in yellow on the dashboard screen.
-- AT&T's CruiseCast service brings 22 satellite TV channels to your vehicle with the help of a small rooftop antenna, augmented by video-buffering technology that supposedly maintains the signal underneath overpasses and trees.
It will cost $1,299 plus a $28 monthly fee and is being pitched to parents with kids and pre-game tailgaters. "It's an extension of your living room," said Jackie Lapin, a spokeswoman for AT&T.
-- Nervous about handing the car keys to your 16-year-old? The CarChip ($119) plugs into any post-1995 model vehicle and records 300 hours of how the car has been driven, including mileage, speed, braking and acceleration.
Parents can remove the chip, download its data to a computer and use the information to verify driving agreements with their teens. Newer features even let parents set restrictions on their kids' driving.
"If you want to set it at a certain speed -- say, 'I don't want my kid going over 65 mph' -- it'll beep at them until they slow down," said Michael Copeland, sales manager for manufacturer Davis Instruments.
-- Hyundai's latest vehicles can be outfitted with a system that detects when a car is drifting across lanes, then sounds a buzzer or vibrates the wheel to alert the driver. Some Hyundai vehicles also contain ultrasonic sensors that help drivers to park by measuring the distance between a car and other objects.
In fact, the next generation of automotive technology may employ automatic steering and braking systems that relieve drivers of much of the responsibility for, well, driving.
"Maybe 15 years from now, cars will drive themselves. That's certainly a goal some companies have," said Jay James of FLIR Systems. "It's not just 'Jetsons' stuff now. It's really starting to happen."
Some 2,700 exhibitors and 130,000 attendees are in Las Vegas, Nevada, for CES, the nation's largest consumer electronics trade show. The event runs through Sunday.
The 2009 North American International Auto Show follows next week in Detroit, Michigan.
Submitted by Steve Gentry
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- Cell phones and TVs converging with the Internet? That's so 2008. The next big tech trend may be the marriage of computer technology to your car or truck. This spring, Ford will offer a dashboard computing system on its full-size pickups and E-series vans.
This month, Hyundai is launching a system that warns motorists when they drift out of the lane they're traveling in. Another manufacturer has developed pedestrian-detection software that works with heat-seeking cameras to alert drivers when someone is in their path.
In March, Ford will release a fully functional, dashboard computer -- complete with keyboard -- geared to contractors and other business folks who want to access the Web, review documents and log inventory while on the go. In the spring, AT&T will launch an in-car entertainment service with 22 satellite TV channels.
Industry executives hope the new technological bells and whistles will put some sizzle back into stagnant vehicle sales.
"Consumers want a vehicle that's always on and always connected," said Kieran O'Sullivan, vice president at Continental Automotive Systems, which supplies parts and technology to automakers. In the near future, he said, "consumers and carmakers will be able to customize the [dashboard] instrument panel to their individual tastes the same way that people customize their mobile phones."
O'Sullivan spoke Thursday at a panel discussion at the International Consumer Electronics Show subtitled, "The Automobile's Convergence with Consumer Electronics." Panelists, including executives from Microsoft, Nokia and GM's OnStar service, agreed the industry is just beginning to tap the potential of in-car computing.
"We'll someday use this information technology in ways we can't even predict today," said Tom Phillips, general manager of Microsoft's automotive unit. "To me, we're in the infancy in terms of the amount of evolution that's going to occur."
As consumers are growing accustomed to having mobile Internet through their smart phones, more car buyers are seeking connectivity in their vehicles that will allow them to move seamlessly between their digital lives at work and home, panelists said.
Half of the new vehicles sold in the United States are now compatible with MP3 players and 80 percent can connect with wireless Bluetooth headsets, said automotive technology expert John Waraniak, who served as the panel's moderator. General Motors' OnStar service, which can remotely unlock car doors, reduce gas flow to a stolen vehicle or dial 911 if a car is involved in a crash, now has almost 6 million subscribers. Toyota said this week it plans to launch a similar driver-assist program on certain models beginning this summer.
Not to be outdone, Ford's similar Sync system, which now comes standard on many vehicles, is adding voice-activated, on-demand traffic, sports and weather reports, plus GPS-assisted navigation. In a keynote speech Thursday at CES, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said the automaker is learning to think more like an electronics company.
Ford will begin installing its Works Solutions package on its full-size pickups and E-series vans this spring. The dashboard computing system costs $1,195 plus a monthly Web access fee, has a 6-inch touch screen and runs on Windows. It will allow electricians and other contractors to create Excel spreadsheets, print invoices and even access other computers.
"Ford is truly making the office mobile," said Ford product development manager Bill Frykman while demonstrating the system Thursday to reporters in an F-150 parked in a large tent outside the Las Vegas Convention Center. "This bridges the gap between the full laptop and a smart phone."
Meanwhile, an entire hall at CES is devoted to the latest in automotive technology, from portable navigation units to rear-mounted cameras which, with the help of a dashboard screen, allow the driver to see what's immediately behind his vehicle while backing up.
Here's a quick peek at some other automotive technology on display at CES this week:
-- FLIR Systems, Inc. makes a thermal-imaging camera, an option on BMW's 6-series sedans, with a new pedestrian-detection feature. When the camera detects a heat source in the shape of a human being, the on-board computer alerts the driver by highlighting the pedestrian in yellow on the dashboard screen.
-- AT&T's CruiseCast service brings 22 satellite TV channels to your vehicle with the help of a small rooftop antenna, augmented by video-buffering technology that supposedly maintains the signal underneath overpasses and trees.
It will cost $1,299 plus a $28 monthly fee and is being pitched to parents with kids and pre-game tailgaters. "It's an extension of your living room," said Jackie Lapin, a spokeswoman for AT&T.
-- Nervous about handing the car keys to your 16-year-old? The CarChip ($119) plugs into any post-1995 model vehicle and records 300 hours of how the car has been driven, including mileage, speed, braking and acceleration.
Parents can remove the chip, download its data to a computer and use the information to verify driving agreements with their teens. Newer features even let parents set restrictions on their kids' driving.
"If you want to set it at a certain speed -- say, 'I don't want my kid going over 65 mph' -- it'll beep at them until they slow down," said Michael Copeland, sales manager for manufacturer Davis Instruments.
-- Hyundai's latest vehicles can be outfitted with a system that detects when a car is drifting across lanes, then sounds a buzzer or vibrates the wheel to alert the driver. Some Hyundai vehicles also contain ultrasonic sensors that help drivers to park by measuring the distance between a car and other objects.
In fact, the next generation of automotive technology may employ automatic steering and braking systems that relieve drivers of much of the responsibility for, well, driving.
"Maybe 15 years from now, cars will drive themselves. That's certainly a goal some companies have," said Jay James of FLIR Systems. "It's not just 'Jetsons' stuff now. It's really starting to happen."
Some 2,700 exhibitors and 130,000 attendees are in Las Vegas, Nevada, for CES, the nation's largest consumer electronics trade show. The event runs through Sunday.
The 2009 North American International Auto Show follows next week in Detroit, Michigan.
Submitted by Steve Gentry
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The History of the Sewing Machine
The machine that changed the world of fashion.
Pictured above: an early manual sewing machine
The first machine in the home was the sewing machine. At the time during the 1850's it was seen to be a miracle that a machine could do such a fiddly task like sewing.
Patricia McManus
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Transision to Digital Television is Delayed Once Again.
The US Government has decided to once again delay the "Big Switch" to digital television. Originally slated for June 12 of 2008, congress moved the date to February 17. Now congress wants to pospone this "change" once again. President Obama supports this delay, saying that he shares concerns that 20 million mostly poor, elderly and rural households were not ready for the conressionally mandated switch. Digital television is superior to analog television in every fascet; including clarity, sound and siginal reception. However, not all televisions are compatibile with this new technology. For more information about the "Big Switch" to Digital Television, go to:
http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSTRE5136YP20090205
NanöNanu,
Pat Crowe
SanDisk Leaps into Music
As SanDisk takes a leap deep into the music industry, the portable media company is betting that consumers will choose easy and intuitive over free and illegal. And, this time, big players in the recording industry are buying in from the get-go.
Technology can often disrupt and re-shape an industry. Take, for example, the 18-year-old who decimated the profitability of a $40-billion (U.S.) a year recording industry. Sean Fanning, with the release of Napster, changed music distribution forever, costing the industry $5-billion a year.
More recently, it's been Apple Inc. that has reinvented music distribution – not any one of the four major record labels. Entrenched players have traditionally had little interest in shaking up the business ecosystem they have optimized over past decades. But, if SanDisk has its way, two innovations could put the music industry on the road for another – perhaps more friendly – revolution.
In 2008, of the more than one billion mobile phones that were sold worldwide, 750 million had microSD card slots. That convinced SanDisk, one of the creators of the Security Digital (SD) card format, to develop SD micro cards as a music format.
Sandisk slotRadio
Adding weight to this gambit, hip-hop artist Akon in December, 2008, released his album Freedom on CD and slotMusic format on the same day – the first artist ever to do so. People acquire music in their youth – and cellphone penetration in the youth market is the highest of any demographic – making Akon the most played artist on cellphones in North America in 2008.
The SlotMusic album comes on a 1 gigabyte microSD card and has no digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. So not only can you play the music on your mobile – you can, using the USB adapter that comes with it, load the songs onto your computer. Phyllis Wyatt CIS-110
Technology can often disrupt and re-shape an industry. Take, for example, the 18-year-old who decimated the profitability of a $40-billion (U.S.) a year recording industry. Sean Fanning, with the release of Napster, changed music distribution forever, costing the industry $5-billion a year.
More recently, it's been Apple Inc. that has reinvented music distribution – not any one of the four major record labels. Entrenched players have traditionally had little interest in shaking up the business ecosystem they have optimized over past decades. But, if SanDisk has its way, two innovations could put the music industry on the road for another – perhaps more friendly – revolution.
In 2008, of the more than one billion mobile phones that were sold worldwide, 750 million had microSD card slots. That convinced SanDisk, one of the creators of the Security Digital (SD) card format, to develop SD micro cards as a music format.
Sandisk slotRadio
Adding weight to this gambit, hip-hop artist Akon in December, 2008, released his album Freedom on CD and slotMusic format on the same day – the first artist ever to do so. People acquire music in their youth – and cellphone penetration in the youth market is the highest of any demographic – making Akon the most played artist on cellphones in North America in 2008.
The SlotMusic album comes on a 1 gigabyte microSD card and has no digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. So not only can you play the music on your mobile – you can, using the USB adapter that comes with it, load the songs onto your computer. Phyllis Wyatt CIS-110
Friday, February 6, 2009
Meet SofiaNovember 28th, 2008 by Gabby
Trend-setting Sofia is full of ideas - the perfect friend for all of your embroidery and sewing projects.
Features
USB direct connect (Type B)
LCD Touch Screen (105 x 42 size) with touch pen
Embroidery card slot
Upper and lower thread sensors to alert when threads are broken
Touch pen (stylus)
USB cable
All these features listed resemble a very modern computer. It is amazing to see the computer technology put to use in the home sewing field. Many of the features listed could also be listed in an advertisement for a high tech personal computer. submitted: Patricia McManus
Trend-setting Sofia is full of ideas - the perfect friend for all of your embroidery and sewing projects.
Features
USB direct connect (Type B)
LCD Touch Screen (105 x 42 size) with touch pen
Embroidery card slot
Upper and lower thread sensors to alert when threads are broken
Touch pen (stylus)
USB cable
All these features listed resemble a very modern computer. It is amazing to see the computer technology put to use in the home sewing field. Many of the features listed could also be listed in an advertisement for a high tech personal computer. submitted: Patricia McManus
IBM unveils world's fastest supercomputer
Sequoia, built for the US department of energy, is almost 20 times more powerful than the previous record holder.
But IBM today smashed the existing record as it unveiled the world's fastest supercomputer, a machine that is almost 20 times more powerful than the previous record holder.
The new system, dubbed Sequoia, will be able to achieve speeds of up to 20 Petaflops - 20 quadrillion calculations per second - the equivalent of more than 2m laptops.
Sequoia will consist of around 1.6m computer chips, giving it the ability to perform an order of magnitude faster than the 1.1 Petaflop Blue Gene/L computer, which is currently recognised as the world's most powerful.
It is being built by IBM for the US department of energy and should be installed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California by 2012. The LLNC is one of the world's leading laboratories dedicated to national security, where teams of scientists work on projects linked to nuclear energy, environmental protection and economic issues.
Sequoia will be used to simulate nuclear tests and explosions, alongside a smaller machine, known as Dawn, which is currently being built.
"Both systems will be used for the ongoing safety and reliability of our nation's nuclear stockpile," IBM spokesman Ron Favali said. "Sequoia is the big one."
Supercomputer speeds are advancing rapidly as manufacturers latch on to new techniques and cheaper prices for computer chips. The first machine to break the teraflop barrier - a trillion calculations per second - was only built in 1996.
Two years ago a $59m machine from Sun Microsystems, called Constellation, attempted to take the crown of world's fastest with operating speeds of 421 teraflops, or 421tn calculations per second. Just two years later, Sequoia could be able to achieve nearly 50 times the computing power.
Costs remain high, but the latest generation of supercomputers are more powerful and less expensive than at any point in history.
"We were just talking about teraflops and the fact we just broke the petaflop barrier is pretty amazing," said Favali. "The next speed is 'exaflop' - 10 to the 18th power."
Submitted by Steve Gentry
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