via youtube.com
06/29/2010
iPhone 4 vs HTC Evo
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This is how I feel talking to iPhone owners….smh
Fellowship of the Vuvuzela…..LMAO!!!!
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Hilarious!
06/28/2010
06/25/2010
06/24/2010
I got money in the bank, shawty what you drank
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Lil Scrappy – Money In The Bank
06/23/2010
Why we need to pay more attention to the sun…
As the Sun Awakens, NASA Keeps a Wary Eye on Space Weather
Play Audio Download Audio Join Mailing List June 4, 2010: Earth and space are about to come into contact in a way that’s new to human history. To make preparations, authorities in Washington DC are holding a meeting: The Space Weather Enterprise Forum at the National Press Club on June 8th.
Many technologies of the 21st century are vulnerable to solar storms. [more]Richard Fisher, head of NASA’s Heliophysics Division, explains what it’s all about:
“The sun is waking up from a deep slumber, and in the next few years we expect to see much higher levels of solar activity. At the same time, our technological society has developed an unprecedented sensitivity to solar storms. The intersection of these two issues is what we’re getting together to discuss.”
The National Academy of Sciences framed the problem two years ago in a landmark report entitled “Severe Space Weather Events—Societal and Economic Impacts.” It noted how people of the 21st-century rely on high-tech systems for the basics of daily life. Smart power grids, GPS navigation, air travel, financial services and emergency radio communications can all be knocked out by intense solar activity. A century-class solar storm, the Academy warned, could cause twenty times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina.
Much of the damage can be mitigated if managers know a storm is coming. Putting satellites in ‘safe mode’ and disconnecting transformers can protect these assets from damaging electrical surges. Preventative action, however, requires accurate forecasting—a job that has been assigned to NOAA.
“Space weather forecasting is still in its infancy, but we’re making rapid progress,” says Thomas Bogdan, director of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.
Bogdan sees the collaboration between NASA and NOAA as key. “NASA’s fleet of heliophysics research spacecraft provides us with up-to-the-minute information about what’s happening on the sun. They are an important complement to our own GOES and POES satellites, which focus more on the near-Earth environment.”
Click on the image to play a 39 MB movie about space weather and NASA’s heliophysics fleet. [more]Among dozens of NASA spacecraft, he notes three of special significance: STEREO, SDO and ACE.
STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) is a pair of spacecraft stationed on opposite sides of the sun with a combined view of 90% of the stellar surface. In the past, active sunspots could hide out on the sun’s farside, invisible from Earth, and then suddenly emerge over the limb spitting flares and CMEs. STEREO makes such surprise attacks impossible.
SDO (the Solar Dynamics Observatory) is the newest addition to NASA’s fleet. Just launched in February, it is able to photograph solar active regions with unprecedented spectral, temporal and spatial resolution. Researchers can now study eruptions in exquisite detail, raising hopes that they will learn how flares work and how to predict them. SDO also monitors the sun’s extreme UV output, which controls the response of Earth’s atmosphere to solar variability.
On April 19, 2010, SDO observed one of the most massive eruptions in years. Earth was not in the line of fire … this time. [full story]Bogdan’s favorite NASA satellite, however, is an old one: the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) launched in 1997. “Where would we be without it?” he wonders. ACE is a solar wind monitor. It sits upstream between the sun and Earth, detecting solar wind gusts, billion-ton CMEs, and radiation storms as much as 30 minutes before they hit our planet.
“ACE is our best early warning system,” says Bogdan. “It allows us to notify utility and satellite operators when a storm is about to hit.”
NASA spacecraft were not originally intended for operational forecasting—”but it turns out that our data have practical economic and civil uses,” notes Fisher. “This is a good example of space science supporting modern society.”
2010 marks the 4th year in a row that policymakers, researchers, legislators and reporters have gathered in Washington DC to share ideas about space weather. This year, forum organizers plan to sharpen the focus on critical infrastructure protection. The ultimate goal is to improve the nation’s ability to prepare, mitigate, and respond to potentially devastating space weather events.
“I believe we’re on the threshold of a new era in which space weather can be as influential in our daily lives as ordinary terrestrial weather.” Fisher concludes. “We take this very seriously indeed.”
For more information about the meeting, please visit the Space Weather Enterprise Forum home page at http://www.nswp.gov/swef/swef_2010.html.
Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
More Information Space Weather Enterprise Forum — home page
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
Key spacecraft mentioned in this story: SDO, STEREO, ACE, GOES, POES
Severe Space Weather, Social and Economic Consequences — (Science@NASA)
via science.nasa.gov
06/22/2010
Google Voice now available without an invite
Google Voice now available without an invite
Wave wasn’t the only Google service to be opened up to the public this week, as Google has now lifted its invite only restriction on its popular Google Voice service. It’s still only available to residents of the United States, but now the only thing standing between you and: free calls, free SMS messages (to anywhere in the U.S. and Canada), voice mail transcripts, and having one number for all of your phones is logging into voice.google.com with your Google account and picking out a number.Read
06/21/2010
Dual multitouch displays? Now that’s dope.
Toshiba announces Libretto concept PC, dual-displays in tow
Today, Toshiba announced the release of their new concept PC called the Libretto. The Libretto provides its user with dual 7-inch multitouch displays, Intel Pentium U5400 1.2 GHz processor, 2 GB RAM, 62 GB solid-state HD, 1 megapixel webcam, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, micro-SD card slot, and Windows 7 Home Premium. This tight little package will weigh in at a mere 1.8 pounds and have an 8-cell Li-ion battery. The Libretto is set to hit the market in the coming months, and will retail for $1,099. The unit is priced several hundred dollars higher than the iPad and netbooks, but then again, it looks like you are getting quite a bit more. We’ve got the full press release for you after the bounce. Let us know what you think?
Toshiba Unveils New libretto Concept PC with Dual-Touch Screen Design
Revealed as Part of Toshiba’s 25th Anniversary of Laptop Innovation Milestone, libretto W100 Demonstrates Next-Gen Ultra-Mobile PC Design With Full Windows 7 FunctionalityIRVINE, Calif. – June 21, 2010 – Embodying a quarter-century of innovation, Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the libretto® W100, a next-gen ultra-mobile concept PC. This limited-edition 25th Anniversary device goes beyond slates, netbooks and smartphones to deliver something more: a full Windows® 7 experience that can be enjoyed across two multi-touch touch screens.
“The libretto W100 continues the libretto brand’s heritage of defying convention by packaging a full Windows computing experience into highly compact ultra-mobile form factor,” said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. “This concept PC sets the pace for Toshiba’s continued commitment to innovation, demonstrating what’s possible in the next generation of ultra-mobile PCs. “We will issue a limited run of the libretto W100,” continued Pinto. “We design our products around the way people actually want to use them, so getting this concept PC out into the hands of early technology adopters will allow us to gather invaluable feedback that we can filter into future product developments.”
Optimized for Versatility, Performance and Convenience The libretto W100 is powered by Windows 7 Home Premium and comes equipped with an Intel® Pentium® processor1, 2GB of fast DDR3 memory2 and a 62GB solid state drive3 – plenty of horsepower for enjoying rich Internet and multimedia content. With the libretto W100, users can take advantage of all the Windows applications they commonly use, including productivity apps like Microsoft Office and video chat like Skype™. Built-in connectivity features, including 802.11b/g/n4 and Bluetooth®5 give users the flexibility to connect from any hotspot or pair the device with their favorite wireless accessories, such as a mouse, headphones and more.
Innovative Design for Multi-tasking on the Go
With an ultra-portable weight of just 1.8 pounds6, the libretto W100 is designed to deliver a rich Internet experience, multimedia playback and the freedom to multi-task – just like a standard laptop – but with the advantage of two seven-inch diagonal touch screens7 to work, watch and play on. The multi-touch screens can work independently or together, giving users the flexibility to decide how they want to use them. Surf the Web on one screen while checking e-mail on the other, view two documents simultaneously or view a webpage across both screens. A built-in 3D accelerometer allows the libretto W100 to rotate into portrait or landscape modes, making the device look and feel more like a book, newspaper or magazine. Designed for portability, the libretto W100 features a compact and durable clamshell design with a brushed metallic finish. The traditional clamshell design allows the device to fold up for easier portability, while protecting the screens from breaks and scratches. Measuring a mere 4.84 inches by 7.95 inches when closed, the device fits easily into almost any bag or jacket pocket.“Since producing the first Intel 286-based clamshell laptop 25 years ago, Toshiba has continued to take a leadership role in bringing new mobile computing technologies to market,” said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies. “This new libretto is yet another showcase of the company’s technological laptop prowess – they have their minds on the future and a unique, creative view on delivering innovations and form factors that provide a full computing experience in very small packages.”
Simplified Navigation with Premium Toshiba Apps
The libretto W100 features six virtual keyboard modes plus a virtual touchpad. The keyboards feature haptic technology, providing sensory feedback when the keys are selected, making typing fast, accurate and easy. Keyboard modes include simple, full, numeric 10-key and split thumb mode keyboard styles, providing users with options to fit their own personal style or task. To make navigation as easy as possible, the libretto W100 includes several premium Toshiba apps that enhance the computing experience.
- Toshiba Bulletin Board gives users greater personalization of their desktops with fast access to daily activities, tasks and projects, plus the ability to drag and drop photos, videos, links, documents and application shortcuts into one place.
- Toshiba ReelTime™ helps users easily find files based on when they were opened with a simple visual history. With the flick of a finger, quickly scroll through automatically generated previews of documents, photos, videos and more, filter by file type or use the calendar to go back weeks or months.
- File Browser makes it easier to access file folders and applications.
- Quick access to the apps and keyboards are easily accessible via on-screen icons.
Features available on the Toshiba libretto W100 include:
– Dual 7.0-inch diagonal multi-touch displays7 (1024 x 600)
– 6-mode virtual keyboard with haptic response
– Windows® 7 Home Premium operating system
– Intel® Pentium® U5400 processor1 (1.2GHz)
– 2GB DDR3 memory2
– 62GB Solid State Drive3
– 1.0 megapixel HD Webcam with Toshiba Face Recognition
– 802.11 b/g/n wireless4
– Bluetooth 2.1+EDR5
– MicroSD card slot
– One USB 2.0 port
– TOSHIBA Bulletin Board, ReelTime™ and PC Health Monitor software
– 8-cell battery
– 7.95″ (W) x 4.84″(D) x 1.2″(H)
– 1.8 lbs.6Availability
A limited number of the libretto W100 concept PC will be available for purchase later this summer from select retailers and direct from Toshiba at toshibadirect.com.
Image Gallery: http://bit.ly/librettoW100
