Become The Ram

iPods and educational applications have Minnesota students giddy about learning

2010-05-17T14:36:00.001-04:00

For fourth-grader Gabe Rivera, running vocabulary drills and solving mathematical problems on his classroom iPod Touch is a fun way to learn, in part because it's "something that is more newer than paper."

The student at Somerset Elementary School in Mendota Heights is one of many enthusiastic about the Apple touch-screen media players and handheld computers. The devices are becoming fixtures in U.S. schools as educators become aware of the various applications that can be installed on the gadgets to help students learn.

At Somerset and other schools in the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan district, for instance, the iPod Touch has taken classrooms by storm.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_14045406?nclick_check=1

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year 2008

2009-02-04T14:22:00.001-05:00

With politics and the economy foremost on the minds of many, it is no wonder that bailout—a word ubiquitously featured in discussions of the presidency and fiscal policy—took home honors as Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year for 2008.

Bailout, defined in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition as "a rescue from financial distress," received the highest intensity of lookups on Merriam-Webster Online over the shortest period of time. As evident from the 2008 Word of the Year contenders list below, the presidential campaign and financial issues factored heavily in the concerns of our online visitors throughout the year.

Article here

Consequences to Plagiarism

2009-01-11T09:29:00.001-05:00

Neale Donald Walsch, best-selling author of "Conversations with
God," said Tuesday that he unwittingly passed off another writer's
Christmas anecdote as his own in a recent blog post.

As a result,
Walsch's blog on the spirituality Web site Beliefnet.com has been shut
down. The Web site said in a statement that Walsch had failed to
properly credit and attribute material from another author.

Article Here

Beware "Experimental" Firefox Add-ons

2008-11-21T15:43:00.001-05:00

Mozilla's open source Firefox browser can be augmented with add-ons --
miniature programs from third-party developers that change its
functions. Add-ons can be fun and useful, but Mozilla has warned
against using ones still considered "experimental." For example, one
called "China Channel" gives users a taste of what it's like to surf on
China's censored Web. Some users say they can't turn the thing off.

Full story here

Why veins could replace fingerprints and retinas as most secure form of ID

2008-11-14T22:11:00.001-05:00

Forget fingerprinting. Companies in Europe have begun to roll out an advanced
biometric system from Japan that identifies people from the unique patterns
of veins inside their fingers.

Story Link Here

Real Estate Prices

2008-09-19T17:03:00.001-04:00

Real Estate Prices

Google's Bots Cause United Stock Slump?

2008-09-10T15:18:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday, Google spokesperson Gabriel Stricker said the episode began because the story did not have a date on it when the Google News search program came across it early Sunday morning.

"We indexed the story in Google News," Stricker said. As part of that process, the Google search program assigns a date to a story.

Tribune Co.'s spokesperson, in turn, argued that the key event was when Google's "bot" put a Sept. 6, 2008, date on the story. That date made the story appear fresh when it was accessed through Google News, the spokesperson said.

"After the story appeared on Google News, traffic went through the roof," said Gary Weitman, a spokesperson for Tribune Co.

Details here

New kid in town

2008-09-03T18:59:00.003-04:00

Chrome is a challenge to Microsoft's browser, used by about three-quarters of Web surfers. But it could equally be called a challenge to Microsoft's Office software suite, because what Google really wants to do is to make the browser a stable and flexible platform that can do practically everything we want to do with a computer, from word processing and e-mail to photo editing.

To strengthen that effort, Chrome was designed to improve on the way other browsers handle JavaScript, one of the technologies used to make Web pages more interactive and more like desktop software applications. Google's online word processing and spreadsheet programs use this technology, but it's also very widely deployed on Web pages to do less sophisticated things, like drop-down menus. More here

Cell Phones Make Headway in Education

2008-09-02T14:43:00.003-04:00

The iPhone and other smartphones are gaining the attention of education professionals for their potential as learning tools. Cell phones have long been considered classroom distractions, but the ability of smartphones to run a wide variety of applications opens the door to greater possibilities.

So-called smartphones -- such as the iPhone, which in the U.S. is authorized to run on the AT&T (NYSE: T) Latest News about AT&T network New HP LaserJet P4014n Printer Starting at $699 after $100 instant savings. -- offer myriad new capabilities, including Web access, e-mail and access to educational software. "The time is approaching when these little devices will be as much a part of education as a bookbag," write the authors of a report last year by the nonprofit New Media Consortium, which studies emerging technologies likely to have an impact on teaching.

A well-equipped cell phone with a foldout keyboard could even supplant a laptop in classrooms, says Bill Davidson, senior vice-president for global marketing at Qualcomm, which makes cell-phone software and chips.

Full story here

Ohio Voting Machines Contained Programming Error That Dropped Votes

2008-08-26T15:30:00.001-04:00

voting system used in 34 states contains a critical programming error
that can cause votes to be dropped while being electronically
transferred from memory cards to a central tallying point, the
manufacturer acknowledges.

The problem was identified after complaints from Ohio elections
officials following the March primary there, but the logic error that
is the root of the problem has been part of the software for 10 years,
said Chris Riggall, a spokesman for Premier Election Solutions,
formerly known as Diebold.

More here

Wind POWER!

2008-08-23T08:31:00.003-04:00

Info, photo and another video here

Beloit College Mindset List Class of 2012

2008-08-19T12:35:00.002-04:00

This month, almost 2 million first-year students will head off to college campuses around the country. Most of them will be about 18 years old, born in 1990 when headlines sounded oddly familiar to those of today: Rising fuel costs were causing airlines to cut staff and flight schedules; Big Three car companies were facing declining sales and profits; and a president named Bush was increasing the number of troops in the Middle East in the hopes of securing peace. However, the mindset of this new generation of college students is quite different from that of the faculty about to prepare them to become the leaders of
tomorrow.

http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2012.php

Welcome to the 2008-2009 School Year

2008-08-17T14:53:00.001-04:00

Microsoft Eyes the Night Skies With Virtual Telescope App

2008-05-13T20:31:00.001-04:00

Technology News: Web Apps: Microsoft Eyes the Night Skies With Virtual Telescope App

Star gazers and astronomers now have a powerful new tool that will allow them to surf the skies from their desktop. Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Free Trial. Security Software As A Service From Webroot. Latest News about Microsoft unveiled the public beta of its WorldWide Telescope (WWT) Web application Monday.

The software Blackberry Professional Software from AT&T. Save up to 57% until June 6th. Click to learn more. creates an experience that users of all ages will find captivating, said Frank Reddy, a senior editor at Astronomy Magazine.

"There are other tools that can teach you the constellations, but WorldWide Telescope is an immersive environment that basically throws you into space and allows you to navigate very easily and smoothly. It can be both a teaching platform, a research platform and even an entertainment platform," he told TechNewsWorld.

Internet Archive Wins David-and-Goliath Privacy Tussle With FBI

2008-05-08T20:54:00.001-04:00

The government has gone too far in its use of National Security Letters, the Electronic Frontier Foundation argues. There are likely countless groups who receive National Security Letters and don't put up a fight -- like the Internet Archive did -- against releasing data to the feds.

Story Link Here

Free Tibet' Message Masks Rootkit Malware

2008-04-22T21:22:00.001-04:00

Watch out if you receive an e-mail with a Flash animation ridiculing a Chinese gymnast and calling for a free Tibet. It's likely the entertaining little clip is hiding a piece of malware that will log your keystrokes. Security experts are warning that malware creators are taking advantage of the news coverage of the Tibet freedom protests to get you to let your guard down.

Story Link Here

CNN Web site targeted

2008-04-20T10:42:00.001-04:00

CNN was targeted Thursday by attempts to interrupt its news Web site, resulting in countermeasures that caused the service to be slow or unavailable to some users in limited areas of Asia.

Story Link Here

Who's Watching You at Work?

2008-04-14T17:23:00.001-04:00

Even if you think you've mastered the art of minimizing your browser
the second your boss rounds the corner, every click you make may be
monitored by your employer. In fact, most businesses say they do
monitor workers' use of the office's Internet access, phone systems,
etc. Whether or not that means trouble is all a matter of context, of
course, but what constitutes reasonable use is sticky question.

"Surveillance is now routine
business practice among American employers, both large and small, as
the cost and ease of introducing have dropped. You leave your rights at
the office door every day you go to work. Most surveillance is
conducted without any individualized suspicion, and personal as well as
business-related information is routinely collected," explained Jeremy
Gruber, legal director at the National Workrights Institute.

Story Link Here

Espionage Against Pro-Tibet Groups, Others, Spurred Microsoft Patches

2008-04-13T12:02:00.001-04:00

SAN FRANCISCO -- Computer intruders targeting pro-Tibetan groups,
U.S. defense contractors and government agencies slipped in through
previously unknown security holes in Microsoft Office, prompting
Microsoft to issue a flurry of patches to the popular software suite in
2006 and 2007, according to computer security experts.

These attacks, which appeared to have originated in China, began in
early 2006 when the attackers started sending e-mails to victims with
booby-trapped Word documents and Excel spreadsheets attached.

"We are seeing more and more spying done with Trojans, a shift that has
happened in the last two years," Mikko Hyppönen, the chief research
officer for software security vendor F-Secure, told RSA conference
attendees Thursday morning.

Story Link Here

Where's Wally? for the Google Earth generation

2008-04-12T11:36:00.001-04:00

The striking young man - never without his red-and-white-striped top, bobble hat, walking stick and glasses - had a habit of turning up in the most unlikely and crowded of places, from ancient Aztec kingdoms to medieval battlefields.

But now a Canadian artist has brought the game into the 21st Century, by painting an enormous Wally that can be seen by Google Earth satellites.

The 55ft figure was installed on an undisclosed rooftop in Vancouver last month, sparking a flurry of interest among internet users keen to be the first to spot this Web 2.0 Wally.

Story Link Here

Couple Sues Google Over Street View Pics, Claims Mental Distress

2008-04-07T18:06:00.001-04:00

Pictures of a western Pennsylvania couple's home have appeared on
Google's Street View, and the couple is not happy. Aaron and Christine
Boring are suing the search giant for devaluing their property and
violating their privacy with the photos.

Story Link Here

Sound may teach fish to catch themselves

2008-03-26T10:31:00.001-04:00

BOSTON - Call them Pavlov's fish: Scientists are testing a plan to train fish to catch themselves by swimming into a net when they hear a tone that signals feeding time. If it works, the system could eventually allow black sea bass to be released into the open ocean, where they would grow to market size, then swim into an underwater cage to be harvested when they hear the signal.

Story Link Here

Shape-shifting robot forms from magnetic swarm

2008-03-07T09:29:00.001-05:00

Swarms of robots that use electromagnetic forces to cling together and assume different shapes are being developed by US researchers. The grand goal is to create swarms of microscopic robots capable of morphing into virtually any form by clinging together. Seth Goldstein, who leads the research project at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, in the US, admits this is still a distant prospect. However, his team is using simulations to develop control strategies for futuristic shape-shifting, or "claytronic", robots, which they are testing on small groups of more primitive, pocket-sized machines. These prototype robots use electromagnetic forces to manoeuvre themselves, communicate, and even share power.

One set of claytronic prototypes were cylindrical, wheeled robots with a ring of electromagnets around their edge, which they used to grab hold of one another. By switching these electromagnets on and off, the so-called "claytronic atoms" or "catoms" could securely attach and roll around each other (see video, top right). The robot's wheels were not powered, so they had to rely entirely on their magnets to manoeuvre themselves around. "These were the first mobile robots without any moving parts," says Goldstein.

Story Link Here

Repeal Denied: Moore's Law extended for another 15 years

2008-03-07T08:53:00.003-05:00

"When will Moore's Law be repealed? For the 30+ years I have been in and around the computer industry I have heard that question asked. The reason is obvious: this seemingly magical doubling of computing power per dollar every 18 months has been taking place since the early 1960s and surely has to stop sometime, right? Not yet, it doesn't. Thanks to some clever new ways of making CMOS chips, it looks like Moore's Law will remain in effect for at least another 15 years. This week's column is my attempt to explain why this is so and to give some idea what it means to us all."

Story Link Here

The biggest creche on earth

2008-03-05T15:01:00.003-05:00

Fascinating photos - what do you think this is?

Story Link Here

iPods in a War Zone

2008-02-25T16:13:00.001-05:00

The creator of the VCommunicator software -- Orlando-based Vcom3D -- originally designed it to teach soldiers basic Iraqi Arabic phrases by way of an iPod. However, now troops are finding new tactical applications for the device, said Vcom3D's Ernie Bright. Troops are uploading maps and other images and content onto the video iPods to assist them at vehide checkpoints and door-to-door searches

Story Link Here

Domain Tasting?

2008-02-22T08:50:00.001-05:00

NetworkSolutions Scandal: Hijacking User Domain Searches

There has been an uproar today about a recent devious tactic being used by one of the original ICANN accredited registrars, NetworkSolutions. Apparently they are internally registering each and every domain name that a user searches for using their website, essentially holding it hostage so that it can not be purchased at any other significantly cheaper and more ethical registrar.

Story Link Here

Green lawns could lead to brownouts

2008-02-18T10:14:00.001-05:00

Most people don't realize how closely power and water are linked.

In California, the water pumps that keep the Los Angeles area hydrated are the single largest users of power in the state, according to Gleick. Running a hot water faucet there for five minutes uses as much energy as keeping a 60-watt light bulb on for 14 hours, he said.

---

Most types of power plants use water for cooling - a lot of water. About 40% of the freshwater used in the U.S. - or 136 billion gallons a day - is used for power generation, nearly as much as is used for crop irrigation, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A typical nuclear or coal energy plant could use 30-40 million gallons of water a day.

Story Link Here

Biofuels make climate change worse, scientific study concludes

2008-02-08T18:58:00.001-05:00

Growing crops to make biofuels results in vast amounts of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere and does nothing to stop climate change or global warming, according to the first thorough scientific audit of a biofuel's carbon budget.
Story Link Here

The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan

2008-02-08T18:55:00.001-05:00

A "plastic soup" of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said.

The vast expanse of debris – in effect the world's largest rubbish dump – is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting "soup" stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.
Story Link Here

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year 2007

2008-01-11T16:26:00.001-05:00

Thousands of you took part in the search for Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year for 2007, and the vast majority of you chose a small word that packs a pretty big punch. The word you've selected hasn't found its way into a regular Merriam-Webster dictionary yet—but its inclusion in our online Open Dictionary, along with the top honors it's now been awarded—might just improve its chances.

This year's winning word first became popular in competitive online gaming forums as part of what is known as l33t ("leet," or "elite") speak—an esoteric computer hacker language in which numbers and symbols are put together to look like letters. Although the double "o" in the word is usually represented by double zeroes, the exclamation is also known to be an acronym for "we owned the other team"—again stemming from the gaming community.

Merriam-Webster's #1 Word of the Year for 2007 based on votes from visitors to our Web site:

Story Link Here

Meanest Mom on Planet?

2008-01-09T15:02:00.001-05:00

After finding alcohol in her son's car, she decided to sell the car and share her 19-year-old's misdeed with everyone -- by placing an ad in the local newspaper. The ad reads: "OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."

Story link here

A Little Perspective on 315 Billion Dollars

2008-01-01T17:57:00.001-05:00

Story Link Here

What's for Dinner?

2007-12-16T19:38:00.001-05:00

It serves 125, takes eight hours to cook and is stuffed with 12 different birds ... now that really IS a Christmas dinner

Story Link Here

No Christmas Cards for Walter Reed

2007-12-03T16:12:00.001-05:00

After having received a share of email, comments, and Google News alerts, on the matter of sending Christmas cards to Walter Reed Army Medical Center I have decided that a posted needed to be dedicated purely to the matter in question.

The easy answer is simply, DO NOT SEND ANY SOLDIER/WOUNDED WARRIOR/RECOVERING SOLDIER/AMERICAN HERO MAIL TO WALTER REED.

Story Link Here

Blendie

2007-11-14T22:46:00.001-05:00

Blendie is the first of a series of voice interacting blenders made by the artist. Seeing is believing.

Link here

Life-sized whale!

2007-11-14T22:40:00.001-05:00

Link here

Microsoft patches a 'critical' hole

2007-11-14T22:32:00.001-05:00

Wed Nov 14, 7:41 AM ET

SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. issued two security fixes in a regular monthly update Tuesday, including one that removes a dangerous bug in all versions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

Microsoft gave the serious security fix its most urgent "critical" rating. Hackers could exploit a vulnerability using Internet Explorer 7, and possibly other programs, and take over a user's computer for a variety of nefarious purposes, such as stealing passwords or pumping out spam.

Story Link Here

Security Pro Admits Infecting Thousands With Botnet Malware

2007-11-12T14:31:00.001-05:00

John Schiefer has plead guilty to charges of spreading malware to thousands of computers and using them as botnets, ripping off users' passwords and eavesdropping on commercial transactions in order to steal personal information. Schiefer's case is the first time U.S. prosecutors have used federal wiretapping laws to charge someone in relation to botnet crimes.

A Los Angeles computer security consultant agreed Friday to plead guilty to using computer spyware that he planted in other people's computers to steal identities, U.S. federal prosecutors said.

John Schiefer, 26, was accused of using "botnets" -- armies of infected computers -- to steal the identities of victims across the country by extracting information from their personal computers and wiretapping their communications, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.

Story Link Here

Do or Die - Inspirational Story

2007-10-21T13:07:00.001-04:00

A fellow soldier was impaled by a live RPG. For medics and a helicopter crew, there was only one choice

*snip*

The 36-year-old’s surgical skill and command of his own nerves would be put to the ultimate test as, wearing helmet and body armor, he would operate to extract the ordnance from Moss’s booby-trapped body. One wrong move risked the lives of the patient, his own and those of the other members of the medical team.

Story Link Here

Vaccine company on verge of breakthrough

2007-10-17T16:04:00.001-04:00

Brian Lowe is asking shareholders to have a little patience.

He believes his company is on the verge of a major breakthrough: a vaccine that eradicates cancerous tumours in mice that could eventually be used in humans.

...

Scientists initially injected the mice with cancer cells, which formed huge tumours and made them very ill. Within 14 days of receiving the vaccine, each one became tumour-free and perfectly healthy. The mice were re-injected and no new tumours formed. The trials were repeated three times with the same results.

Story Link here

I am creating artificial life, declares US gene pioneer

2007-10-09T17:36:00.001-04:00

Craig Venter, the controversial DNA researcher involved in the race to decipher the human genetic code, has built a synthetic chromosome out of laboratory chemicals and is poised to announce the creation of the first new artificial life form on Earth.

The announcement, which is expected within weeks and could come as early as Monday at the annual meeting of his scientific institute in San Diego, California, will herald a giant leap forward in the development of designer genomes. It is certain to provoke heated debate about the ethics of creating new species and could unlock the door to new energy sources and techniques to combat global warming.

Story Link Here

Stallone: Burma "a hellhole beyond your wildest dreams"

2007-10-09T17:27:00.001-04:00

Researchers at the American Association for the Advancement of Science say they have used satellite images provided by the U.S. Government to confirm massive human rights abuses in eastern Burma: A new analysis of high-resolution satellite images -- completed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) -- pinpoints evidence consistent with village destruction, forced relocations, and a growing military presence at 25 sites across eastern Burma where eye-witnesses have reported human rights violations.

The research by AAAS, offers clear physical evidence to corroborate on-the-ground accounts of specific instances of destruction. It is believed to be the first demonstration of satellite image analysis to document human rights violations in Burma, also known as Myanmar.

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iPods = iTraining

2007-10-08T15:26:00.001-04:00

Workers wearing iPods on the job these days might not be listening to the latest tunes from Timbaland and Soulja Boy. Instead, they could be tuning in lessons on Spanish or watching a video iPod training program on how to make a bed or a burger.

--SNIP--

The iPods also had a side effect of boosting the company's applicants for jobs because people found out they were using iPods as training tools, Crosby said. On the job, Pal's saw a dramatic reduction in the amount of time it took to certify employees -- from three weeks to 12 days, Crosby said. Its customer-service satisfaction ratings rose, and customer complaints dropped.

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Not Exactly Technology...

2007-10-07T11:38:00.001-04:00

...just a video that I found particularly important, and touching. All parents of young children should be aware of this resource, please share!

http://www.childdrowningprevention.com/index.html

and

http://www.infantswim.com/home.html

Extreme Makeover?

2007-09-27T13:23:00.000-04:00

What if you spent one year following every rule in the Bible? A. J. Jacobs did exactly that...

Story Link Here

Microsoft quietly unveils Vista-to-XP downgrade

2007-09-27T11:04:00.000-04:00

Microsoft has reportedly begun offering a downgrade option to PC makers who want to allow their customers to have the option of using XP over the pre-installed Vista software.

Computer manufacturers including Fujitsu, Lenovo, and HP now mainly offer PCs exclusively with Vista pre-installed. Customers who would prefer to have XP can request a downgrade disc for computers that come with Vista Business and Vista Ultimate. These two versions allow downgrading as part of the software licensing, but the process is difficult without a specifically coded disc.

Story Link Here

Extreme Rich-Poor Divisions

2007-09-27T11:00:00.001-04:00

Here’s a quick selection of shocking photos / google maps links to start the day. they all illustrate an extreme degree of wealth divide in different parts of the world.

Story Link Here

The Degree Confluence Project

2007-09-27T09:20:00.001-04:00

The goal of the project is to visit each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world, and to take pictures at each location. The pictures, and stories about the visits, will then be posted here.

The project is an organized sampling of the world. There is a confluence within 49 miles (79 km) of you if you're on the surface of Earth. We've discounted confluences in the oceans and some near the poles, but there are still 11,033 to be found.

Story Link Here

Pennies - Common Cents?

2007-09-27T09:10:00.001-04:00

Hi, I'm Mitch Fincher and these pages are from a talk I gave while a Civil Engineering student at Texas Tech University.

The following is the basic pattern for building cantilevered structures with Pennies. Although it looks trivial, we can build amazing structures with these pillars. All penny columns are ten high, a "stack". Two side-by-side pennies held in place by a penny above them is called a "triad".

Story Link Here

A Natural History of the @ Sign: Part One

2007-09-27T08:29:00.001-04:00

The "@" symbol. . . used by grocers and accountants throughout the English-speaking world to indicate a rate, or cost per unit, as in "10 gal @ $3.95/gal" [ten gallons at three dollars and ninety-five cents per gallon] has become the de facto delimiter in e-mail addresses, separating the user's name from the domain name.

Story Link Here

Apple to iPhoners: Hacking Kills

2007-09-25T21:29:00.001-04:00

Did you dare to hack your iPhone? If so, you may want to think twice before installing any software updates. Apple has officially warned users that installing any of the several programs available to make the iPhone run on a network other than AT&T could conflict with future updates, possibly turning the device into a $400 skipping stone.

Story Link Here

Printing In 3-D ~ Tech News Watch

2007-09-25T19:47:00.001-04:00

It is a simple matter to print an ebook or other document directly from your computer, whether that document is on your hard drive, at a Web site or in an email. But, imagine being able to ‘print’ solid objects, a piece of sports equipment, say, or a kitchen utensil, or even a prototype car design for wind tunnel tests. US researchers suggest such 3-D printer technology will soon enter the mainstream once a killer application emerges.

Link here

Official prototype of kilogram mysteriously losing weight

2007-09-13T14:23:00.001-04:00

A kilogram just isn't what it used to be.

Physicist Richard Davis of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures with the reference kilogram.

The 118-year-old cylinder that is the international prototype for the metric mass, kept tightly under lock and key outside Paris, is mysteriously losing weight -- if ever so slightly.
Story Link here

Technology News: IBM Gives Back to the OpenOffice Community

2007-09-11T14:55:00.001-04:00

Link here

The announcement suggests a win-win for IBM and OpenOffice.org, a seven-year-old project created by Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: JAVA) Latest News about Sun Microsystems and widely recognized as the open source contender to proprietary office software.
"With downloads of more than 100 million, this is the first real competitive grassroots office productivity suite that rivals proprietary alternatives," Sun spokesperson Terri Molini told LinuxInsider.

Technology News: iPhone: Rubbing Users Raw With Handcuffed Devices

2007-08-30T16:23:00.001-04:00

On the plus side, the U.S. system gives Americans super-cheap phones. Contracts help stabilize carrier revenue; that, in turn, helps keep monthly service prices cheap. On the downside, U.S. cell phones are not as feature-rich as phones in other parts of the world, says Muzib Khan, vice president of management and engineering for phone maker Samsung Latest News about Samsung. To keep costs low, manufacturers tend to "build to the lowest common denominator" for the U.S. market. That's why there isn't much variety here, he says. To blur the lack of features on U.S. devices, carriers tout ring tones, face plates and slim design -- "things that one could say probably aren't very useful," Kahn says. Because U.S. consumers pay so little for their phones, Khan says, they aren't as "motivated" to learn how to use them properly. As a result, he says, they don't get all the benefits. "It's an endless loop," Samsung's engineering chief says. "Until some changes are made, (U.S. consumers) will be in that loop forever."

Link here

N.J. Teen Unlocks iPhone For Use On Other Carriers

2007-08-27T16:46:00.001-04:00

wcbstv.com - N.J. Teen Unlocks iPhone For Use On Other Carriers

CBS) GLEN ROCK, N.J. A New Jersey teenager's accomplishment is getting major play in the tech and business world.

He managed to unlock the wildly popular iPhone, freeing the unit from its exclusive relationship with cell phone carrier AT&T.

New Search Engine Ranks Tables By Title, Document Content, Text Reference

2007-08-11T13:18:00.001-04:00

New Search Engine Ranks Table

Penn State researchers have developed a search engine — TableSeer —
which not only can identify and extract tables from PDF documents but
also can index and rank the search results using factors including the
table’s title, text references to the table, and date of publication.

The engine’s innovative ranking algorithm, TableRank, also can
identify tables found in frequently cited documents and weigh that
factor as well in the search results, said Prasenjit Mitra, an
assistant professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences
and Technology (IST) and one of the lead researchers in the development
of the search engine.

Netizens Blast AT&T for Jamming Pearl Jam's Bush Bashing

2007-08-11T10:54:00.001-04:00

Netizens Blast AT&T for Jamming Pearl Jam's Bush Bashing

Attendees of the Lollapalooza music festival this week may have heard Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder sing a few Bush-bashing lyrics during the band's set -- but those watching the show live on AT&T's Blue Room webcast didn't. The audio cut out at a rather suspicious point in the performance, prompting accusations of censorship that bring up the issue of network neutrality.

Strong words. Wonder why?

2007-07-12T09:46:00.001-04:00

"Network Associates [McAfee] has shown that it is willing to compromise its integrity by selling intentionally faulty products. For this reason, it is no longer appropriate or wise for those concerned about the security of their networks, systems or confidential data to use them."

Link: http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2001/11/48648

Tangible display makes 3D images touchable

2007-07-08T12:33:00.001-04:00

A system that makes three dimensional images solid enough to grasp has been unveiled by Japanese firm NTT. It could let businesspeople shake hands from across the globe or allow museum visitors to feel precious exhibits that are normally out of reach, the company says.

The prototype Tangible 3D system combines a 3D display with a "haptic glove". The display creates lifelike images appear in just in front of a flat screen. It creates the illusion of depth by showing slightly different images to each of the viewer's eyes. This means no special glasses are needed...

Click here to read article

Office 2007: Why the New File Formats?

2007-07-03T11:42:00.001-04:00

Office 2007 File Converters and Viewers

If you have Word 2007, and you want to share documents with people who have an older version of Word (or a different word processor)you have two choices. The first is to do nothing. Just keep cranking out your fancy new DOCX files, and tell your friends and colleagues toupgrade to Office 2007, install a converter, or get a viewer.

Users of Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003 can download the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats,which will add the ability to open, edit, and save files using the new file formats. You'll have to make sure your Office software is up to
date before installing the Compatibility Pack.

For those who just want to view or print Office 2007 files (no editing or saving), there are viewers available. The PowerPoint Viewer 2007 is a standalone viewer for files created by PowerPoint 97 through PowerPoint 2007. Both Word Viewer 2003 and Excel Viewer 2003 will allow you to view or print Word or Excel files, but they require the Compatibility Pack mentioned above.

Just be aware that these converters and viewers may not do a perfect
job of rendering all aspects of an Office 2007 document. Some special
formatting and images may not survive or look exactly as in the
original. So it's best to compare the document in both versions to be
sure nothing is missing or altered. Microsoft's website continues to
provide updates on known problems and help files have been added to
explain how to get updates and what known problems exist during
conversion.

http://askbobrankin.com/office_format_converters.html

Inte Quirky discipline rules that work

2007-06-22T09:23:00.001-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/parenting/06/21/par.quirky.discipline/index.html

Test Scribefire

2007-06-16T11:41:00.001-04:00

Resources, courtesy of H-NET.MSU.EDU

Art, General

Art In the Picture

http://www.artinthepicture.com/

ARTnatomy

http://www.artnatomia.net/

Drawspace

http://www.drawspace.com/

Art History Resources

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ARTH/arthistresources.html

ASU Art History Resources

http://www.asu.edu/lib/hayden/ref/art/arthist.html

Green Museum

http://greenmuseum.org/

How to Draw It

http://www.howtodrawit.com/

Art and Architecture

http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/index.html

Internet Resources for Art History

http://www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/arth/internet/

Mother of All Art and Art History Links Page

http://www.art-design.umich.edu/mother/index.html

Paint By Number

http://americanhistory.si.edu/paint/

Pop Life Art

http://www.poplifeart.com/

Rutgers Art History Links

http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/art/ar

t_lib/periods_and_subjects.shtml

The Master Crayola Artist

http://home.att.net/~hideaway_today/t034/master.htm

Brazilian Artists

http://www.brazilianartists.net/index.htm

Photography

Ashes and Snow

http://www.ashesandsnow.org/

Panoramas

http://www.panoramas.dk/

Peter Garfield

http://petergarfield.net/

Paleo Art

Douglas Henderson

http://gallery.in-tch.com/~earthhistory/

Azhdarcho

http://www.azhdarcho.com/Art/artgallery.htm

Dynasties of Stone

http://www.keltationsart.com/

Opus: Dinosaur

http://www.bowdoin.edu/%7Edbensen/Welcome.html

Gallery of Paleo Art

http://www.dinosauriaong.hpg.ig.com.br/gpal/palg.htm

beware popups

Critter's Pixel Shack

http://critters.pixel-shack.com/index.htm

Heinrich Harder

http://www.copyrightexpired.com/Heinrich_Harder/index.html

The Dinosauricon

http://dino.lm.com

Adam Stuart Smith

http://www.plesiosauria.com/dinosaurs.html

Steve White

http://thunderlizard.gn.apc.org/biog.html

Bizarre Beasts

http://www.staabstudios.com/bb.html

Tech Integration Resources

2007-06-12T10:32:00.001-04:00

National Educational Technology Standards for Students

Connecting Curriculum and Technology

http://www.iste.org/inhouse/nets/cnets/students/s_book.html

Apple Learner Interchange

http://ali.apple.com/ali/uops.php

The WebQuest Portal

http://www.webquest.org/

2007-02-24T10:38:00.000-05:00

Harrumph! I was checking web stats for various and sundry sites over a cuppa this morning, and again was struck by the number of people who still use AOHell. A grand example of the power market saturation, at the expense of landfills-full quantities of CDs...

Excited about possibilities for a new service I'll be offering my clients--easy remote assistance! Doesn't require any prior setup, works as long as they have a browser/web connection available, and isn't perturbed in the least with firewalls. Recently ran it through the ropes and came through with flying colors, so now I know I'll can still be getting people out of their computer problems when I can no longer afford the gas to get to their offices. Worked great as a training tool, and I see a lot of potential for teachers/trainers - check it out: Copiliot

Teacher Resource of the Moment: BTB Teacher Resources "Teacher tools, references and online resources. For teachers, by teachers." An eclectic mix, for sure, but lots of fun sites to play with and integrate into your classes. Updated regularly.

The Sky is Falling...

2007-02-20T22:05:00.000-05:00

...or so some said 8 years ago, as the dreaded Y2K effect was anticipated. Doom and ruin were to cover the land, as computers everywhere lost their digital minds and trashed everything from VCR to the corner stoplight; from the world financial market to the nuclear weapons of the major super powers. And, truth be told, many of those things might have happened, if not for the terrific efforts of countless IT professionals.

(sometimes Contrary Old Coots take a while to get to the point... get over it)

The flashback above was courtesy of today's headlines - "Daylight-saving bug could foil computers" wherein the following fact is discussed: that millions of computer operating systems aren't hip to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which effectively and retroactively created a "bug" for the system clock. Come March, those with pre-Vista systems should check their computer clock times very carefully before scheduling multinational coordinated e-surgery.

Teacher Resource of the Moment: pbwiki.com What's a pbwiki?
"PBwiki lets you quickly set up your own free, hosted, password-protected wiki to edit and share information. It's as easy as a peanut butter sandwich!"

I'm very excited about the prospects for our school's pbwiki, and have floated a number of ideas among our staff for integrating this particular technology into their curricula. We'll see if this gets off the ground... I'll keep you posted.

Away and Back

2007-02-18T13:19:00.000-05:00

Nasty weather for the trip both ways yesterday... whiteout conditions several times. Nevertheless, was a nice visit. Watched the Lady 'Cats finish their regular season with a 30-0 record; phenomenal athlete/scholars graduating this year. Godspeed on your tournament journey!

Then off to the Mart of Wals for a quick refill of the necessities of college life, followed by an enjoyable dinner at Applebees - a perfect Club sandwich for myself; the offspring had the House Sirloin and Roasted Garlic & Asiago Chicken with which she seemed well-satisfied.

Teacher Resource of the Moment: The Breathing Earth
"Breathing Earth is a visual, real-time simulation of the CO2 emission rates, birth rates and death rates of every country in the world."

Blog of the Moment: Wendy's Blog: Musings of a techie lawyer
Wendy takes on the NFL's draconian use of the DMCA and Google's role in the matter; follow her battle as she takes on 2 Goliaths at once.

Life's A Beach

2007-02-16T17:27:00.000-05:00

Tough week.

Monday, well... one good can you ever say of Mondays?

Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday... snow days!

Then back to work for a day, just in time for a 3-day weekend!

Off to visit the Apple of My Eye For Whom I Bear A Wallet, tomorrow. Fun times!

The Dayton Underground

2007-02-15T13:29:00.000-05:00

Blog of the Moment: The Dayton Underground
Quirky sense of humor, with an honest approach. Really liked his Things That Make Life Worth Living post. Recommended by MP.

Mandatory Birth Statement

2007-02-15T13:20:00.000-05:00

"I post thoughts, therefore I am."