Monday, January 31, 2011

Red Russians and China said to be working on their own X37 type craft.


Chinese officials say that their rocket powered space plane program may be a reaction to U.S. ambitions to dominate space and develop space planes, hypersonic transports and bombers.

BAD HARDWARE WEEK: Isn't this too much for US space supremacy?

Friday, January 28, 2011

Why military technology doesn't matter always ?

More U.S. Soldiers Killed Themselves Than Died in Combat in 2010

BAD HARDWARE: Why? It is so easy to trick yourself to commit murder, but hard to reset memory.
And it is increasingly hard to live with bad memories.

The oldest still working computer center: Voyager - The flying one

It is still on, since 70ies, before 32 bit microprocessor was even invented.

Voyager - The flying computer center

BAD HARDWARE: It is not a consequence of space and time relativity but of inability of the latest solutions. :)

Carl Sagan was the first human on Mars :)

On his left side is Mars Viking lander.
I believe that from the Mars orbit Viking lander seems the same size as Apollo LM on Moon surface.

Direct-Current Networks Gain Ground !!

After more than a dozen beta installations worldwide, DC wiring is going commercial as manufacturers start selling the first products challenging AC power's 120-year dominance of electrical distribution.

Next-Generation Exaflops Supercomputers

The practical exaflops-class supercomputer DARPA was hoping for just wasn't going to be attainable by 2015. In fact, it might not be possible anytime in the foreseeable future. Think of it this way: The party isn't exactly over, but the police have arrived, and the music has been turned way down.

BAD HARDWARE WEEK: 583-rack computer includes more than 160 million microprocessor cores ! In a novel twist, Dally's design has 16 dynamic RAM chips directly attached to each processor. Each processor chip also has ports for connections to up to 12 separate routers for fast off-chip data transfers.

Solution for Manufacturing Full-Spectrum Solar Cells Found

Part of the verification that the device worked was taken from when current was applied to it. When a solar material is subject to current, it reverses from absorbing photons, to emitting them (goes from a photodiode to a light-emitting diode). The resulting LED admitted emitted three peaks in the visible range and a peak in the infrared range.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Europe awards contract to assess 450-mm pilot line

LONDON – Two consultancy firms with expertise in the semiconductor industry – Future Horizons Ltd. and Decision SA – have been awarded a one-year joint contract to assess the benefits of a 450-mm semiconductor prototyping line being located in Europe.

What the irony! Zuckerberg's Facebook page hacked


Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook page was hacked last night, bringing a smile to the face of anyone that feels the company isn't doing enough to protect users' privacy.

However, Facebook will soon introduce descent ID security.

The Spy Who Sold Stealth Bomber B2 Secrets to China

Mr. Gowadia helped designed the stealth and propulsion systems of the B-2 bomber, while at Northrop Grumman. But in 1999 he found a consulting firm and began selling his secrets to foreign nations, including China.
He sent information to operatives from Germany, Israel, and Switzerland.
And his biggest transaction was his transmission of a wealth of data to the People's Republic of China. That transaction allowed China to jump-start its stealth aerospace efforts and design a stealth missile.

BAD HARDWARE WEEK: This B2 fall is due to spoiled moisture sensors ! That means moisture level is too military secret ?

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

America faces 'Sputnik moment', says Obama


The US faces a new "Sputnik moment", according to Obama. At stake, he stressed, is whether jobs are created in America, or somewhere else:

China to create largest mega city in the world with 42 million people

China to create largest mega city in the world with 42 million people

With metro network for 40M users ?

By the end of the decade, China plans to move ever greater numbers into its cities, creating some city zones with 50 million to 100 million people and "small" city clusters of 10 million to 25 million.

Cashphone TM: Apple iPad and iPhone 'aim to replace cash'

Apple iPad and iPhone 'aim to replace cash'

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Oh, not again: There will be no need for more than 5 computers ! Ever

Why 3D doesn't work and never will. Case closed.

All seeing eye: Gorgon Stare


The award for best — and creepiest — military name of the week? No contest, that’s "Gorgon Stare," the Air Force’s $150 million project to outfit its latest spy drones with super high-powered cameras.

Monday, January 24, 2011

The US may already have airborne radars able to spot stealth aircraft !

Once the J-20 is deployed, in that scenario, US top guns would lose their high-performance stealth advantage and no longer rule the skies.

Not so fast, says Aviation Week. New, more powerful radars using active electronically scaled arrays can pick up fainter and fainter targets, and are fast catching up to stealth technology. "Anti-stealth will bring into question all stealth designs," it says, hinting that the US may already have airborne radars able to spot stealth aircraft.

BAD HARDWARE WEEK: Moreover, perfecting stealth technology takes time. The US started its F-22 programme in the 1980s. To an experienced eye, the stealthy look of the Chinese jet "is just sort of cobbled together," Teal group analyst Richard Aboulafia told The Wall Street Journal. He thinks China may be able to deploy the new aircraft in a decade, but by then the US should have better technology. The age of phase radars only begun.

An End to America’s Air Invincibility?
No, that sounds eerily familiar. We used to call it an arms race. However, J-20 canards have little in common with the term airplane radar invisibility.

China's new stealth fighter may use US technology !

Chinese officials recently unveiled a new, high-tech stealth fighter that could pose a significant threat to American air superiority — and some of its technology, it turns out, may well have come from the U.S. itself.

Balkan military officials and other experts have told The Associated Press that in all probability the Chinese gleaned some of their technological know-how from an American F-117 Nighthawk that was shot down over Serbia in 1999.

At the time, our intelligence reports told of Chinese agents crisscrossing the region where the F-117 disintegrated, buying up parts of the plane from local farmers.
"The destroyed F-117 topped that wish-list for both the Russians and Chinese," Kusovac said.

Russia's Sukhoi T-50 prototype stealth fighter made its maiden flight last year and is due to enter service in about four years. It is likely that the Russians also gleaned knowledge of stealth technology from the downed Nighthawk.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Angelogate: The Friends of Angelo

It was reported that James Johnson, former CEO of Fannie Mae and an adviser to presidential candidate Barack Obama, had received loans under the "Friends of Angelo".

How many dollars were at stake in this? We’re still investigating. All I can say is it’s clear there were unethical practices, but it’s too early to suggest there’s criminality. We have to be careful about applying criminal labels to people until we’re very sure.

The crisis unit of 20 computer and risk experts, pulled from the prestigious consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton has been tasked to access and defend Bank of America.

BAD HARDWARE WEEK: WikiLeaks might shed more light upon it soon.
We are eager to finally learn who is the hell Angelo?

WikiLeaks prepares Bank of America documents for subsequent release

Bank of America is particularly vulnerable because of the takeover of Countrywide Financial, once the largest and worst subprime company, which has been responsible for creating hundreds of thousands of criminal mortgages.

Double floating gate: New device could revolutionize computer memory


New device could revolutionize computer memory

"Memories made using our new double floating-gate structure should be about as fast as DRAM—and will need to be refreshed as often—but their densities will be about the same as flash," said EE professor Paul Franzon at NC State.

Boeing cuts 1100 jobs

Boeing announced Thursday that is eliminating 1,100 jobs, including 100 in St. Louis, as the aerospace corporation slashes production of its C-17 Globemaster III line.

BAD HARDWARE WEEK: Seems that Boeing flies pretty low these days.

Fake GSM base station trick targets iPhones

Fake GSM base station trick targets iPhones

A number of iPhone users in the room expressed surprise that they had gotten a message asking them to join the network.

Cannon 600D


Model 600D gets 18M pixels sensor and 3-inch Vari-Angle LCD screen.

BAD HARDWARE WEEK: Yet another proof of evolution against creationism.

Searching its future: Google has transformed the whole world, but now the time has come to do it upon itself



Eric Schmidt resigns as CEO of Google

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Scientists Generate Megawatt-Class Laser Beams for US Navy's Next-Generation Weapon System

The research is a necessary step for the Department of the Navy to one day deploy the megawatt-class FEL weapon system, revolutionizing ship defense, Saulter said. "The FEL is expected to provide future U.S. Naval forces with a near-instantaneous laser ship defense in any maritime environment throughout the world."

The laser works by passing a beam of high-energy electrons generated by an injector, through a series of strong magnetic fields, causing an intense emission of laser light. ONR hopes to test the FEL in a maritime environment as early as 2018.

BAD HARDWARE WEEK: Hmmm, just in time to hit in midair invi(n)sible Chinese J-20 fighters in 2018. The Navy’s Laser Weapon System (LaWS) has already shot down UAVs in other than combat scenarios, bringing the total number of downed flying robots to seven.

Actually Internet pirate put Tunisian President walking the plank !

After ousting Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has adopted a new politician: a well known pirate. OK, so this pirate named Slim Amamou is not a vagabond in the traditional Captain Sparrow sense, but rather an Internet pirate who served time.

An active blogger and member of Tunisia's Pirate Party, Amamou is thought to have spearheaded Tunisia's online revolt which ran in parallel to a bloody coup and President Ben Ali's depature. 




They don't even remember a time before e-mail, or IM, or Google !


What happens when mom unplugs teens for 6 months?

Maushart decided to unplug the family because the kids — ages 14, 15 and 18 when she started The Experiment — didn't just "use media," as she put it. They "inhabited" media. "They don't remember a time before e-mail, or instant messaging, or Google," she wrote.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

ARM, IBM extend collaboration down to 14-nm

ARM, IBM extend collaboration down to 14-nm

BAD HARDWARE WEEK : Don't expect to see 450-mm wafers until 2015 or later, however.
The biggest caliber of WWI guns was 420mm (Big Bertha). During the WWII 800mm. I believe 450mm wafer is the last "big gun" in semiconductor production.
Use of third dimension will finally diminish need for ever bigger wafers.

Annual computer sales to pass 1 billion by 2014

The rise and rise of smartphones and tablets will help double the shipment of computers around the world in just five years, according to new research.

A total of 500 million computers, from desktop PCs to laptops and smartphones, were shipped in 2009. The accountancy group Deloitte predicts that will rise to 1.1 billion in 2014.


Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft Carrier


2011 will bring double SSD performance and capacity

The year of the Rabbit - It may be fitting since this year computer technology will be dominated by SSDs; the year of the hyper speed SSD! - 2011 will bring nearly double the performance and double the capacity, while driving costs even lower than what we saw in 2010.

Steve Jobs went to Switzerland in search of cancer treatment

Fortune has learned that Apple CEO Steve Jobs spent part of 2009 at a hospital in Basel, Switzerland seeking treatment for neuroendocrine cancer, which he had surgically treated in 2004.

What's wrong with Steve Jobs, and will Apple suffer?

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Ten percent of users account for 90 percent of data traffic

Ten percent of users account for 90 percent of data traffic

Based on an analysis of data trends amongst its own customers, Bytemobile is predicting that video-based content will account for over 60 percent of network traffic this year. Most of this will be 'personal video communications', it says.

Mac, iPod Sales Fall Short: Bye, Bye Steve Jobs

At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.

BAD HARDWARE WEEK: Bye, Bye Stevie


Steve Jobs To Take ‘Medical Leave Of Absence’, Stays On As CEO

Steve Jobs To Take ‘Medical Leave Of Absence’, Stays On As CEO

Monday, January 17, 2011

Siemens indirectly slammed Iranian nuclear facility

Siemens says that program was part of routine efforts to secure its products against cyberattacks. Nonetheless, it gave the Idaho National Laboratory — which is part of the Energy Department, responsible for America’s nuclear arms — the chance to identify well-hidden holes in the Siemens systems that were exploited the next year by Stuxnet.

BAD HARDWARE WEEK: Seems that Energy Department did it by somone's request.

Intel will ramp up 22nm wafer production in 2H 2011

Intel will ramp up 22nm wafer production in 2H 2011

Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

Released

Friday, January 14, 2011

Bill Gates: My Computer in My Home


Thursday, January 13, 2011

AMD Bulldozer 8-core processor, Core i7 50% faster than Intel 950

AMD Bulldozer 8-core processor, Core i7 50% faster than 950

Iphone 4 launch

A nice addition to the Verizon iPhone 4 is that it will act as a 3G “Personal Hotspot” for up to five devices (another nod to Verizon Wireless’ confidence in its network's reliability).

F35B fighter ends vertically

Video.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Confirmation Apollo 12 flew to the Moon





Vintage color calendar photo of Playboy Playmate Miss August 1967, DeDe Lind, which was stowed away in the Apollo 12 command module Yankee Clipper during its November 1969 voyage to the moon. Measuring approximately 4.5 x 6.5, the topless image is an original taken from one of the 1969 calendars published by Playboy and features the month and year of the Apollo 12 mission—November 1969. Prior to the mission, it was affixed to a cardboard cue card and, unbeknownst to the crew, secreted onboard their spacecraft. Normal wear as one would expect from an object that made the approximately 475,000 mile round-trip journey to the moon and back, this flown iconic piece of 1960s pop culture still retains its Velcro strips which were used to affix it inside the spacecraft. As provenance, signed in black felt tip on the reverse by the mission’s command module pilot, “Flown on Apollo XII. Richard Gordon, CMP.” Accompanying as provenance is a 2009 COA signed by Gordon that reads in part: “This is to certify that the accompanying 4.5” x 6.25” cue card…did, indeed, accompany me on my trip to the moon in the Command Module Yankee Clipper aboard the historic Apollo 12 lunar landing mission…This cue card, which flew with me to the moon, has been in my sole possession and part of my personal space collection since my return from the moon in 1969 aboard America’s second lunar landing mission, and it remains one of the all-time greatest Apollo era astronaut ‘Gotcha’s!’” Also accompanied by a color 8.5 x 11 photo signed with a somewhat racy yet firmly tongue-in-cheek inscription by Lind, referencing her image’s journey to the moon. The ‘flight of the Playboy bunnies’ has gone down in astronaut lore as one of the most iconic astronaut pranks. As fellow Apollo 12 astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean explored the lunar surface—with small black-and-white photocopied Playboy images pasted into the wrist cuff checklists of their spacesuits—Gordon was left alone onboard the command module to circle the moon. It was there, in the silence and loneliness of lunar orbit, that he discovered his surprise stowaway crew ‘mate.’ This cue card was affixed via Velcro strips to the inside of one of his command module lockers. A uniquely risqué item from a successful risky space voyage—this flown artifact remains one of only two known original Playboy bunny color likenesses to have made it to the moon and back!

BAD HARDWARE: Nice clouds and pretty fresh air on Moon !


Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Wireless encryption gets hacked in Amazon's cloud.

Wireless encryption gets hacked in Amazon's cloud.

AN INSECURITY RESEARCHER reckons he can hack wireless networks using Amazon's cloud servers that anyone can lease on the Internet.

IBM DeveloperWorks site hacked and defaced

IBM DeveloperWorks site hacked and defaced

"You have been Hacked !!!, not because of your stupidity That's because we love you, and we want to warn you That your web still has large of vulnerability."

One security firm, the Oświęcim, Poland-based Ariko Security, claimed on the Full Disclosure list that it contacted IBM seven months prior to this breach to warn the company of the site's vulnerabilities. Ariko employee Maciej Gojny identified a number of techniques that could be used to gain access to DeveloperWorks and a number of other IBM sites, including Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Directory Traversal and Frame Injection.


Gates: China's Hu confirms stealth jet test-flight !


Some analysts have said that the J-20 photos
, if authentic, were a strong indicator that China was making faster-than-expected progress in developing a rival to Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor, the world's only operational stealth fighter designed to evade detection by radar.

BAD HARDWARE WEEK: Canards are visible in the shot above. China should operationally use J-20 in 2019.
Possible a year earlier, to intercept in time stealth Russians in the sky. Look at the take off video. The maiden flight of the J-20 lasted 18 minutes and was conducted on January 11.

Sony to announce A77 24 Mpixel camera , ISO 100.000 on August 24th


Up to now, seen only in the top professional models.

Sony is interesting because use of mirror-less designs. Yes, with APS-C size sensor.
Using announced specs it could be a killer, compact basic angle angle camera.
Well, I am not sure on 24 Mpixel resolution at ISO 100000, but at lower resolution.
Anyway, a great camera. July - September, probably August 24th available.

BAD HARDWARE WEEK: What do you say about 60 Mpixel Panorama shot size of this monster? Compared with your current 15Mp camera. And 70% viewfinder electronic enhacement.

PC sales set to plummet

Computer purchases would decline by 39% and cellphones would decline by 56% compared with last year, global managing consulting company Accenture said

AMD CEO Dirk Meyer Resigns, ARM in mobile designs?

Advanced Micro Devices has announced that Dirk Meyer has resigned from the post of CEO

Can ARM help AMD win the mobile game?

Friday, January 07, 2011

So, Now That We Know Facebook's Numbers, Is It WORTH $50 Billion?

So, Now That We Know Facebook's Numbers, Is It WORTH $50 Billion?

2009 REVENUE
: $775 million

2009 PROFIT: $200 million

2010 REVENUE: ~$2 billion
2010 PROFIT: ~$500 million

2009 EARNINGS: $200 million (actual)
2010 EARNINGS: ~$500 million (actual)
2011 EARNINGS: ~$1 billion (possible)
2012 EARNINGS: ~$2 billion (possible)
2013 EARNINGS: ~$3.5 billion (possible)


Is Intel killing x86 architecture?


We will no longer be bound by the shackles of x86 architecture.

Nvidia shares spiked by Windows 8 for ARM

Shift of Earth's magnetic north pole affects Tampa airport ?!


Shift of Earth's magnetic north pole affects Tampa airport

New research shows the pole moving at rapid clip—25 miles (40 kilometers) a year toward Russia.
"It's moving really fast," he said. "We're seeing something that hasn't happened for at least 500 years."

BAD HARDWARE: Having that in mind, how the hell Columbus only managed to find America in 1492 ?

Slots-theft case using software exploit expands "worldwide"

Slots-theft case expands "worldwide"

Bomber B2 falls without this ?

Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 80plus :

BAD HARDWARE: Seems that B2 runs on Xeon based servers.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Detroit: Obama, we have a problem. Guess which one.

They said that China was probably several years behind Russia, whose first stealth fighter, the Sukhoi T-50, made its first flight in January 2010, but that Beijing was catching up faster than expected.

The U.S. cut funding for the F-22 in 2009 in favor of the F-35, a smaller, cheaper stealth fighter that made its first test flight in 2006 and is expected to be fully deployed by around 2014.

Computerized LCD glasses


Or, for an I-can't-believe-I'm-this-impressed-by-glasses moment, slide your finger along the side of the specs to active a tiny gyroscope that'll adjust the focus as you move your head.

Houston, we've had a problem !

From Apollo 13 transcripts (Apollo 11 ones will follow soon):

I believe we've had a problem here. 02 07 55 28

Jack Lousma (CAPCOM)
This is Houston. Say again, please.

02 07 55 35 Jim Lovell (CDR)
Houston, we've had a problem. We've had a MAIN B BUS UNDERVOLT.

02 07 55 42 Jack Lousma (CAPCOM)
Roger. MAIN B UNDERVOLT.

02 07 55 58 Jack Lousma (CAPCOM)
Okay, stand by, 13. We're looking at it.

02 07 56 10 Fred Haise (LMP)
Okay. Right now, Houston, the voltage is—is looking good. And we had a pretty large bang associated with the CAUTION AND WARNING there. And as I recall, MAIN B was the one that had had an amp spike on it once before.

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Google's new Honeycomb tablet OS will require a dual-core ARM

A 1,280x720 screen resolution may also be necessary, although Cha affirmed that "Honeycomb does not require 10-inch [screens] ... it's going to go as small as 7 inch."

Bad hardware: I suspect that for 7 inch version will be quite enough single core ARM.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Happy BAD New Year !




Cheers !

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?