Ethanol fuel was always a mystery to me. Really, I never took the time to learn about it until I watched this 3:31 video that shows how a Pennsylvania company, Coskata, converts anything that contains carbon into fuel. Yeah, it’s an infomercial for GM, but it always quickly explains the whole waste to fuel conversion process and so it might be worth your time.
Michiel Rhoen writes in to tell us about photography instructor and author, Thom Hogan, who has embraced the CwF+RtB philosophy by offering a limited edition deal (only 25 spots available with 4 already taken at the time of writing this) where Mr. Hogan will sit down one-on-one with each buyer for 3 hours. During those 3 hours, Hogan is game for almost any kind of photography consulting, giving his professional advice on camera equipment, portfolio reviews, help with post processing work or just a long chat over a meal together. But that’s not all… The complete Thom Hogan Limited Edition package (US$849) includes:
So this deal is aimed directly at folks who own a very specific camera and who happen to be able to travel to see Hogan when he’s available for the one-on-one time. It’s not exactly going to make Hogan a millionaire (at best, it’s going to make him $21,225 gross). But it’s a great example of how an author can take advantage of actual scarcities (Hogan’s time and expertise) as part of a business. I do find it interesting that Hogan’s limited edition offer is an experiment that might demonstrate the advantages of selling an author’s time over selling content that is already created. I imagine if this package sells out, that Hogan will expand this limited offer to other specific cameras. And I’d bet he’d even be able to crowdfund a new book if enough amateur photographers ask him to create his next “complete guide” for a camera he might not otherwise have reviewed.
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One CD-ROM drive: $18.99
Some wire and electrical tape: $2.50
Installing a CD-ROM drive to use as a CD player in your car: priceless.
Ok, so it’s DIY, but maybe not a DIY you’d really want to do. This little project is certainly a choice, but if you are so inclined and find you have the need, but not the budget, you can probably whip this one up yourself.
I’m not sure how well this would work though, there’s not much buffering on a drive like this so the slightest bump will probably cause your CD to skip. You’ll also need a IDE drive, since the power connections are different for a SATA. For more of these, shall we say, creative projects, click on over to “There I fixed it“.
Toshiba just announced their latest advancement in CMOS technology, the BSI (back-side illumination) sensor. The BSI sensor is designed to improve high ISO (or low light) photography by decreasing the amount of noise that appears on images taken under these conditions.
This is one of the first major innovations in digital photography that we’ve seen in quite some time, and the potential is enormous. At this point of course, we don’t have any information about when we’ll see this tech in cameras or how much it will cost, but the press release does go in depth about how exactly the technology helps with the hgh ISO problem.
From the press release:
TOKYO, Japan., October 27, 2009 – Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) today announced the launch of a new CMOS image sensor that will bring 14.6 million pixels to digital still cameras and to mobile phones supporting video imaging. The sensor, the latest addition to Toshiba’s “Dynastron™” line-up, is also the company’s first to integrate the enhanced sensitivity offered by back-side illumination technology (BSI). Sampling of the new sensor will begin in December and mass production will follow from the third quarter of 2010 (July–September).
BSI brings new levels of responsiveness to CMOS imaging. Lenses are deployed on the rear of the sensor on the silicon substrate, not on the front, where wiring limits light absorption. This positioning boosts light sensitivity and absorption by 40% compared to existing Toshiba products, and allows formation of finer image pixels.
Toshiba has made full use of the advantages of BSI to realize image pixels with a pitch of 1.4 microns, and to pack 14.6 million of them into a 1/2.3-inch sensor that meets the high level imaging and processing requirement, and that will also bring a new level of image quality to mobile phones. Toshiba will use the new sensor to promote its full-scale entry to digital camera market, and will continue to develop BSI products as a mainstream technology.
The new sensor will be mass produced at Toshiba’s Oita Operations, on industry leading 300mm wafer lines deploying 65nm process technology. Initial production will be at a volume of 500,000 sensors a month.
CMOS image sensors are a focus product of Toshiba’s System LSI business. Until now, their main application has been in mobile phones, where Toshiba could leverage its high density integration and low power consumption technologies. With the introduction of BSI CMOS sensors, Toshiba will reinforce the sensor business by expanding application to include digital cameras.
[via Photorumors]
The Headsoft team has ported the classic ZX Spectrum platformer game Manic Miner to the Nintendo DS. This release includes various stages of the Manic…
Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7, has much brighter prospects than Windows Vista had upon initial release. Its core code, while it comes from Vista, has been improved through several developer cycles; moreover, Windows 7 went through far more extensive beta testing than Vista ever did.
In addition to these points, our newest GigaOM Pro research report from Kevin over at jkOnTheRun, “Windows 7 Forecast: Mostly Sunny With a Chance of Showers,” takes a balanced look at one of Microsoft’s most important product releases in many years. Here are some of the highlights from Kevin’s analysis.
It’s Headed for Netbooks. As Kevin notes in his report: “Netbooks sold with Windows 7 ought to help tremendously with adoption rates, as that market is one of the few computer hardware categories showing signs of growth -– simply pre-installing Windows 7 on netbooks should give rise to a noticeable boost in the adoption rate while buffering against losing market share to other solutions.”
Fewer Hardware Problems Than Vista Had. Windows 7 goes to great lengths to overcome the hardware driver challenges and performance issues that plagued Windows Vista. And it reached more users during its beta testing phase than Vista ever did — which was a deliberate move on Microsoft’s part, compared to its past beta cycles.
New Types of Devices Targeted. The report also discusses how Windows 7 is positioned to be used on new types of touchscreen devices. These should come in many form factors, and could take Windows in directions it hasn’t gone toward before.
You’ll find these and many other topics discussed in our latest Pro research report. Subscribe for $79 to check it out here.
Proponents of the Senate Finance Committee’s health care bill say the legislation will limit the amount that lower- and middle-income people must pay for health insurance to a maximum of 12 percent of their incomes.
But there’s a catch: The fine print shows that, over time, the premium costs could rise well beyond those caps. That’s because the cost of coverage would shift from a percentage of income to a percentage of the premium, no matter how high the premiums go.
Because premiums generally rise faster than wages, consumers getting subsidies would pay a larger percentage of their incomes toward premiums over time. But the provision means slower-growing subsidy costs for the government. That trade-off reflects the difficult balancing act lawmakers face as they try to hold down the bill’s overall price tag while also trying to provide financial help to millions who will be required to have coverage, but may not be able to afford it.
The first year the legislation would take effect, people getting subsidized coverage would be required to pay from 2 to 12 percent of their incomes for insurance. The government would pick up the rest of the tab. People with lower incomes would pay less and those with higher incomes more.
But in the second year, it changes. From then on, it is based on a percentage of the premium that was paid the first year, no matter how far premiums rise.
For years, health insurance premiums have risen faster than wages, and the trend is expected to continue.
“People are going to have to keep paying more and more,” says Judith Solomon, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan Washington research group that looked at the effect in a recent paper.
The way the subsidies are indexed, she says, has so far taken a back seat to a larger debate among lawmakers, budget hawks, consumer advocates and others that is more focused on the size of the subsidies – and how much of their income people should initially be forced to put toward coverage.
How It Would Work
Solomon’s paper offers an example of a family of three making 220 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $40,282. In the first year, the family would be required to pay 8 percent of its income for premiums, or $3,223. That amount represents 29 percent of $11,083, the average 2009 cost of high deductible family coverage offered by employers.
Let’s assume in subsequent years that the family’s income kept pace with inflation and they remained at 220 percent of the federal poverty level. They would continue to pay 29 percent of the cost of the premium. But because premiums are likely to rise faster than inflation, Solomon’s analysis found, the family’s cost would soon rise above 8 percent of their income.
Since 1999, insurance premiums have jumped 131 percent, while wages increased 38 percent, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is a program of the Foundation.) This year, the average premium for all family policies rose about 5 percent, to $13,375 annually, the foundation reported, while workers’ wages rose 3.1 percent.
Robert Laszewski, president of the consulting firm Health Policy and Strategy Associates in Arlington, Va., says the indexing makes it harder for Congress to meet President Barack Obama’s goals of providing affordable coverage. “The president has promised health insurance security for the middle class, but there are … problems with that,” he said. “The first is the size of the subsidies to start with. And apparently, the way that Senate Finance has structured the plan, the subsidies as a percentage of income will dwindle each year.”
All the major bills before Congress have subsidies for people under 400 percent of poverty, which is currently $73,240 for a family of three. They all link the amount people getting subsidies would have to pay to a percentage of their income in the first year.
The Finance Committee provision (.pdf) would help hold down the amount of federal subsidies needed, by shifting more of the growth in costs to consumers over time. Already, subsidies represent about $450 billion of the estimated $900 billion price tag of the legislation over 10 years.
“They did this to make subsidies a little cheaper,” says Karen Pollitz, director of the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University. “But it means that if you’re [a low-income policyholder] struggling in the first year, it will get harder and harder … unless we have some massive breakthrough in cost containment” and the growth of premiums slows.
A policy paper by Elise Gould and Alexander Hertel-Fernandez at the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan Washington think tank, says payments by low- and middle-income families should be based on a percentage of income, not premium costs so that “subsidies do not become grossly insufficient over time.”
Employers Follow Similar Model
Still, linking how much people who qualify for subsidies pay for their insurance to a percentage of their premiums is similar to what many employers do.
On average, employers pay 73 percent of the cost of family coverage, with workers picking up the rest, the Kaiser survey shows. If premium costs rise, employers often pass along to workers that same share of the increase. So, if a premium rises by $600 for the year, the employer would pick up $438 and the worker would pay the rest.
“Worker premiums have been going up faster than earnings and they’re seeing it cut into their take-home pay,” says Paul Fronstin of the Employee Benefit Research Institute. “It sounds like the way this legislation is structured, it will continue that” for those with subsidies.
Economist Uwe Reinhardt of Princeton says it would be better to limit the amount paid by lower income families to a percentage of income, even if it required more federal money for subsidies.
“That way the risk is borne by the taxpayer,” says Reinhardt. The way the legislation is written, he added, “the risk of the premium increase is borne by the low-income family.”
Solomon says although this issue has not generated much debate yet, it could if enacted.
But the growth over time of how much people pay toward premiums “will be one of the things to look at once implementation goes forward,” Solomon says. “It gives at least the feeling that there is a real stake in keeping [premium] growth down.”
There was one race conspicuously missing from the J.J. Abrams Star Trek film: the Klingons. They were filmed, but the scene with them questioning Nero was cut for whatever reason. The good news is, in this day and age deleted scenes rarely stay deleted for long. Case in point, SpikeTV just revealed a deleted scene where we do get to see the Klingons, and they ain’t happy with Nero. This is of course a marketing ploy, since there’s a special edition coming out on two DVD’s and Blu-ray this November 17th.
[via Movieweb]
• Four basic periods
Characterized by a principal technology used to solve the input, processing, output and communication problems of the time:
1. Premechanical,
2. Mechanical,
3. Electromechanical, and
4. Electronic
A. The Premechanical Age: 3000 B.C. – 1450 A.D.
1. Writing and Alphabets–communication.
1. First humans communicated only through speaking and picture drawings.
2. 3000 B.C., the Sumerians in Mesopotamia (what is today southern Iraq) devised cuniform
3. Around 2000 B.C., Phoenicians created symbols
4. The Greeks later adopted the Phoenician alphabet and added vowels; the Romans gave
the letters Latin names to create the alphabet we use today.
2. Paper and Pens–input technologies.
1. Sumerians’ input technology was a stylus that could scratch marks in wet clay.
2. About 2600 B.C., the Egyptians write on the papyrus plant
3. around 100 A.D., the Chinese made paper from rags, on which modern-day papermaking is
based.
3. Books and Libraries: Permanent Storage Devices.
1. Religious leaders in Mesopotamia kept the earliest “books”
2. The Egyptians kept scrolls
3. Around 600 B.C., the Greeks began to fold sheets of papyrus vertically into leaves and bind
them together.
4. The First Numbering Systems.
1. Egyptian system: The numbers 1-9 as vertical lines, the number 10 as a U or circle, the
number 100 as a coiled rope, and the number 1,000 as a lotus blossom.
2. The first numbering systems similar to those in use today were invented between 100 and
200 A.D. by Hindus in India who created a nine-digit numbering system.
3. Around 875 A.D., the concept of zero was developed.
5. The First Calculators: The Abacus.
One of the very first information processors.
B. The Mechanical Age: 1450 – 1840
1. The First Information Explosion.
1. Johann Gutenberg (Mainz, Germany)
– Invented the movable metal-type printing process in 1450.
2. The development of book indexes and the widespread use of page numbers.
2. The first general purpose “computers”
– Actually people who held the job title “computer: one who works with numbers.”
Slide Rules, the Pascaline and Leibniz’s Machine.
– Slide Rule.
Early 1600s, William Oughtred, an English clergyman, invented the slide rule
– Early example of an analog computer.
It’s certainly become popular on blogs and on Twitter to create “fake” satirical versions of various famous people. These are usually humorous (or they try to be) over-the-top representations of these celebrities. Usually, they are quite obvious, even to the point of saying that they are “the fake so-and-so” or clearly stating in the bio that this is fake. There should be no confusion around such things. However, a journalist in India who created a “fake” satirical Twitter profile for Indian politician Shashi Tharoor has found herself banned from Twitter without any explanation or chance to appeal. Now, obviously it is Twitter’s right to decide whether or not to shut down certain accounts, but you would think with such an obviously fake profile that the company might be a bit more careful and, at the very least, communicate with the account holder about the issues with the account before just shutting it down.
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Cisco Systems’ $2.9 billion purchase of wireless networking equipment maker Starent might be in trouble: The Law Offices of Brian M. Felgoise, P.C. , a law firm in Pennsylvania thinks that the wireless equipment makes is taking the lowball offer and not striking a hard enough bargain. Cisco’s $3 billion purchase of Tandberg is also facing opposition from shareholders who own 24 percent of the company. I wonder if Cisco might have to raise its offering price on these deals.
INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Information technology is a manifestation of public & private investment in science & engineering (S&E) that is enabling broad and significant changes in society. Many observation, compare the rapid development and expansion of information technology to the industrial revolution in terms of its potential scope & impact on society. Few other modern advances in technology have the capacity to affect so fundamentally the way people work live, learn and govern themselves. As with the industrial revolution, both the time and direction of many changes are difficult to predict.
The relationship between IT& science & engineering has two aspects. In addition to being a product of science and engineering, IT enabling change in S&E. IT has become on important part of the Indian economy for example S&E make extensive use of computer modeling & simulation and large share of database advances in networking facilitate global collaboration in research and product development, implement the results of academic research and conduct significant amounts of applied R&D, IT also influences the pipeline for S&E through its affects on the demand for people with technical skills and through its use in education at all levels.
Information technology reflects the combination of three technologies, digital computing, data storage and ability to transmit digital signal through telecommunication network. Rapid change in semiconductors technology, information storage & networking, combined with advance in software, has enabled new application, cost reduction and widespread diffusion of IT. The expanding array application makes IT more useful & further fuels the expansion of IT.
CONCEPT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Information is a resource which has no value until it is extracted, processed and utilized. Information technology deals with information system, data storage, access, retrieval, analysis and intelligent decision making. Information technology refers to the creation, gathering, processing, storage, presentation and dissemination of information and also the processes and devices that enable all this to be done.
Information technology is affecting us as individual and as a society. Information technology stands firmly on hardware and software of a computer and tele-communication infrastructure.
Just when we thought it couldn’t generate any more hype than it already has (it is coming out really soon, after all), we were proven wrong. Mod…
Everyone knows that we here at CrunchGear love Logitech’s Harmory remotes. Normally though, they are really expensive and perhaps out of the reach of the casual buyer. Good news though, Tiger Direct has one hell of a deal on the 670, a IR remote designed to work with pretty much everything out there.
You’ve got to admit, $39.95 is a pretty good deal. The remote is refurbished, so be aware, however Logitech does warranty the remote for 90 days parts and labor, so you should be pretty safe. Plus, buying one non-refurbished will set you back about $100. You’d be buying it through Ebay, and shipping is free to the continental US. Here’s a list from Logitech of what devices are supported by the H670.
[via Dealnews]
In an ironic twist, it’s coming to light that computers purchased from the Microsoft retail stores will not contain the ‘trialware’ that was typically included in new PC’s. This answers one of the criticisms that Apple users typically had about new PC’s.
This has been confirmed by both employees and witnesses. Microsoft has stated that the machines sold in their stores will be considered to be part of their signature line, and therefore will not include any unnecessary third party software. They will come preloaded with the optional Windows Live Essentials pack, Bing 3D Maps, Security Essentials, and the Zune client. Previously, the only PC manufacturer that has promised ‘craplet’ free systems has been Toshiba, however Sony and Dell have made such configurations available as an option.
[via electronista]
Our own John Biggs already gave the Verizon Droid a quick hands-on earlier today – but in the endless rush of things, he didn’t get a chance to walk it through a proper unboxing ceremony. Somewhat magically (albeit a bit later than we would have hoped), a Droid also happened to show up on my doorstep this morning, so I went ahead and captured the whole undressing for all to see. Enjoy!
Check out the video at MobileCrunch >>
We hit up Verizon’s Motorola DROID event a bit earlier and finally got a chance to check out the DROID in person. Ok, seriously though, Verizon and Motorola engineers were on hand to answer any questions and gave us a quick walkthrough of the handset’s browser and amazingly cool Google Navigation application. We’re pounding away on our own full review with video, but in the meantime you can check out this quick one after the jump.
Wary that Netflix might run out of supply for the disc that they’re distributing to patrons being offered for free for the PS3? VP for Corporate Commu…
Just an interesting visualization of the broadband situation out there. Statistics get a bad rap, probably because they’re always in spreadsheet form when they should be in an infographic. Click away for the full-size version.
Uhhhh, Japan for the win. [via Reddit]
mrtraver writes in to let us know that Kansas City’s courts are apparently overwhelmed with people protesting redlight camera tickets. In fact, the system is so overwhelmed that they’re installing computers outside the courtroom where people can review the video that resulted in their ticket. The hope is that people will realize how clearly the evidence stacks up against them and will drop their complaint. However, some other reports point out that some ticket recipients have been able to get out of the tickets after showing that the yellow light was too short, or that they had made a perfectly legal right turn on red. Of course, what’s troubling is that while the judge let the person off due to the “too short yellow,” it was only that one person. Given how many cities have been caught lowering the yellow light times below the legal limit, it would seem that having it happen in one case deserves at least a deeper investigation, rather than just dumping one person’s ticket. In the meantime, for municipalities thinking about adding such cameras, it’s worth pointing out that bureaucratic (and potentially technology) overhead you may be adding to your court system…
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