STOP Terrorism Software Developed
In order to combat asymmetric threats like terrorism, security analysts need more than piles of data. It takes a network to fight a network.
So keeping this in mind, researchers at the University of Maryland’s Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) have developed software that allows faster analysis and forecast of potential terrorist behavior as well as allows networking with other analysts. Called the “SOMA Terror Organization Portal (STOP)”, the project is headed by V S Subrahmanian, an Indian origin Computer Science Professor at UMIACS.
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New Projectors from Epson, BenQ
Two new projectors are now available in the Indian market: the BenQ CP220C, a portable DLP model, and the Epson EMP-1825, a wireless projector that can function without PC intervention. The BenQ product is of the size of a B5 paper; the wireless model from Epson is being promoted as a multimedia business projector.
The BenQ CP220C has a Carl Zeiss lens. Native resolution is XGA (1024 x 768); rated brightness is 2000 lumens; and rated contrast ratio is 700:1. The real-time Auto-Keystone technology automatically checks the projector’s tilting angle and corrects the projected image without any need for user intervention, BenQ says.
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Cell Phone Radiation Affects Human Skin Proteins
For some time now the usage mobiles phones has been associated to cause a number of dangerous diseases including brain tumor and cancer of salivary gland. Now a new research carried out by Finnish scientists has revealed that radiation from mobiles phones could alter the protein structure of the human skin, although its affect on the health is not yet known.
A group of researchers at the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) carried out tests where some part of participants’ skin was exposed to GSM signal for a period of one hour. The researchers then conducted biopsies of the exposed skin and compared it with the biopsy reports carried out on non-exposed parts of the skin.
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Trawl of two groups’ genes shows differences
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A trawl through the genes of white people in Utah and Yoruba people in Nigeria shows a significant number of differences that can explain why some groups respond differently to drugs than others.
The findings also suggest that genes underlie some susceptibility to diseases in a general population, the researchers report in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
What the study does not show, the researchers stress, is that any of these differences are necessarily racial. But they are a first step toward a day when medical care may be tailored not only for individuals, but for entire groups.
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Microsoft cuts Vista prices to urge upgrades
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it plans to cut prices of its Windows Vista operating system sold at retail outlets in a move aimed at pushing customers to switch to the newest version of Windows.
The world’s largest software maker said it plans to lower retail prices for Vista in 70 countries later this year in tandem with the shipment of the first major update to Vista, known as Service Pack 1 (SP1).
Packaged versions of Windows Vista sold at stores and on the Web account for less than 10 percent of all licenses of the dominant Windows operating system that sits on more than 90 percent of the world’s personal computers.
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Google unveils personal medical record service
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – Google Inc has unveiled a plan to help U.S. patients gain control of their medical records and is working with doctors’ groups, pharmacies and labs to help them securely share sensitive health data.
The company’s long-rumored entry into the highly sensitive field came when Chief Executive Eric Schmidt introduced Google Health at a health-care conference in Florida on Thursday.
Google said it has signed deals with hospitals and companies including medical tester Quest Diagnostics Inc, health insurer Aetna Inc, Walgreens and Walmart Stores Inc pharmacies.
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“ShifD” for PC-Mobile Data Transfer
We were among the first to report availability of Adobe AIR, a new cross-operating system application runtime that extends rich Internet applications to the desktop.
An early adopter of AIR, the New York Times Company, has gone ahead and announced the Beta launch of ShifD, an application that allows users to seamlessly shift content between PCs and mobiles using AIR.
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Now Enjoy Great Reads on Mobile
In a bid to marry great literature with technology, publisher Penguin Books India has partnered Mobifusion, developer of mobile technologies, to bring books to the mobile platform.
Mobile users across India can now access great reads on their very own mobiles; the first three books on offer being: “The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living with Mother Teresa” compiled by Jaya Chaliha and Edward Le Joly; “The Path to Tranquillity” by Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama; and “The Book of Prayer” edited by Renuka Narayanan.
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Microsoft enters virtualization with Windows server
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp released the latest version of its Windows operating system for powerful servers on Wednesday, thrusting itself into the red-hot market for virtualization technology that allows one computer to act like many machines.
Windows Server 2008 marks Microsoft’s first major challenge against VMware Inc, the leader in virtualization, by building the technology into its core operating system.
For the time being, Microsoft will ship Windows Server 2008 with a test version of its “Hyper-V” technology, which adds an extra layer of software that sits between the operating system and hardware, but it expects to add the full feature to the software within six months.
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Nintendo Wii outsells PS3 4-to-1 in Japan
TOKYO (Reuters) – Nintendo Co Ltd’s Wii game console outsold Sony Corp’s PlayStation 3 nearly 4-to-1 in Japan in February as Wii software titles dominated the best seller list, a game magazine publisher said.
Nintendo sold 331,627 units of the Wii in the four weeks to February 24, compared with 89,131 units of the PS3, Enterbrain said on Thursday.
The Wii’s lead on the PS3 appears to be widening: In January, Nintendo’s game console outsold Sony’s by almost 3-to-1.
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