TechBeef.org

After Apple began selling Macintosh systems based on Intel processors, a program called “Parallels Desktop” was released that let you run Windows in a window on a Mac. It instantly became the de facto standard for breaking down walls between operating systems on the Mac OS. Parallels uses a technique called “virtualization,” which creates a virtual computer running within the physical, real computer. Called a “virtual machine,” it can use different operating systems, allowing Mac users to simultaneously run, say, Windows or Linux.
Read theFull Story Here.

If Dreamworks Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg is right, you’ll soon be out shopping for the latest in designer glasses. 3-D glasses that is. Hollywood studios such as Dreamworks, Walt Disney and 20th Century Fox are betting 3-D will finally become the next big thing in film, luring moviegoers to the theater with advancements in a technology that first caught viewers’ attention in the 1950s. “In five to seven years, all movies will be made in 3-D,” Katzenberg said Wednesday at the start of an inaugural four-day 3-D festival in Singapore.
Read theFull Story Here.

Google has opened an online photo gallery that will feature millions of images from Life magazine’s archives that have never been seen by the public before. The new service debuted Tuesday with about 2 million photos. Eventually, Google plans to scan all 10 million photos from Life’s library so they can be viewed on any computer with an Internet connection. About 97 percent of Life’s archives have not been publicly seen, according to Life. The photos can be printed out for free as long as they aren’t being used as part of an attempt to make money.
Read theFull Story Here.

Facebook plans to start charging for verifying applications built for the social network — an optional process that has upset some developers despite the company’s assurances it will bring plenty of positive benefits. Platform program manager Sandra Liu Huang said Tuesday that Facebook opened the verification process to developers on Monday. The process is meant to increase users’ trust of applications that are posted on the site and to help developers wanting to build a serious business get more visibility with users, she said.
Read theFull Story Here.

Doctors have given a woman a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own stem cells, eliminating the need for antirejection drugs. “This technique has great promise,” said Eric Genden, MD, who did a similar transplant in 2005 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. That operation used both donor and recipient tissue. Only a handful of windpipe, or trachea, transplants have ever been done. If successful, the procedure could become a new standard of treatment, said Genden, who was not involved in the research.
Read theFull Story Here.

JTRipper writes “Monty Python seems to have done the right thing. Instead of issuing take down notices of their videos on YouTube, they are doing it better themselves with their own YouTube channel. They are putting all their clips (including snips from their movies) up in a decent resolution, with the only caveat being a link to buying the movies and TV episodes from Amazon.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Stellian writes “The Federal Communications Commission adopted a Second Report and Order that establishes rules to allow new, sophisticated wireless devices to operate in broadcast television spectrum on a secondary basis at locations where that spectrum is open. It’s the first time we have access to clear specifications for these devices, dubbed TVBDs — ‘TV band devices’ by the FCC. The published guidelines allow manufactures to create protocols and build compatible devices, which could be available in 18 Months, according to Larry Page. The full PDF text of this Second R&O is published on the FCC site.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Today, Microsoft launched the New Xbox Experience for Xbox Live. The list of new features includes the streaming of TV shows and movies through Netflix, the ability to install games to the HDD, an avatar system, and the Community Games platform. The launch itself was shaky at first, but most issues have been smoothed out. Sony-owned Columbia Pictures immediately pulled their movie selection, though it may return when a licensing deal gets worked out. Halo 3 developer Bungie pointed out that not all games will run faster when installed to a HDD because of the way the games already interact with the drive.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

coondoggie writes “NASA is trying to decide between eight space exploration missions that include further exploring Venus and comet composition as well landing on an asteroid or examining the space around Jupiter. The space agency today began accepting solicitations for these space exploration opportunities and will ultimately pick one of them to begin perusing in 2009 with a launch date targeted at 2018. The solicitations and ultimate expedition are part of NASA’s New Frontiers program, which has as its main objective to explore the solar system with medium-class spacecraft missions that will conduct high-quality, focused scientific investigations, NASA said. The first New Frontiers mission was selected in 2003 and will result in the launch of Juno, a Jupiter polar orbiter mission set to blast off in 2011.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Roland Piquepaille writes “In recent months, the concept of ‘cloud computing’ was all the buzz. European researchers think about another name, the World Wide Grid, which could run on top of the Internet. In an article to appear soon, ICT Results will report about the g-Eclipse project. As the scientists said, ‘the g-Eclipse project aims to build an integrated workbench framework to access the power of existing Grid infrastructures. The framework will be built on top of the reliable eco-system of the Eclipse community to enable a sustainable development.’ The project started in July 2006 and was successfully completed in June 2008 for a total cost of 2.5 million including a EU contribution of 1.96 million.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

alphadogg writes “Researchers at the University of Maryland say they have discovered a material to replace lead, a potential environmental hazard, in electronics products. The material, bismuth samarium ferrite (BSFO), was found by researchers in the university’s A. James Clark School of Engineering. It can be used in products such as biomedical imaging devices and inkjet printers, and if implemented commercially could keep lead out of landfills and the ecosystem, they say. While manufacturers have developed replacements for lead in many products, until now no commercial replacement existed for lead zirconate titanate (PZT) — the material of choice for transducers, actuators, sensors and microelectromechanical systems used in common electronic devices, the university says.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

SnT2k writes “Adobe recently released the beta version of Alchemy which compiles C/C++ code into AS3 bytecode (which runs on AVM2) that can run on the Flash or Flex platform and boasts increased performance for computationally-intensive tasks (but still slower than native C/C++). It was demonstrated last year during the Chicago MAX 2007 to run Quake. A few months later it has been demonstrated to run a Python interpreter and Nintendo Emulator. One interesting tidbit is that the thing is built upon the open source LLVM Compiler Infrastructure.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

raque writes “Appleinsider is reporting that the new MacBooks/MacBookPros have built-in copy protection. Quote: ‘Apple’s new MacBook lines include a form of digital copy protection that will prevent protected media, such as DRM-infused iTunes movies, from playing back on devices that aren’t compliant with the new priority protection measures.’ Ars Technica is also reporting on the issue. Is this the deal they had to make to get NBC back? Is this a deal breaker for Apple or will fans just ignore it to get their hands on the pretty new machines? Is this a new opportunity for Linux? And what happened to Jobs not liking DRM?”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Among the titles Nintendo highlighted during E3 this year, “Animal Crossing: City Folks” stood out. Previously a bestselling franchise on the Nintendo GameCube, the updated Wii version, Nintendo said, would take advantage of the console’s Internet connection and new Wii Speak microphone accessory to connect gamers with other players near and far. The purported ability to take part in voice chats while interacting with other players in the game sounded intriguing; however, after playing the game I am more frustrated than impressed.
Read theFull Story Here.

yanx0016 writes “Wow, that’s some news this week at SuperComputing 08. Apparently Microsoft Windows HPC Server 2008, with a Chinese hardware OEM (Dawning), made #10 on the Top500 list, edging out #11 by only 600 Gflops. Folks were shocked to see Microsoft getting so serious around HPC; I think we are only beginning to see a glimpse of Microsoft in the HPC field.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

thricenightly writes “After more than 20 years in IT I’ve learned that the most valuable people in a team are frequently the old timers. Young pups straight out of college might (think they) know all the latest buzzwords and techniques, but in the real world, where getting working products delivered on time and on budget is of paramount importance, people who have been doing the job for a decade or two tend to be the people I’d rather be working alongside. I’ve recently been elevated to a position where I get to interview and choose those who get hired in my department. Although I’m very much focused on choosing the right person for the role regardless of age, experience or whatever, it’s probably fair to say the more mature applicants will get a more sympathetic hearing from me than they might from most other interviewers for IT roles. The question is, what do I ask older applicants to get them to demonstrate the value of their experience? My current gambit is something like ‘IT is seen as a young man’s game. My next applicant after you is 23 years old. What do you know that he doesn’t?’ This gets responses ranging from the vague to the truly enlightened. All next week I’m interviewing for a number of senior software designer and developer roles. What should I be asking of the more experienced applicants, and what responses should I be looking out for?”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Folks in IT tend to ask a lot of questions. We’re a curious breed by nature. In fact, we have to be. Change comes about so quickly in our industry, technology moves so fast, and our businesses adapt so fluidly that we have to ask questions just to keep up. Some might even say that a healthy curiosity is the hallmark of a successful IT professional — and I wouldn’t disagree. So when I’m in the field and an IT professional has a question about some specific technology, about some new regulation, or about their information security program, it’s not usually cause for comment.
Read theFull Story Here.

It’s a small wonder that the Linux operating system remains vibrant in multiple industries and is poised to make a dash for more consumers’ desktops, considering how often misunderstandings get in the way of its advancement. For instance, Linux was not immediately recognized as a real OS in the way that consumers and business owners viewed the Apple computer or IBM PC in the early days of computing. Linux was available in too many confusing distributions. Even today, many non-Linux users misunderstand the open source model.
Read theFull Story Here.

What mistakes will cause emergency communication systems to undergo excessive stress or possibly fail in a disaster, and what steps should be taken to improve performance? One of the biggest challenges for emergency communication centers is the wide range of situations that require responses — including man-made emergencies such as power outages, terrorist attacks, gunshots, toxic fumes and epidemics, as well as natural disasters such as fires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes.
Read theFull Story Here.

Before he ran for president, Barack Obama quit smoking. Now that he’s won the job, he may have to break another addiction: checking his BlackBerry for e-mail. The president’s e-mail can be subpoenaed by Congress and courts and may be subject to public records laws, so if a president doesn’t want his e-mail public, he shouldn’t e-mail. Also, there may be security issues about carrying around trackable cell phones. Though no decision has been made public, it seems unlikely he’ll carry his BlackBerry, and he may be in for some withdrawal pains.
Read theFull Story Here.

A video for the title track on hip-hop veteran Common’s forthcoming album, “Universal Mind Control,” begins with a digital music player pulsing to the beat. The viewer is pulled through the screen into the gadget’s guts, where the cool, collected rapper lets loose an easy stream of lyrics. It takes hitting rewind a few times to notice that the music player isn’t one of Apple’s slim new iPods. It’s a Zune, and it’s made by Microsoft. Since it first landed two years ago, the Zune has been the butt of many jokes.
Read theFull Story Here.

Pickens writes “The oldest genetically identifiable nuclear family met a violent death, according to analysis of remains from 4,600-year-old burials in Germany where the broken bones of these stone age people show they were killed in a struggle. Comparisons of DNA from one grave confirm it contained a mother, father, and their two children. ‘We’re really sure, based on hard biological facts not just supposing or assuming,’ says Dr. Wolfgang Haak, from The Australian Centre for Ancient DNA. The stone-age people are thought to belong to a group known as the Corded Ware Culture, signified by their pots decorated with impressions from twisted cords. The children and adult males had the same type of strontium in their teeth — which was also found locally, but the nearest match to the women’s teeth was at least 50km away, suggesting they had moved to the area. ‘They were definitely murdered, there are big holes in their heads, fingers and wrists are broken,’ says Dr. Alistair Pike from Bristol University. He noted that one victim even had the tip of a stone weapon embedded in a vertebra. ‘You feel some kind of sympathy for them, it’s a human thing, somebody must have really cared for them. … We don’t know how hard daily life was back there and if there was any space for love,’ added Dr. Haak.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Gamasutra reports on a talk by Far Cry 2 developer Dominic Guay in which he discussed why procedural content generation is becoming more and more important as games get bigger and more complex. He also talks about some of the related difficulties, such as the amount of work required for the tools and the times when it’s hard to retain control of the art direction. Quoting: “Initially, the team created a procedural sky rendering approach based on algorithms — which led to a totally unconvincing skybox that was clearly inferior to what a hand-authored skybox would be. ‘We considered it to be a total failure,’ he said. He explained that a great deal of focus must be put on the tools that surround the algorithms, to allow the systems to be properly harnessed. In the end, the game shipped with a revamped procedural sky system that ended up much more effective than the first attempt.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

coondoggie writes “The Federal Trade Commission yesterday had a US District Court issue a temporary restraining order halting the sale of RemoteSpy keylogger spyware. According to the FTC’s complaint, RemoteSpy spyware was sold to clients who would then secretly monitor unsuspecting consumers’ computers. The defendants provided RemoteSpy clients with detailed instructions explaining how to disguise the spyware as an innocuous file, such as a photo, attached to an email.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.