Ars Technica
-
IBM Makes Supercomputer Significantly Smarter Than Cat
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at IBM have presented at paper at the SC09 supercomputing conference describing a milestone in cognitive computing: the group's massively parallel cortical simulator, C2, now has the ability to simulate a brain with about 4.5 percent the cerebral cortex capac …
-
Google Earth For IPhone Updated To 2.0 With Map Compatibility
Google announced Wednesday that Google Earth for iPhone has been updated to version 2.0. Though the major version number has incremented, the update is rather minor except for a new ability to connect to your saved Google Maps and view them overlaid on its virtual globe. The main reason to grab t …
-
The Ghost Of The PS2: God Of War Collection Reviewed
We're a few months away from the launch of God of War 3, and everyone has played the first two games in preparation, right? For those interested in revisiting the PlayStation 2 classics, or for gamers who somehow missed them the first time around, Sony has released quite the package: God of War 1 an …
-
Finland, Spain Bringing 1Mbps Broadband To Everyone
While the US talks, other countries are acting. Both Finland and Spain have now decided to add "broadband" to their universal service requirements. By 2011, any Finn or Spaniard, no matter where they live, should be able to get a reliable 1Mbps connection at a reasonable price. "Universal service …
-
Sony Hits Snag Getting Its Own Game Out For PSP Go
We're not fans of the PSP Go, and we haven't done much to hide the fact. From the high price to the lack of the secondary market, it just doesn't seem like a great deal for gamers. The one thing it should be good for, however, is getting new releases to you without having to make the trek to the loc …
-
Ars Responds To Big Cable: TV Networks Nothing Like An IPod
Yesterday, the cable industry's top lobbyist made his case to the Ars audience about the virtues of selectable output control. Today, media historian and Ars author Matt Lasar explains why he's not convincedand why iPod upgrades aren't a good analogy for what SOC backers want to do. "Warning! Hol …
-
MacGraPhoto App Bundle Targets Graphically Oriented Users
If you work with graphics and are looking for some new tools to add to your collection, you might want to check out the bundle of seven indie Mac apps in MacGraPhoto. The collection of graphics apps is available for a limited time for just $40a savings of 84 percent off the normal price of buying th …
-
Ethics Leaks Spur House Bill Banning P2P Apps On .gov PCs
Peer-to-peer filesharing applications have been wildly popular, especially among those interested in accessing pirated software, music, and media. But not everyone who operates a P2P client knows how to properly configure the software, and some clients may share entire directories unless explicitly …
-
Silverlight 4 Beta Arrives For Developers
At Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference 2009 (PDC09), the software giant officially unveiled Silverlight 4 and released the first beta. You can grab the Silverlight 4 beta (build 4.0.41108.0) for Windows (7.63MB) or for Mac (15.4MB). Those with a sharp memory will notice the installer file …
-
Queen: We sank the Armada, we can sink some P2P pirates!
Yesterday at 11:30am, the Queen made her way to Parliament in a coach, entered the robing room to receive her crown, then followed someone known as the "Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod" to the door of the House of Commons. The Gentlemen Usher banged thrice upon the door with his black rod, was allo …
-
Smart grids drag utilities into the swamp of online privacy
The smart grid is rapidly becoming a reality in the US, as utilities have been installing networked monitoring and control equipment, both in their own facilities and in their customers' homes. The pace of these installations should accelerate due to recent initiatives from the Department of Energy …
-
I'm in ur atom, probing ur nucleus
It has been 100 years since the Geiger-Marsden experiment upended humanity's longstanding view of the atom as a nice, relatively homogeneous particle. When the alpha particles shot at gold foil targets bounced off at odd angles, it shocked everyone involved (the original paper is now open acces …
-
BlueBeat Beatles tracks gone for good after judge's beatdown
We now have the full legal theory behind BlueBeat.com's attempt to sell remastered Beatles tracks online for a quarter each. It's so odd that the federal judge overseeing a music industry lawsuit against the site decided he didn't even need to hold the hearing scheduled for tomorrow. Instead, he bla …
-
FTC threatens fines, jail for online check service operators
The Federal Trade Commission has charged those behind the shady online check service Qchex with contempt, and wants daily fines imposed on them until they give up the ghost. The group has launched a new sitea Qchex clonewith the same questionable policies that made Qchex a "dinner bell for fraudste …
-
An introduction to the FBI's anti-cyber crime network
The Federal Bureau of Investigation told Congress this week that when it comes to cyber crime, terrorist groups like Al Qaeda aren't the sharpest pencils in the cup, but they're not out of the game either. "It is always worth remaining mindful that terrorists do not require long term, persistent net …
-
The reasons you need to buy Left 4 Dead 2 on PC
Today, we're going to deviate from our standard review format for just a bit... and we beg your indulgence for this exercise. Left 4 Dead 2 is available now, and many of you have most likely already purchased the game. Some may still have hard feelings about how quickly the game was released after t …
-
JavaScript, graphics performance improvements on tap for IE9
The first information about the next version of Microsoft's web browser was revealed at PDC on Wednesday. The announcement described three main areas of improvement: JavaScript, web standards, and graphics technology. IE9 will contain a new, significantly faster JavaScript engine, it will have riche …
-
Spurring IPv6 upgrades through "cash for (network) clunkers"
At the Internet Governance Forum meeting here in Egypt, a session on critical Internet resources started with yet another discussion of the transition from IPv4 to IPv6. This time, talk turned to paying for the upgrade to IPv6a real issue in poorer countries. Rod Beckstrom, the head of the Intern …
-
Good karma: an in-depth review of Ubuntu 9.10
Ubuntu 9.10, codenamed Karmic Koala, climbed down from the tree last month with new features and updated software. For five years and eleven releases, the Ubuntu Linux distribution has delivered a capable desktop operating system built largely on open source software. The new version is another impo …
-
IBM makes supercomputer significantly smarter than cat
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at IBM have presented at paper at the SC09 supercomputing conference describing a milestone in cognitive computing: the group's massively parallel cortical simulator, C2, now has the ability to simulate a brain with about 4.5 percent the cerebral cortex capac …
Ars Technica
