 The great thing about democracy is that it gives every voter a chance to do something stupid. -- Art Spander Group 5 likely to disconnect $90m Telstra deal Telstra is set to lose its $90 million outsourcing contract with the federal government’s Group 5 agencies in the wake of a serious security breach involving the loss of backup tapes from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC). On Branding and Copyright--Open Source For Entrepeneurs Grant, got a link for TNN - it's an article about copyright and branding of open source software, which I thought you might be interested in - Kris Mac Supercomputer Just Got Faster The first supercomputer made from a cluster of Macs is on track to become the world's third-fastest machine, according to the latest test results. Leander Kahney reports from the O'Reilly Mac OS X Conference in Santa Clara, California. I, Cringely: Catch the Wave: Why the Next Big Wave of Computing Might Be Inspired by Bees The size is smaller, but the scope is bigger, with the result that I believe a startup in St. Louis, MO, called Tsunami Research, which is taking the idea of distributed computing about as far as anyone can imagine. Sun delivers yet another shot at Earth As Earth's magnetic field weathered a strong solar shock wave this week, the sun unleashed another powerful flare that could herald more geomagnetic storms on Thursday. 'Smart' Wings Made Pterosaurs Agile Flyers Scientists have used CAT scans, a staple of modern hospitals, to peer inside the heads of extinct reptiles known as pterosaurs, the first flying vertebrates to emerge during the age of the dinosaurs. The findings, published today in the journal Nature, indicate that a specialized brain and inner ear structure allowed the creatures to fly and hunt down prey successfully. World Beard and Moustache Championships This. Is. Wrong. Plain Wrong.  
|
Too bad the only people who know how to run the country are busy driving cabs and cutting hair. -- George Burns NASA's Earth Observatory Shows Solar Flare Photos here Processing at the Speed of Light An Israeli startup has developed a processor that uses optics instead of silicon, enabling it to compute at the speed of light Wired balls to enhance play A SMART cricket ball that can help analyse a bowler's performance will begin field trials soon. Radio tags for Hunter Holdens The Hunter Holden dealership group will tag every vehicle it sells with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology as it overhauls its dealer management systems. Green Tea and Ginger Show New Cancer-Combating Abilities The potential health benefits of drinking green tea are varied, ranging from preventing bad breath to protecting your heart. Recent studies have also suggested that a topical cream based on the beverage may help fend off skin cancer. Congressmen want NASA to ax space plane Two leading members of the House Science Committee are urging NASA to defer its developing space plane program because of concerns about cost and the potential benefit of the craft. Shuttle crew added to U.S. space memorial The names of the seven Columbia astronauts who died in February were added to a national memorial at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Microsoft Fires Mac Fan For Blog Photo Microsoft has fired a full-time temp employee after it discovered that the employee posted in his blog a photo and story concerning Microsoft's purchase of what looks to be around 18 G5s. Sun seals state deal SUN has cut a deal with the NSW Government in hopes of getting its software on more of the state's computers. Sun rising on the desktop First look at Java Desktop System shows it has potential Brothel-on-wheels hits the road The sign on the front of the bus read ``Come try something different with us'' but police in Istanbul say the four people running Turkey's first brothel-on-wheels may be breaking the law. Police Officer Jailed over Star Jumps A Florida police officer has resigned because of allegations that he allowed a pair of teenagers to avoid arrest by doing topless jumping jacks. SCO Madness Reigns Supreme SCO: IBM cannot enforce GPL Free Software Foundation is the only entity that can enforce the GPL, SCO officials say.   
|
No problem is so formidable that you can't walk away from it. -- Charles M. Schulz The Ten Most Abused Words in Tech Overused words not only make us wince, but they can confuse and obfuscate as well. We run down the top 10 offenders. NVIDIA calls the kettle black Graphics chip maker NVIDIA has called on the graphics card industry to halt the common practice of optimising graphics drivers for benchmarks only, and only to optimise drivers where benefits are seen in both computer games and benchmarks. How spammers are targeting blogs Technology analyst Bill Thompson has been getting lots of comments on his weblogs, unfortunately most of the want to sell him Viagra. He has been "flyblogged". Microsoft launches Office 2003 MICROSOFT has launched the newest version of its Office software in New York, kicking off a $US150 million ($214 million) ad campaign in hopes of convincing customers to upgrade. Special report: The birth of Samba In this ZDNet Australia special report, the creator of the open source file-sharing software Samba, Andrew Tridgell, explains how he came to write the software that has earned him Bulletin magazine's Smartest 100 award in the ICT sector for 2003. I, Cringely: How Microsoft's Misunderstanding of Open Source Hurts Us All This week, speaking at a Gartner conference in Orlando, Florida, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said some fascinating things about Linux and about Open Source software in general. And thanks to those remarks and the blinding realization they caused for me, I finally understand exactly why Microsoft doesn't understand Open Source. EU Tries to Force MS to Compete The European Commission is trying to avoid the same pitfalls that tripped up the United States in its Microsoft case, where business practices judged illegal three years ago still linger. Linux Is the Enterprise Operating System Linux's day as a mainstream enterprise server operating system isn't coming. It's arrived, says eWEEK.com Linux & Open Source Center Editor Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols. SuSE signs up key software partner SuSE Linux has enlisted the backing of server-software maker Veritas Software, an important step in supporting the needs of business computing and keeping up with top Linux seller Red Hat. SCO & UNIX: A Comedy of Errors With the recent announcement by Novell that SCO does not own the copyrights and patents to UNIX, SCO's aggressive legal campaign is losing air fast. It is beginning to look like classic farce. SCO v. IBM Part Deux Much Sound and Fury, Little Enlightenment Should UnitedLinux Boot SCO? UnitedLinux, formed with high hopes and a spirit of cooperation, now appears to be anything but united. The umbrella group of four Linux vendors is a house divided, an organization whose members seem to be at cross purposes with each other.  Long March 4B Satellite Launch Seen here, the Long March 4B rocket lifts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province at 11:16 p.m. EDT (0316 GMT). Its main cargo arrived in orbit 13 minutes later and a second, smaller Chinese spacecraft was ejected 40 seconds after that.  
|
'What appealed to [Clive Owen] was the script. "It's a new take on the whole King Arthur story -- unlike anything you've ever seen before," he says. "What I didn't realize is that King Arthur is actually a myth that developed over hundreds of years and has been slowly pieced together. "There's this sort of romantic vision of Arthur. Our version is set earlier than it's usually set. We have it at 500 A.D. as opposed to medieval times. Basically, the Roman empire is crumbling.Downside - it's got useless lump-of-wood Joel ("I'm Owen Lars and this is my gurlfriend Beru" useless exposition) Edgerton in it. Hopefully he dies in a gory mess of swords and arrows....
"I play Arthur, who is half-Roman," Owen says. "He's a commander of a crack team of military knights who, at the beginning of the movie, gets the mission from hell -- to go into dangerous, unknown territory and rescue a family as the Saxons are invading by the thousands, and the rebels are out there fighting. Meanwhile, Arthur has always held onto Rome as something he wants to return to and something he reveres, but it keeps changing."' (Again emphasis added by me)
Lightning strikes Gibson's 'Christ'While that's kind of funny, this is my favourite part of the story
ROME, Italy -- Actor Jim Caviezel, who plays Jesus in Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of Christ" was struck by lightning during shooting.
An assistant director on the film, Jan Michelini, was also hit -- for the second time in a few months (Added emphasis mine)>Some wags have of course suggest that God might be trying to say something here.....
A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to. -- Granville Hicks I Believe You Have My Stapler! Up the Revolution: The Red Stapler! Staple and be heard! WHAM-cubicles! WHAM-dress code! WHAMWHAMWHAM! By popular demand, we?re offering this desk stapler in screaming, gleaming red. Use with caution (unless you?re the boss).  Remember how the Americans spent a crap load of cash developing a pen that would work in space while the Russians sent their crews up with pencils? Well recent experiments prove that Normal ball point pens work fine in space Duque has discovered that "ordinary" pens work just fine in space and that the famous American versions that use a pressurized ink source may be a little overkill.: Finland creates €1m tech prize FINLAND, known for its high-tech economy, has set up a €1 million ($1.67 million) prize to be awarded for the first time next year to recognise international achievements in technology. Widescreen Wonder For $2,999 you can give your desktop a makeover unlike any other. Running at a stunning 1920 x 1200-pixel resolution, LG Electronics' FLATRON LCD L2320A monitor is bold, black, and bodacious. Study suggests life sprang from clay A team at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said they had shown materials in clay were key to some of the initial processes in forming life. Cloud of solar gas strikes our planet Scientists tracking heightened solar activity in recent days reported some commercial airlines have had to make adjustments to their high-frequency communications, or in some cases switch to alternate satellite systems. 'Naked' Miss Afghanistan slammed PRESIDENT Hamid Karzai's minister for women's affairs yesterday condemned Miss Afghanistan, as Vida Samadzai became the country's first woman in the post-Taliban era to appear in a bikini during a beauty contest in Manila.  
|
Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. -- G. K. Chesterton Strong Solar Storm Could Buffet Earth Friday A strong dose of space weather is forecast to hit Earth Friday, potentially disrupting satellite communications and posing a threat to power grids on Earth. Solar burst could scramble phones, power lines Satellites, pagers, cell phones, and electrical grids could be affected Friday by a moderately powerful ejection of magnetic material from the sun. Is NASA at it again? NASA safety experts opposed latest ISS mission NASA's latest mission to the International Space Station (ISS) was approved despite experts' concerns about the "the continued degradation" of equipment at the orbital outpost. Station crew downplays health concerns During a just-concluded in-flight press conference the commander of the Expedition Eight crew, Mike Foale, said he has no concerns about the health of the crew despite issues raised before their launch about health monitoring equipment aboard the outpost. Bill's a little pissed that people want to use something else: A shut Gates on open source In an interview with The Australian at the Microsoft Office System launch in New York, Mr Gates said any such moves by government were wrongheaded and would result in a reduction in public sector productivity. "Forcing people to use software that is inefficient? Do you want your Government to be efficient?" My question is how does rebotting 4 times a day imporve effieciency. If Gates wanted to improve efficiency then he would have outlook improved as it is the target of 90% of virii and have Exchange fixed. Both of these couse a shitload of problems for sysadmins, especially when Exchange just stops working because it hqas consumed all the available hard drive space. SuSE goes after Exchange SuSE is trying to cut deeper into the market share of Microsoft's Exchange Server e-mail system by rolling out a version of Openexchange that features improved server support for Windows Outlook users. Europe issues open source migration tips A European Commission initiative has issued guidelines to member governments on how to migrate to open source software on both servers and desktops. Red Hat overhauls flagship Linux Dominant Linux seller Red Hat has begun offering the newest incarnation of its product for business customers, a version that opens several new markets for the company. A sad day for Alpha Nerds Swan song for Alpha processor The Alpha processor -- the 64-bit machine on life support for much of its tormented lifetime -- has finally been placed on death row. “When it was introduced by Digital Equipment Corp in November of 1992, it was the fastest chip on the planet,” said Terry Shannon, a computer industry consultant who watched the processor grow from conception at the Digital Equipment to its adolescence at Compaq Computer to its final resting place at HP. “The new server still goes like a bat out of hell. If you have to have an end of the line, it's better to go out with a bang than with a whimper.” Sun and Fujitsu to combine Unix server businesses - report The Nihon Keizai Shimbun is reporting that Sun and Fujitsu plan to standardize their Unix server architectures and have a Fujitsu subsidiary manufacture the gear. Both companies currently make Sparc/Solaris servers, which would make combining their operations a complementary move. I thought that this was a rather smart ad banner:   This guy needs a few pointers ;~]  Pandas should be forced to perform in circuses!  (C) Shouting Red Goanna Inc. |
