Sci-tech
Global
Warming
Scientists
at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography said yesterday
they have discovered the first clear evidence of human-produced
warming in the world's oceans, a finding they say leaves little
doubt that man-made "greenhouse gases" are the main
cause of global climate change. Even if environmental changes
are made immediately, researchers said, some parts of the
world -- including the western United States, South America
and China -- won't be able to stop dramatic water shortages,
melting glaciers and ice packs, and other crises in the next
20 years. "The implications are huge ... and in the short
term, we're sort of screwed," said Tim Barnett, a marine
physicist at Scripps, part of the University of California,
San Diego. Barnett said the findings were so significant that
the Bush administration should immediately convene research
for solutions on the level of the Manhattan Project, the unprecedented
World War II research operation that quickly developed the
atomic bomb.
Macrovision
Aims to stop DVD Rippers
RipGuard
is just the start of tough protection for DVDs. With the introduction
of high-definition DVDs, copy protection will get tougher
yet, observed Ross Rubin, director for industry analysis for
the NPD Group. "One of the key features of the next generation
of DVDs is very strong encryption," he said. The technology,
called RipGuard DVD, is the first product to be verified through
a new programme offered by THX, a San Rafael, California,
provider of quality assurance services for the entertainment
industry. "We have come up with a format-based technology
that uses a unique digital framework per title, and it stops
these rippers cold," said Adam Gervin of Entertainment
Technologies Group. "Since studios are losing over a
billion dollars a year as a result of these rippers, we believe
that we can prevent 97 percent of that revenue loss through
RipGuard DVD," he added.
First
DDR3 Memory Chip
Samsung
Electronics stayed a bit ahead of the curve with its announcement
that it has developed the first working DDR3 DRAM (dynamic
random access memory) device. The 512 MB DDR3 (double data
rate 3) can process data at 1,066 mbps, which Samsung equated
with 8,000 newspaper pages a second. It is expected to be
available in early 2006. "Samsung is the first to announce
that it has built any chips this fast but that's not unusual,"
said Nathan Brookwood of Insight 64. "Samsung typically
leads with regard to the introduction of new memory technologies."
The new memory chip also reduces the amount of battery power
needed to 1.5 volts from 1.8 volts. It will be used in notebook
computers, desktops and servers.
Feeding
meter through Cellular Technology
Tired
of feeding the metre? Dial your cell. That's just what students
and faculty have been doing at the University of California-Santa
Barbara, in the year and a half since the campus, with help
from IBM, overhauled its parking system. Now, experts expect
that more people will dig into their pockets for a phone rather
than a quarter to pay for a parking spot -- at colleges, businesses
or just on the street. Installations are in place in Europe
and in a growing number of North American cities, including
Seattle; Vancouver, Canada; and, soon, Minneapolis.
Computer
Security Comes of Age
A
new generation of security-minded desktop and laptop computers
is giving new marketing life to the IBM Personal Computing
Division. Add to this new line an innovative, out-of-the-box
approach to user authentication and computer security takes
on a much safer atmosphere. A new security platform for business
requires customers to type in their user name and a second
later their cell phone or business line rings. Consumers answer
the call and instantly are logged onto their bank account
or corporate network. That method of user authentication is
already available from Strikeforce Technology. In 2005, IBM
will extend its previously announced biometrics security solutions
by expanding the integration of fingerprint readers more widely
among ThinkPad notebooks. This makes IBM one of the industry's
largest suppliers of biometric-equipped devices. "Every
PC user recognises that security threats are increasing in
volume and complexity," Anderson said. "Our solution
is to provide an even stronger, multi-layered set of security
tools that builds on IBM industry leadership."
Iranian
Scientists produce GM rice
Iran's
first genetically modified (GM) rice has been approved by
national authorities and is currently being grown commercially
for human consumption. Researchers at the Agricultural Biotechnology
Research Institute of Iran (ABRII) modified rice to resist
attack by insects by inserting a bacterial gene that produces
a toxin. The chemical kills insects but is harmless to birds
and mammals. The research was conducted in collaboration with
the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI) using a local variety of aromatic rice, Tarom molaii.
Following laboratory tests, the GM rice was grown in a greenhouse
and in field experiments from 1999 to October 2004 - a total
of six generations. Additional tests showed that the modified
rice had the same nutritional value as the variety it was
developed from. Livestock too accepted the GM rice and had
no adverse health effects from eating it.
Apple
Dots some more 'i's
The most important letter in Apple's alphabet must be "i"
-- not just for its iMac and iBook computers but for its flock
of i-named multimedia applications. ITunes, iPhoto, iMovie
and iDVD -- sold with the Garage Band music mixer in a bundle
called iLife -- turn a Mac into the center of a digital lifestyle,
letting people tap into digital music, photography and movies
with uncommon ease. Apple updated this set of programs last
month with the release of iLife '05 and added a second set
of "iApps," called iWork '05.
Source:
Technewsworld.com / 10e20webdesign.com / Webindia123.com
Compiled
by: Imran H. Khan
Copyright
(R) thedailystar.net 2005
|
|