Apple In E-Book Talks, May Have Amazon Kindle In Sights

From Arstechnica:

Apple's long-rumored tablet could end up being a Kindle competitor after all if Apple follows through with some talks. The company is reportedly in negotiations with HarperCollins Publishers for e-book distribution on the device, according to insiders speaking to the Wall Street Journal. Though the deal isn't solid yet, it's an indicator that the upcoming device—expected to be introduced at Apple's media event on January 27—will indeed break into the e-book space.

Read more ....

Fox News "Confirms" Apple Tablet, iLife 2010 & Next iPhone OS

From FOX News:

Fox News posted an article Monday claiming that not only will next week's now-confirmed Apple event play host to the long-rumored tablet unveiling, but it will also see the next iteration of Apple's iLife software on show. Fox's report also claims that Apple will discuss the next iPhone OS update.

The article by Fox News' Clayton Morris is boldly titled "Apple Tablet, iPhone 4 Launch Confirmed for January 27th" (never mind the fact that it's always iffy to "confirm" any new Apple product until Steve Jobs stands onstage with it), and goes on to detail a conversation Morris allegedly had with an Apple source early Monday morning.

Read more ....

China To Offer More Money To Report Online Smut

Customers play computer games at an Internet cafe in Taiyuan, Shanxi province in this July 23, 2009 file photo. The Chinese government will offer greater cash rewards to people reporting online smut after handing out 224,000 yuan ($32,810) as of late last week, state media said on Monday. REUTERS/Stringer/Files

From Reuters:

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese government will offer greater cash rewards to people reporting online smut after handing out 224,000 yuan ($32,810) as of late last week, state media said on Monday.

China has run a highly publicised campaign against what officials said were banned smutty and lewd pictures overwhelming the country's Internet and threatening the emotional health of children.

Read more ....

Apple Fuels Buzz Over Tablet Computer

From Financial Times:

Apple on Monday ratcheted up the public relations buzz surrounding the launch of a new product, widely expected to be a tablet-sized computer, this month.

It sent out a press invitation via email, inviting journalists to “come see our latest creation”. Whilst far from explicit, as is Apple’s wont, the invitation was the strongest confirmation yet of what has been the company’s most anticipated new product since the launch of the iPhone three years ago.

Read more ....

Blondes Are More Aggressive Than Brunettes 'Because They Attract More Male Attention'

From The Daily Mail:

After years of being the butt of jokes about being dumb, blondes may be having the last laugh after all, research has revealed.

An academic study has found that women with fair hair are more aggressive and confident than brunettes or redheads.

This is because blondes attract more attention than other women as they are generally viewed by men as more attractive and so are used to getting their own way, the researchers claim.

Read more ....

Fleet Of High-Tech Robot 'Gliders' To Explore Oceans

Glider under water. (Credit: Holger v. Neuhoff, IFM-GEOMAR)

From Science Daily:

Science Daily (Jan. 18, 2010) — The Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR) in Kiel, Germany, recently obtained the biggest fleet of so-called gliders in Europe. These instruments can explore the oceans like sailplanes up to a depth of 1000 metres. In doing so they only consume as much energy as a bike light. In the next years up to ten of these high-tech instruments will take measurements to better understand many processes in the oceans. Currently scientists and technicians prepare the devices for their first mission as a 'swarm' in the tropical Atlantic.

Read more ....

The Science Behind The Cell Phone Cancer Scare

There are theories of how cell phones may cause cancer but
studies have yet to find a link. Credit: Stockxpert

From Live Science:

Do cell phones cause brain cancer? There's no good reason to think they do.

But if we are to believe the gospel truth delivered by physicists that radio waves from cell phones simply aren't powerful enough to break chemical bonds, the trait of all cancer-causing mutagens, why then do very smart people — smarter than me, for sure — continue to investigate this matter?

Read more ....

No Bananas On My Space Flight

From New Scientist:

Astronauts experience weightlessness, and most of them also lose weight in space. Why? Because they are often nauseous, always busy, and the food on board their capsules, shuttles and space stations doesn't look, smell or taste like it does on Earth.

As a result, NASA has devoted years to creating foods that can travel safely into space and meet astronauts' nutritional needs while not making a mess of their spacecraft.

Read more ....

Report: New York Times To Charge Online Readers

From CNET:

The New York Times is reportedly getting ready to charge readers for access to the venerable newspaper's online content.

The newspaper is expected to announce in coming weeks that it will institute a metered pay plan in which readers would have access to a limited number of free articles before being invited to subscribe, according to a report in New York magazine that cited sources close to the newsroom.

Read more ....

Space Pilot Jobs Set To Take Off

Photo: Richard Branson's Virgin company already hopes to send people into space

From The BBC:

Becoming the pilot of a spaceship may seem the stuff of science fiction, but it could be a regular job in just 20 years time, a report has concluded.

That is one of the findings of a government study into jobs of the future, which also suggests people will be employed to make human body parts.

It names 20 jobs that could be common by 2030, including "vertical farmers" growing food in multi-storey buildings.

It also says surgeons may be employed to give people extra memory capacity.

Read more ....

The Core Of Truth Behind Sir Isaac Newton's Apple

Sir Isaac Newton was said to have discovered gravity while
sitting in his mother's garden in Lincolnshire. PA.

From The Independent:

The manuscript that gave rise to one of science's best-known anecdotes is now online.

It is one of the most famous anecdotes in the history of science. The young Isaac Newton is sitting in his garden when an apple falls on his head and, in a stroke of brilliant insight, he suddenly comes up with his theory of gravity. The story is almost certainly embellished, both by Newton and the generations of storytellers who came after him. But from today anyone with access to the internet can see for themselves the first-hand account of how a falling apple inspired the understanding of gravitational force.

Read more ....

The iPhone-Controlled Mini-Drone That Could Be The Future Of Gaming

Flying saucer: The AR.Drone is controlled by an iPhone. Developed by a French company, it caused a sensation when it received its public debut at a consumer electronics show in Las Vegas

From The Daily Mail:

A mini-drone that can be piloted using an iPhone promises to revolutionise the video game industry after it was unveiled last week.

The flying saucer-like AR.Drone - AR stands for augmented reality - caused a sensation when it received its public debut at a consumer electronics show in Las Vegas.

Read more ....

Germany, France Advise Users To Avoid Microsoft Browser

From Wall Street Journal:

German and French officials warned people against using Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer Web browser because of a security hole in the software hackers exploited in recent attacks on Google Inc. and other companies.

However, Microsoft challenged the separate recommendations from the German and French government agencies to switch to alternative browsers, saying customers should instead upgrade to the latest version of its browser, Internet Explorer 8.

Read more ....

Scent Of A Woman: Men's Testosterone Responses To Olfactory Ovulation Cues

Women around the world spend billions of dollars each year on exotic smelling perfumes and lotions in the hopes of attracting a mate. However, according to a new study, going "au natural" may be the best way to capture a potential mate's attention. (Credit: iStockphoto/Catalin Plesa)

From Science Daily:

Science Daily (Jan. 18, 2010) — Women around the world spend billions of dollars each year on exotic smelling perfumes and lotions in the hopes of attracting a mate. However, according to a new study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, going "au natural" may be the best way to capture a potential mate's attention.

Read more ....

Twisted Physics: Scientists Create Light Knots

By reflecting a laser beam from a specially designed hologram (shown here as the colored circle), physicists created knots of dark filaments (represented by the colored knot). Credit: Mark Dennis.

From Live Science:

Like your shoelaces or electrical cords, light can get twisted into knots. Now, scientists have used a computer-controlled hologram and theoretical physics to turn a light beam into pretzel-like shapes.

The twisted feat not only led to some pretty cool images, but the results have implications for future laser devices, the researchers say.

Read more ....

Turkey Blocking 3,700 Websites: OSCE

From Reuters:

VIENNA (Reuters) - Europe's main security and human rights watchdog said Monday Turkey was blocking some 3,700 Internet sites for "arbitrary and political reasons" and urged legal reforms to show its commitment to freedom of expression.

Milos Haraszti, media freedom monitor for the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said Turkey's Internet law was failing to preserve free expression in the country and should be reformed or abolished.

"In its current form, Law 5651, commonly known as the Internet Law of Turkey, not only limits freedom of expression, but severely restricts citizens' right to access information," Haraszti said in a statement.

Read more ....

Space Shuttles For Sale

From New Scientist:

Space shuttle for sale, fully loaded, air conditioning, one careful owner. It's the ultimate bargain. NASA has cut the price of a space shuttle to $28.8 million. The vehicles will go on sale after they finish constructing the International Space Station, scheduled to be later this year. The New York Times reports that NASA had hoped to get $42 million for each vehicle but lowered the cost in the hope of sealing a deal. It has three to sell, although one of these, Discovery, is already promised to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

Read more ....

McAfee: China Attacks A 'Watershed Moment'

From CNET:

The China-based cyber attacks on Google and other companies were "a watershed moment in cybersecurity," according to an executive at computer security company McAfee.

"I believe this is the largest and most sophisticated cyberattack we have seen in years targeted at specific corporations," McAfee Chief Technology Officer George Kurtz wrote on his blog Sunday. "While the malware was sophisticated, we see lots of attacks that use complex malware combined with zero day exploits."

Read more ....

Feet Hold The Key To Human Hand Evolution

Scientists simulated the change from an ape-like hand to a human-like hand.

From The BBC:

Scientists may have solved the mystery of how human hands became nimble enough to make and manipulate stone tools.

The team reports in the journal Evolution that changes in our hands and fingers were a side-effect of changes in the shape of our feet.

This, they say, shows that the capacity to stand and walk on two feet is intrinsically linked to the emergence of stone tool technology.

Read more ....

Hexapod Robot Moves In The Right Direction By Controlling Chaos

From Scientific American:

Given that robots generally lack muscles, they can't rely on muscle memory (the trick that allows our bodies to become familiar over time with movements such as walking or breathing) to help them more easily complete repetitive tasks. For autonomous robots, this can be a bit of a problem, since they may have to accommodate changing terrain in real time or risk getting stuck or losing their balance.

Read more ....