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14th March 2011 Archive

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  • openSUSE 11.4 rocks despite missing GNOME

    Review Speed, LibreOffice, and more

    openSUSE 11.4 brings a host of KDE and GNOME updates, the first release of OpenOffice fork LibreOffice, and numerous speed improvements. Perhaps the biggest news, though, is what's not included. That would be GNOME 3.0. Unfortunately for openSUSE fans, the distro's release schedule just didn't quite mesh with GNOME's, so …

    Operating Systems 14 Mar 2011, 03:17

  • Second explosion rocks Japanese nuke plant

    Hourly radiation levels back to '75 per cent of normal yearly dose'

    The first Japanese nuclear complex that reported problems following Friday afternoon's megaquake now has another problem with which to deal: a hydrogen explosion at its No. 3 reactor. At 11:01am on Monday morning, according to Kyodo News (2am on Monday in the UK, 10pm Sunday in New York), "A hydrogen explosion occurred ... at …

    Science 14 Mar 2011, 04:04

  • Amazon killer erupts from Icelandic volcanos

    Greenqloud hangs over Europe

    The same Icelandic volcano cluster whose billowing grey clouds caused widespread travel disruption across Europe last year will soon spawn an entirely different kind of cloud: an environment-friendly data center that hosts web applications. Next month, Iceland startup Greenqloud plans to publicly debut an Amazon EC2-compatible …

    Cloud 14 Mar 2011, 05:00

  • Threat to third Fukushima nuke reactor

    Updated Battle to cool core with seawater

    The Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) is pumping seawater through two ailing reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi (Fukushima No 1) nuclear plant in an attempt to cool radioactive materials in the plant, while simultaneously attempting to prevent an explosion in a third. Cooling of the reactors was disrupted by Friday's 9.0 …

    Science 14 Mar 2011, 08:07

  • Iran to attend Olympics, despite 'racist' logo

    LogoWatch It doesn't say 'Zion', explains Lisa Simpson

    Iran has decided it will after all participate in next year's London Olympics, after threatening to boycott the games over the "racist" logo. The irate Iranian government recently fired off a letter to the International Olympic Committee, insisting that the graphic spelled out "Zion". They asked for it to be replaced and the …

    Bootnotes 14 Mar 2011, 09:48

  • Don't forget the network

    Desktop Virtualization Or your DV project will become a nightmare ordeal

    Two cups and a piece of string won’t cut it in a virtual world. If you are virtualising your desktops, your network must be able to cope with the additional traffic load, and resilient enough to support users who require access to their desktops at all times. How can you ensure it measures up? A poorly configured network can …

    Desktop Virtualisation 14 Mar 2011, 10:29

  • Welsh baby-kisser's tweet sets him back £53k

    Defamation is defamation

    A Welsh politician has learned an expensive lesson in libel and must pay a political rival £3,000, plus costs, thanks to a libellous Tweet he posted about the latter. Colin Elsbury has now returned to Twitter to apologise to Councillor Edward John Talbot. Elsbury accepted that his claim that Talbot had been removed from a …

    Law 14 Mar 2011, 10:31

  • Another year, another iPhone time slip

    Spring forward, fall backwards, how hard can it be?

    US iPhone owners are again the last to know that spring has arrived, as their handsets decide to drop back by an hour instead of jumping forward as one might expect. Not that spring is here for everyone – the Scottish Highlands are still swathed in their traditional March snowfall – but in some parts of the world the clocks …

    Phones 14 Mar 2011, 10:34

  • Carphone Warehouse to chuck in free Kindle with phone buys

    3G e-book reader almost as cheap

    Carphone Warehouse has begun selling Amazon's Kindle. Ditto CW's joint venture with the Yanks, Best Buy UK. You can buy the popular e-book reader, paying for £111 for the Wi-Fi only model and £152 for the version with bundled 3G connectivity. That's what Amazon charges - and other Kindle sellers, such as John Lewis, Currys …

    Tablets 14 Mar 2011, 11:09

  • Twitter settles with FTC over celeb account hacks

    Obama and Spears account hijinks fail to amuse privacy watchdog

    Twitter has settled with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over a complaint that it had failed to safeguard user privacy well enough, a shortcoming that allowed two successful attacks against the micro-blogging network in 2009. The settlement means that Twitter will be obliged to establish a more rigorous information …

    Security 14 Mar 2011, 11:18

  • Measuring the datacentre as a service

    Data Centre Yardstick, abacus, measuring jug

    The precise nature of a company's datacentre varies from place to place. In some cases it will simply be a server room in the company's own premises; in others it may be multiple dedicated buildings many miles apart with robust, resilient interlinks. Whichever it is, the metrics or service measurement are the same. The first …

    Data Center 14 Mar 2011, 11:30

  • Apple sells 500,000 iPads, runs out of stock

    Big-demand debut, says analyst

    Apple is estimated to have shifted half a million iPad 2s this weekend - almost all of them within 24 hours of the 'even more magical' gadget going on sale on Friday. Last year, the Mac maker shifted 300,000 iPads in the first day of the tablet's availability. This year's total comes from Apple watcher and Piper Jaffray …

    Tablets 14 Mar 2011, 11:46

  • Microsoft says 'sorry' after Japan quake marketing gaffe

    Opportunistic Bing tweet sparks anger online

    Microsoft offered to donate $100,000 to Japan's quake victims, one day after a devastating series of tsunamis struck the country on Friday 11 March. Unfortunately, the software giant initially turned its supposedly altruistic efforts into a marketing opportunity, with MS tweeting the following unwise message on its Bing …

    Applications 14 Mar 2011, 11:48

  • Apple MacBook Pro 15in

    Review Sandy Bridge stunner

    The 13in MacBook Pro I reviewed last week is a machine for folk who fancy a carry-around computer but who want a bit more welly than the way more portable 13in MacBook Air can provide. The 15in version, on the other hand, is a desktop replacement for the power hungry. Sure, it's mobile. It has a decent battery life. But it's …

    Laptops 14 Mar 2011, 12:00

  • EA blocks user from game after alleged forum outburst

    No, you may not play Dragon Age II

    An unfortunate gamer was left unable to install a copy of Dragon Age II after being booted off developer BioWare's community forums. According to user 'vware', the temporary ban was imposed after (s)he questioned whether BioWare had "sold their souls to the EA devil". The 72-hour expulsion locked him out of the Bioware Social …

    Games 14 Mar 2011, 12:05

  • 'Image eBay' could solve IP issues

    Metadata management could reduce orphan works

    Amidst the submissions to the UK gov's copyright review from trade bodies, and the cranks and nutters who inevitably bombard any public consultation on IP with their unwanted opinions, there's a fascinating proposal that should interest anyone creating or using visual images on the interwebs – photographers, graphic artists and …

    Media 14 Mar 2011, 12:23

  • Flash prices surge as electronics firms bank on post quake drought

    Quake damage limited but supply lines under strain

    Memory prices surged in Far East trading today amid unease over how Japan's fab industry will be affected by Friday's earthquake and tsunami and resulting power problems. Chip markets had effectively closed on Friday when the quake struck, with prices generally static or down. However, according to DRAMeXchange, spot prices …

    The Channel 14 Mar 2011, 12:25

  • BMW e-car spied in testing

    Hybrid on ice

    BMW's upcoming hybrid e-car, the i8, has been spotted on ice, running through the motions in cold weather testing. Give us a twirl Source: Bimmerpost Enthusiasts will be pleased to finally see some imagery rather than just the vague concept sketches of the BMW's i sub-brand, we posted last month. There's some exclusive …

    Science 14 Mar 2011, 12:48

  • Is Apple planning incompatible payments?

    Cupertino may go own-brand on NFC

    The Independent newspaper has been talking to network operators, and concluded that Apple is planning its own version of NFC for 2012. Sources at "several UK operators" apparently told the paper that Apple is not planning to add Near Field Communication technology to the next iPhone, despite Google dropping NFC into the Nexus …

    Mobile 14 Mar 2011, 13:09

  • German finance agency suspends site over serious security bug

    There goes the national debt

    Germany's federal finance ministry has pulled its website offline after receiving notification of a serious security problem from white hat hackers affiliated to the Chaos Computer Club (CCC). Flaws on the the Federal Finance Agency website reportedly created a means to spy on customers of the government agency, steal login …

    Security 14 Mar 2011, 13:14

  • PS3, Xbox 360 pass water on Wii

    Nintendo market share slumped in 2010

    The Sony PlayStation 3 was the world's most popular HD-capable games console in 2010, out-shipping Microsoft's Xbox 360 by 2.2m units. But figures released by market watcher Strategy Analytics still put both of those machines behind Nintendo's Wii in the race to lead the fight to be the top selling current-generation console …

    Games 14 Mar 2011, 13:25

  • Windows 7 customers hit by service pack 1 install 'fatal error' flaws

    Microsoft remains clueless about cause

    A brace of "fatal errors" is hampering Windows 7-based computers that have been updated with Microsoft's first service pack for its current operating system. In fact, since Windows 7 SP1 was released late last month, many users have been grumbling on forums about problems with the install of the update package. Similarly, The …

    Phones 14 Mar 2011, 13:26

  • Carphone Warehouse prices up 3G Xoom

    Not cheap

    Carphone Warehouse has finally revealed what it plans to charge for Motorola's Xoom, the flagship Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet. It will want 600 quid for the 10in, HSPA 3G-enabled fondleslab. That's £100 more than Dixons' PC World and Currys stores will be asking for the Wi-Fi only Xoom. However, CW will bundle a £34 charging …

    Tablets 14 Mar 2011, 13:27

  • The point of the pain when virtualising and customising desktops

    Broadcast Matching user demands

    Although we've been talking about desktop virtualisation for years, uptake remains modest. Where it has been successful it has been to solve particular pain points, such as centralised management or providing standardised desktops for transaction workers. But broader adoption has been lacking so far, with one of the biggest …

    Desktop Virtualisation 14 Mar 2011, 13:41

  • Russia knocks back Soyuz launch

    'Technical problems' hit ISS trip

    The Russian space agency Roskosmos has knocked back the slated launch of its Soyuz TMA-21, due to carry cosmonauts Andrei Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyayev, plus astronaut Ronald Garan, to the International Space Station. The agency said in a statement: "A decision has been taken to postpone the launch of the Soyuz TMA-21 …

    Science 14 Mar 2011, 13:44

  • Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now!

    Analysis Quake + tsunami = 1 minor radiation dose so far

    Japan's nuclear powerplants have performed magnificently in the face of a disaster hugely greater than they were designed to withstand, remaining entirely safe throughout and sustaining only minor damage. The unfolding Fukushima story has enormously strengthened the case for advanced nations – including Japan – to build more …

    Science 14 Mar 2011, 13:58

  • ISPs to spill net traffic management beans

    Service is on the table

    The UK's biggest ISPs are set to reveal exactly how, when and why they throttle internet connections in order to maintain network performance. BSkyB, BT, O2, TalkTalk, Three, Virgin Media and Vodafone have all agreed to provide better information on traffic management, which should help customers understand why connection …

    Broadband 14 Mar 2011, 14:52

  • Apple to sell 107m iPads in 2016

    Touch panel shipments point the finger

    Eager to see Apple no longer the world's biggest seller of tablets? The good news: it'll happen. The bad news: not until 2014 at the earliest. So says market watcher DisplaySearch, albeit indirectly. Today, it issued its forecast for the touch-sensitive panel business through 2016. There's more to a tablet than a touch panel …

    Tablets 14 Mar 2011, 15:15

  • Diagramming for web development

    Workshop Use the tool, relieve the drudgery

    Web site development is mostly a complex process, often made more so by people from IT, marketing, publishing and design all having to sit in the same room together for long periods of time. Phrases like “content is king” and “monetising the clicks” run thick and fast. While some proceed according to “principles of information …

    Data Visualisation 14 Mar 2011, 15:24

  • Group-buying deal for £99 iPhone 4 may have breached consumer laws

    OFT says only 8 phones were available at the bargain price

    A group-buying website may have breached consumer protection laws when its advertising for cheap iPhones encouraged 15,000 people to sign up to its scheme – despite there being only eight phones for sale at the advertised price, a consumer regulator has said. The company behind Groupola and its director have signed promises to …

    Phones 14 Mar 2011, 15:47

  • Blofeld's Japanese volcano base erupts

    Shinmoedake adds to earthquake woes

    The Japanese are certainly having a rough time of it, and following last Friday's devastating magitude 9.0 earthquake, Shinmoedake volcano on the southern island of Kyushu erupted yesterday. The volcano had been dormant for 52 years until showing signs of stirring in January. It's currently spewing ash and rock some 6,000ft …

    Science 14 Mar 2011, 15:49

  • Anonymous collective begins leaking Bank of America emails

    Is that all you've got?

    Hackers affiliated with Anonymous have begun releasing emails that claim to show evidence of misconduct at Bank of America (BofA). The documents released so far suggest workers at BoA subsidiary Balboa Insurance were planning to get rid of potentially sensitive documents referring to loans, without explaining why. More …

    Security 14 Mar 2011, 16:14

  • Calxeda boasts of 5 watt ARM server node

    Includes memory and interconnect fabric

    How does a server node including a processor, memory, and fabric interconnect that only consumes 5 watts under load grab you? How about 120 server nodes in a 2U chassis? ARM server chip startup Calxeda, formerly known as Smooth-Stone, is lifting the veil a bit on its future processors, which are in development now. Calxeda is …

    Servers 14 Mar 2011, 16:15

  • Apple exec confirms white iPhone 4 arrival

    Schiller's List

    Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller has Tweeted that the white iPhone 4 will be out "this spring". Of course, Apple said as much back in December 2010, but Schiller's Tweet suggests that it might actually happen this time, and not merely be delayed - as it was the past three times Apple announced the white iPhone 4. Schiller …

    Phones 14 Mar 2011, 17:24

  • Fukushima reactor core battle continues

    May be heading for meltdown, but no Chernobyl likely

    Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) has battled furiously today to prevent critical overheating of the core of the Fukushima nuclear plant's No 2 reactor. Following the failure of back-up diesel generators designed to maintain coolant flow, it fell to an emergency "fire pump", to keep the situation under control. This unorthodox …

    Science 14 Mar 2011, 17:32

  • Engineer killed on Endeavour launch pad

    Fatal fall at Kennedy Space Center

    NASA reports that a worker was killed following a fall at Kennedy Space Centre's launch pad 39A this morning. United Space Alliance engineer James D. Vanover fell at around 11:40 GMT. "NASA emergency medical personnel responded, but they were unable to revive the man," the agency says. NASA has suspended work at the launch …

    Science 14 Mar 2011, 17:56

  • Opera betas open source web debugger

    Dragonfly. It eats bugs

    Opera has released the first official beta version of Dragonfly, its open source debug tool for web developers. Similar to Mozilla's Firebug tool, Dragonfly debugs JavaScript, CSS, DOM, and HTML code, and it supports newer web technologies such as SVG and various HTML5 APIs. The tool includes a network inspector that lets you …

    Applications 14 Mar 2011, 18:22

  • How to evaluate ... automated storage tiering

    360° review

    Automated storage tiering (ATS) is one of most discussed storage array topics in the past year. It refers to the ability of the storage array to move chunks of data between different disk types and RAID levels to meet the right balance between performance and space usage, and avoiding so-called hot-spots. The pioneer in this …

    Storage 14 Mar 2011, 19:14

  • Judge OKs feds' access to WikiLeakers Twitter info

    Rebuffs constitutional challenges

    A federal judge in Virginia has given investigators access to the Twitter records of four WikiLeaks associates, including the email addresses associated with the accounts and the IP addresses used to access them. Friday's decision by US Magistrate Judge Theresa Buchanan, rejected arguments by the American Civil Liberties Union …

    Security 14 Mar 2011, 19:44

  • Cloud Cruiser: Bean counting in the heavens

    Attack of the accountants

    There seem to be a zillion companies that want to help you build cloudy infrastructure, but Cloud Cruiser, a startup that has just come out of stealth mode, wants to help you do something else: keep track of the money you are allocating for clouds. Cloud Cruiser was founded in January 2010 by Dave Zabrowski, who among other …

    Cloud 14 Mar 2011, 20:28

  • Adobe promises emergency patch for Flash, Reader bugs

    Limited attacks under way

    Adobe Systems plans to release emergency patches for its Flash and Reader applications after learning a critical vulnerability is being exploited to install malware on vulnerable machines. The out-of-cycle patches for Adobe Flash Player 10 and Acrobat and Reader versions 9, 10, and X will arrive during the week March 21, the …

    Security 14 Mar 2011, 20:49

  • Ex-Pipe boss rolls out data centre vision

    Ted Pretty jumps on board

    Nascent national data centre operator NextDC has secured a site for its Sydney hub with plans to open the centre in Q3 2012. The new "green" data centre will be located 12km north-west of Sydney CBD but the company says it is looking at opening an additional Sydney site in a strategic location due to customer demand. NextDC, …

    Cloud 14 Mar 2011, 22:41

  • Moko buys US mobile outfit

    Looks for Nasdaq listing

    The international ambitions of Australian mobile social networking service provider MOKO.mobi have ramped up with the acquisition of US based Cellfish Media for USD$5.5m. The purchase will give MOKO access to more than 500,000 paid US mobile subscribers and follows the company’s acquisition in January of UK based EyeVibe. …

    Financial News 14 Mar 2011, 22:45