7th January 2012 Archive

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Boffins hack evolution, create SUPERSOLDIER ANTS

Genetic prestidigitation could engineer new species

Researchers in Canada have created a new type of supersoldier ant by activating genetic material from long-dead forms of life. The team, led by professor Ehab Abouheif of the Department of Biology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, were studying ants from the genus pheidole. There are nearly 1,200 diferent species …

Science 7 Jan 2012, 00:30
Windows 8 to get self-healing 'Storage Spaces'

Microsoft's next OS to sport ZFS features

Microsoft will introduce in Windows 8 what it calls Storage Spaces – a method of putting drives into a virtual pool from which self-healing virtual disks can be created, with some resemblance to ZFS features. Details of these virtual disks – the aforementioned Storage Spaces – were described in a 4,400-word deep-dive blog post …

Storage 7 Jan 2012, 00:31
Apple legal threat to Steve Jobs doll deemed 'bogus'

'Personality rights' die when we do

It appears that Apple's threatened lawsuit against the Chinese manufacturer of a Steve Jobs action figure may be baseless. At least in the US. At least in most states. "Apple's legal claim is largely bogus," writes Jeff Roberts for the digital-content watchdog, paidContent.org. The interwebs were abuzz on Thursday about The …

Hardware 7 Jan 2012, 01:34
Ten... mini hi-fi systems

Product Round-up Good things in small packages

Compact enough for a bookshelf but punching above their weight compared to a portable radio, mini hi-fis are an audio staple. These items can become the sole sound system for anyone pushed for space in bijou flats, bedsits and student digs or serve as a back-up in bedrooms, kitchens and other places around the home. This part …

Hardware 7 Jan 2012, 08:00
Official: The smartphones that suck much more than others

Biggest data-slurping mobiles named and shamed

3G networks are straining to support the demands of punters as their shiny new smartphones demand more and more information from the internet, says a report by British firm Arieso. iPhone 4S users use twice as much data as iPhone 4 users, and three times as much as iPhone 3G users. Arieso, a mobile network management software …

Cloud 7 Jan 2012, 10:43
'Mainstream media' mute in SOPA piracy debate

Self-censorship or edicts from corporate masters?

An analysis of US television coverage has found a deafening silence among members of the pejoratively tagged "mainstream media" when it comes to coverage of SOPA, the online intellectual property legislation now under consideration in Congress. An analysis of the Lexis-Nexis database since 1 October 2011, carried out by the …

Media 7 Jan 2012, 16:45