Increased cell phone coverage tied to uptick in African violence
'Significantly and substantially increases the probability of violent conflict'
The increasing availability of cell phone coverage in Africa is contributing to an increase of violence on that continent, a recent study contends.
"Utilizing novel, spatially disaggregated data on cell phone coverage and the location of organized violent events in Africa," the abstract of the findings published in the American …
New material enables 1,000-meter super-skyscrapers
Before you read on, see if you can guess how the new stuff will be used
A Finnish company says that it has solved a problem that has vexed the designers of ultra-tall skyscrapers such as the 828-meter Burj Khalifa in Dubai or the 509-meter Taipei 101 in Taiwan – and we'll pause for a moment to let you guess what that problem might be.
Ready? It's the fact that elevators are currently limited to a …
First look: iOS 7 for iPad
Screen grabs No, Apple hasn't released it yet, but that doesn't stop intrepid devs
Bashing the design of Apple's upcoming iOS 7 may be all the rage, but the pile-on has been limited to the iPhone and iPod touch versions, since the iPad version has yet to be released. Thankfully for Apple haters, however, that's now changing as screen grabs taken from the iOS 7 developer simulator begin to appear on the …
It's official: 'tweet' an English word – not just in the avian sense
If the Oxford English Dictionary says it is so, then it is so
Proving either – or both – that the English language is a living organism in constant flux and evolution, or that the authoritative Oxford English Dictionary is cheapening itself with a premature bow to cultural pressure, the word "tweet" in its social-media sense has been added to that sacred paragon of lexicography.
This …
Hubble spies unlikely planet being born in hostile neighborhood
Hoovering a cloud of sand 7.5 billion miles from a tiny star
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has spotted what appears to be a baby planet sweeping up matter from a protoplanetary disk orbiting a red dwarf star some 176 light-years away from Earth.
If, indeed, this planetary formation activity is what the Hubble's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) has observed, the …
Surprise! Intel smartphone trounces ARM in power trials
Tests show equal performance while sipping significantly less juice
The industry analysts at ABI Research pitted a Lenovo smartphone based on Intel's Atom-based Clover Trail+ platform against a quartet of ARM-based systems, and Chipzilla's system not only kept pace with the best of them, but did so using less power.
"The benchmarks were impressive but the real surprise was the current …
Apple said to be 'exploring' 5.7-inch iPhone
Who's the copycat this time, Mr. Cook?
Apple is said to be "exploring" building iPhones with displays of 4.7 and 5.7 inches, a move – if true – that could be in response to consumer demand for large-screen smartphones such as the 5-inch Galaxy S 4 from über-rival Samsung.
In addition, Reuters reports, there are also less-expensive iPhones said to be in the works, …
Confidence in US Congress sinks to lowest level ever recorded
So why the %$#@! do we keep re-electing the same politicians?
Only a mere 10 per cent of Americans have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the US Congress, a new Gallup poll has found.
"This is the lowest level of confidence Gallup has found, not only for Congress, but for any institution on record," the pollsters observe.
Gallup posed a simple question to a random sample of …
US Supremes: Human genes can't be patented
It's not quite that simple, of course – but is it ever?
In a welcome display of patent-law sanity, the US Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that human genes can't be patented.
"We hold that a naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated," wrote Justice Clarence Thomas, who authored the court's decision.
The …
Crusading lawmen want more details on Apple's iOS 7 'Activation Lock'
'Apple Picking' mobe thievery on agenda for Thursday Smartphone Summit
The New York State attorney general and San Francisco district attorney are in a wait-and-see mode as to whether Apple's "Activation Lock" theft-deterrent feature in iOS 7 will satisfy their call for smartphone manufacturers to make their devices less attractive to thieves.
"We are appreciative of the gesture made by Apple to …
AMD announces 'world's first commercially available 5GHz CPU'
Updated When is 5GHz not quite 5GHz?
AMD has announced what it dubs "the world's first commercially available 5GHz CPU," the FX-9590.
"The new FX 5GHz processor is an emphatic performance statement to the most demanding gamers seeking ultra-high resolution experiences including AMD Eyefinity technology," wrote AMD client-products headman Bernd Lienhard in a …
Tim Cook: Android version fragmentation is 'terrible for developers'
Tells devs there's far more money to be made in the iOS ecosystem
Before CEO Tim Cook handed over the iOS 7–introduction chores to other Apple execs at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference, he took a moment to slag Android and its OS fragmentation in an appeal for the hearts and minds of developers.
"This version fragmentation is terrible for developers, as many of you know," he told …
Apple at WWDC: Sleek new iOS, death of the big cats, pint-sized Mac Pro
Updated CEO Cook: 'The biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone'
Apple came out swinging at its detractors during its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote presentation in San Francisco, announcing a slew of new products including iOS 7, the next version of OS X, new MacBook Air notebooks, a "sneak peek" at the next-generation Mac Pro, and iTunes Radio - nee iRadio.
"Can't innovate anymore …
Apple unveils hints of Monday's new-product announcements
Photos So much speculation from so few clues
Apple has tarted up San Francisco's Moscone West convention center, where it will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) beginning on Monday, as well as plastering humongous signs on the Metreon entertainment center across the street. In doing so it has provided more grist for the rumor mill.
It is from such tea leaves …
Obama weighs in on NSA surveillance imbroglio
'You can't have 100 percent security and also then have 100 percent privacy'
President Obama has offered a defense of Verizon's handing over mobile phone metadata to the US National Security Agency and the allegations that the same agency's PRISM program is tapping into the servers of several major internet service providers.
"You can't have 100 percent security and also then have 100 percent privacy and …
Al Gore: Stop using the atmosphere as 'AN OPEN SEWER'
Data center efficiency must improve to save planet, says activist ex-veep
According to former US vice president and climate activist Al Gore, the world faces "a climate crisis of unprecedented proportions," and the data center industry can – and should – make a tremendous contribution towards averting climate-change disaster.
Speaking at Google's "How Green Is the Internet? Summit" at the company's …
Google's Schmidt calls climate-change deniers 'liars'
The media 'doesn't believe in facts,' but the internet will come to the planet's rescue
Google chairman Eric Schmidt has a low opinion of climate-change skeptics and global-warming deniers.
"You can hold back knowledge, but you cannot prevent it from spreading," Schmidt told his audience at his company's "How Green Is the Internet? Summit" in Mountain View on Thursday. "You can lie about the effects of climate …
Apple releases Mountain Lion, Safari updates
No problems to report – so far
Apple has released an OS update that brings Mountain Lion up to version 10.8.4, fixes an array of bugs including Microsoft Exhange compatibility problems, and brings Safari up to version 6.0.5.
As listed by Apple, OS X 10.8.4 provides the following:
Compatibility improvements when connecting to certain enterprise Wi-Fi networks …
Dell bucks PC market tumble with Haswell business systems
Your pick: minitower, small form factor, ultra small form factor, laptop, all-in-one
PC sales may be tanking around the world, but that hasn't stopped Dell from refreshing its business-class desktop, all-in-one, and laptop lines.
"We have taken outstanding products and made them even better with improved performance, sleek design and state-of-the-art security and management capabilities,” Dell's VP for PCs Kirk …
Intel's plan for Haswell, Silvermont, Bay Trail: WORLD DOMINATION
Smartphones, tablets, laptops, and ... uh ... everything? That's the goal
Intel says that its upcoming "Silvermont" Atom microarchitecture, coupled with Tuesday's announcement of low-power, dual-core "Haswell" 4th Generation Core processors, will not only vault it into smartphones and tablets – including detachable tablet-keyboard combos it calls "2-in-1s" – but will also invigorate its low-power …
Kinky? You're mentally healthier than 'vanilla' bonkers
Study: Whips + clips + cuffs + collars = wholesome 'recreational leisure'
A new study has discovered that practitioners of "bondage-discipline, dominance-submission, sadism-masochism (BDSM)" tend to be less neurotic, anxious, and paranoid, and more extroverted, conscientious, and open to new experiences than members of the "vanilla" general public.
BDSM practitioners "either did not differ from the …
Groundbreaking Camino browser digs grave, jumps in
Sprightly when Mac OS X was young. Now, not so much
The Camino browser, first conceived around the turn of the millennium as a free, open source project designed to be a true "Mac-like" browser for the then-nascent Mac OS X, has reached the end of the line.
"After a decade-long run, Camino is no longer being developed, and we encourage all users to upgrade to a more modern …
'Extremely sophisticated' Apple settles watery iDevice lawsuit
'Approximately 153,105' iDevice owners to get payout – are you one of them?
Apple has reached a settlement with iPhone and iPod touch owners who claimed that Cupertino unfairly denied them warranty coverage when their iDevice's moisture sensor indicated water damage.
"Class Counsel and Plaintiffs ... are pleased to report that, after extensive discovery, negotiation, and mediation, they have negotiated …
NASA: Trip to Mars would exceed 'fatal cancer' radiation risk
Can't shield against cosmic rays, can't get there faster
NASA has released the results of radiation measurements taken during the Mars rover Curiosity's trip to the Red Planet, and the data show doses received during a such a trip would exceed the space agency's current career limit for astronauts.
"Using the words like 'showstopper' or not, it's difficult to say that," NASA …
Veteran researchers: Cheapo US biz R&D risks innovation FAIL
Ethernet Summit Short term profit-seeking endangers 'crazy discovery capital'
The US has a problem: basic scientific research is underfunded, as is support for the work needed to translate basic research into marketable products. As a result, the US is in danger of falling behind its global technology competitors.
Such was the conclusion of a panel of past and present research luminaries gathered for the …
How God and übergeek Ron Crane saved 3Com's bacon
Ethernet Summit History lesson: Persistent perfectionism trumps marketing every time
Over 30 years ago, the company formed by Ethernet inventor Robert Metcalfe, 3Com Corporation, was teetering on bankruptcy. What saved it was the monomaniacal perfectionism of one engineer, and his refusal to ship the company's most important product until he was damn well good and ready.
At the Ethernet Innovation Summit last …
Experts: Network security deteriorating, privacy a lost cause
Ethernet Summit One suggestion: 'Don't armor the sheep, hunt the wolves'
Internet and network security is bad, and it's going to get worse before it gets better. To make it better, CIOs and IT admins need to rethink the way that they approach protecting their networks from hackers and other miscreants.
"We've got North Korea with ICBMs and we've got Iran developing an atomic bomb, but that's not our …
Now it gets serious: Fracking could RUIN BEER
German brewers concerned about water purity plead case to Merkel
The extraction of oil and gas by means of hydraulic fracturing – aka "fracking" – has ignited a firestorm of controvery over its possible risks, but a new report hands a powerful weapon to its opponents: fracking may harm German beer.
The Telegraph reports that the German brewers' association Brauer-Bund has warned Chancellor …
Industry execs: Network admins an endangered species
Ethernet Summit 'IT peasant, you are mere human middleware'
If you are a network administrator, be aware that there are a lot of industry movers and shakers who want to put you out of a job.
Mike Banic, marketing VP for HP's networking division, exemplified that goal when speaking on a panel at the Ethernet Innovation Summit, held this week in Mountain View, California, to celebrate …
AMD's three new low-power chips pose potent challenge to Intel
Is AMD (finally) getting its groove back?
AMD is showing off its latest round of APUs – accelerated processing units that combine compute and graphics cores on the same slice o' silicon – that it hopes will be reinforcements in its battle for the consumer market against its main competitor, Intel, especially at the low-power end of the market.
"We're working to position …
Ethernet daddy: online education poised to transform the world
Ethernet Summit MOOCs to be as transformative as 'BOOCs'
During an interview at the Ethernet Innovation Summit in Mountain View, California, Ethernet inventor Robert Metcalfe was asked what surprises were on the horizon due to the ever more pervasive advance of the internet.
"The most exciting surprise, I think, is going to be MOOCs," said Metcalfe on Wednesday, referring to online …
US Congress excoriates Apple's tax-avoidance shenanigans
Cook to defend 'an American success story' – and billions in unpaid taxes – on Tuesday
A US Senate investigation has found that Apple avoided billions of dollars in taxes through a complex scheme of subsidiaries scattered around the globe, some with no employees and run by top execs back in its Cupertino headquarters.
"Apple wasn't satisfied with shifting its profits to a low-tax offshore tax haven," said Senator …
The iWatch is coming! The iWatch is coming!
Reports: Apple's wrister to have 1.5-inch OLED, test units being built
The Apple iWatch rumor mill has rumbled to life yet again, with one report that Apple is sampling 1.5-inch OLED displays for the li'l fellow, and a second that long-time iKit assembler Foxconn has received orders for a test batch of the "wearable computing" device.
On Monday, MacRumors spotted an article in the Japanese Apple- …
Yahoo! to 'share something special' in New York on Monday
Is hastily called event related to Tumblr rumblings?
Yahoo! will hold a "product-related news event" this upcoming Monday with CEO Marissa Mayer in attendance to "share something special."
Did you get your invitation yet?
That's the word first tweeted by CNBC on Friday afternoon. Yahoo! later confirmed that it was holding a 5pm press event in New York City – "by invitation only …
US military welcomes Apple iOS 6 kit onto its networks
The battle with BlackBerry, Samsung marches into the cloud
The US Department of Defense has welcomed Apple's iDevices into its secure networks, and has announced that that it is "taking bold steps to provide sound information and proper analysis as it fortifies its cloud computing, acquisition and data processes."
On Friday, the DoD set the stage for a three-way smackdown among Apple, …
Climate scientists agree: Humans cause global warming
Of those who have an opinion, over 97% say we're to blame
A major study of nearly 12,000 peer-reviewed papers in the climate-science literature has – again – proven that among climate scientists, an overwhelming percentage agree with the consensus view that human activity causes global warming.
The study was led by John Cook, a post-doctoral fellow in the Global Change Institute at the …
Nine-year-old Opportunity Mars rover sets NASA distance record
All-time champ, however, remains 40-year-old Russki
The never-say-die little rover that could, Opportunity, has set a new distance record for extraterrestrial NASA vehicles.
Distance records for lunar and Martian rovers
Opportunity has bested larger and faster rovers
(click to enlarge)
On Thursday, Opportunity's handlers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, …
Dell uncloaks novel workstation trio, plops one into cloud
Versatile rack mount, entry-level minitower, itsy-bitsy cutie
Dell has filled out its workstation line with three new machines: a versatile, virtualizable 2U rack-mountable big boy, an entry-level minitower, and the minitower's little brother – which, if a workstation could ever be called "cute", would be a leading candidate for that designation.
Speaking at a pre-briefing earlier this …
Apple adds Galaxy S 4 to Samsung patent suit
Might as well kick Korean mobe-maker where it'll hurt most
Apple has ratcheted-up its patent-infringment attack on Samsung, asking the US District Court of California to add Sammy's new smartphone flagship, the Galaxy S 4, to the list of products that Apple alleges violate its patents.
That handset was launched with hella hoopla this March (and reviewed by The Reg this Monday), and is …
IT'S OFFICIAL: Hipster era is OVER – sorry, beanie boiz...
Scientific study reveals unvarnished truth about ironic PBR drinkers
An automated telephone survey organization based in Raleigh, North Carolina, apparently having nothing better to do or merely seeking publicity – in this case, successfully – put its finger on the pulse of public sentiment and discovered, as they headlined their results, "Americans So Over Hipsters."
Public Policy Polling …
United Nations: 'Overpopulated Earth? Time to EAT BUGS'
Or feed them to cattle, pigs, chickens, and fish, then eat them
World population is slated to top nine billion by 2050, and seeing as how arable land is being rapidly swallowed by towns and cities, oceans are increasingly overfished, and climate change is disrupting traditional farming, a new United Nations study proposes a twist on Marie Antoinette's dietary advice: let them eat bugs.
" …
Notebook sales to surge, says notebook seller
'Intel and Microsoft will save us'
Global notebook sales may be in the crapper, but according to the chairman of the company manufacturing notebooks for Acer, Dell, Toshiba, HP, and others, the bluebird of sales-revenue happiness will sing again in the second half of this year.
On Thursday, Compal Electronics chairman Ray Chen told an investors conference that …
Degenerate dwarfs tear neighbors limb from limb
Hubble finds twin aging mini-suns 'polluted' with planetary debris
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a pair of white dwarf stars who have been "polluted" by planet-building elements that they have shredded and consumed.
White dwarfs – also known as degenerate dwarf stars – are the aging remnants of middle-sized stars that have cooled and collapsed upon themselves. Due to that …
Apple wins documents fight with Google in Samsung case
Judge sees 'irony' in Google's claim that searching for docs is 'burdensome'
A US judge has ordered Google to provide Apple with information on how it is searching for documents sought by Cupertino in its seemingly eternal patent-infringement fight with Samsung, rejecting Google's argument that, as a third-party to the case, it isn't bound by the same rules as the two warring parties.
"Third-party status …
40,000 Chinese workers say low-cost iPhone coming soon
Massive hiring push by iPhone builder fuels speculation
The manufacturer of the still-popular iPhone 4S has said that it plans to add 40,000 workers, boosting rumors that Apple plans to release an entry-level iPhone soon.
Taiwan-based Pegatron, which has manufacturing plants in Taiwan, mainland China, Mexico, and the Czech Republic, told Reuters that it plans to increase its Chinese …
YouTube Trends Map pokes tacky underbelly of American psyche
'What do women want?' Not what men do, apparently
YouTube has unveiled a new way to place your finger on the pulse of American culture – even though the beat it detects may accompany a tune you might not want to hear.
"Are teens in the South watching the same videos as middle-aged folks in New England?" writes YouTube Trends Manager Kevin Allocca in a Tuesday post on the …
Deep inside Intel's new ARM killer: Silvermont
Chipzilla's Atom grows up, speeds up, powers down
Intel has released details about its new Silvermont Atom processor microarchitecture, and — on paper, at least – it appears that Chipzilla has a mobile market winner on its hands.
Yes, yes, we know: you've heard it all before, from Menlow to Moorestown to Medfield. Intel has made promise after promise that its next Atom-based …
10-day stubble: Men's 'socio-sexual attributes' at their best
Clean shaven? Nope. Full beard? Uh-uh. Crockett had it down
Science can plumb the mysteries of the universe, cure disease, and reveal the origins of man – but can it provide insight into the age-old mystery that troubles every man, namely: What Do Women Want?
Yes it can, dear Reg reader, yes it can.
According to research conducted at the Evolution & Ecology Research Centre of Sydney's …
Greenhouse gasses may boost chances of exoplanetary life
Mucking things up down here, boosting habitability up there
Those pesky greenhouse gasses that are threatening to wreak havoc here on Earth may make other planets scattered throughout the universe more conducive to life, according to a paper published in the journal Science.
"It's really all about the greenhouse gases," the paper's author Sara Seager told Space.com. "The greenhouse gases …
Tiny fly-inspired RoboBee takes flight at Harvard
Twelve-year robotic research project bears fruit ... flies
A quartet of Harvard University reseachers have designed, manufactured, and flown a tiny, fly-inspired aerial robot that could be the forerunner of swarms of drosophilistic drones.
To put their achievement in boffinary terms, as did the authors in the abstract of their paper, published in the latest issue of the jounal Science …
