Archive for November 2011
BUSTED! Secret app on millions of phones logs key taps article tells that Android app developer Trevor Eckhart has published what he says is conclusive proof that millions of smartphones are secretly monitoring the key presses, geographic locations, and received messages of its users. Many Android, Nokia, and BlackBerry smartphones have software called Carrier IQ. →
The resistor is the most common and well-known of the passive electrical components. There are many uses for resistors: they are used to drop voltage, limit current, attenuate signals, act as heaters, act as fuses, furnish electrical loads, and divide voltages. Resistor 101 tutorial provides an in-depth guide to the types of fixed resistors, their →
How heavy is the internet? Information on the internet such as e-mails, documents, video clips, Web pages, are represented in binary digits, 1s and 0s. How Much Does The Internet Weigh video gives you some idea of the wight of the information on the Internet. →
The twice-a-year list of the Top 500 supercomputers documents the most powerful systems on the planet. But what do those supercomputers look like? The Top 10 Supercomputers, Illustrated, Nov. 2011 article takes a look at the top finishers in the latest Top 500 list. Many of them are striking not just for their processing power, →
What do you get when you take Angry Birds and Christmas lights? 25,000 Angry Christmas Lights video shows that you get 25,000 Christmas lights pumping to the Angry Bird Theme song covered by Pomplamoose. The video description tells that the lights don’t actually go on until after Thanksgiving. This video is shot at a middle →
Enhancing contact lenses with electronics seems to be a topic that has gained research interest. Smart contact lenses for health and head-up displays article the litany of research projects underway in the field of contact lens enhancement. Sensimed has already contact lens with surface-mounted strain gauge to assess glaucoma risk. Those medical measuring lenses have →
Nokia Research Center http://research.nokia.com has fueled the creation and development of the mobile industry we all enjoy today, and has contributed to a wide spectrum of ground-breaking innovations which have shaped the wireless world. This short video retrospective showcases a few of the contributions coming from Nokia, in a fun narrative with the people Nokia →
Outsmarted: Captcha security not much of a gotcha article tells that a team of Stanford University researchers has bad news to report about Captchas, those often unreadable, always annoying distorted letters that you’re required to type in at many a Web site to prove that you’re really a human. Captcha is often used to defend →
Burton rolls out True 3D laser plasma display article tells that Engineers from Burton Inc. in Japan have rolled out a “True 3D” display. This new system, which can function in air or under water, needs no screen of any sort, and the effect is quite impressive. This display is like Star Wars 3D holo →
The IOCCC Competition Is Back posting and IOCCC Home Page tell that The International Obfuscated C Code Contest is open again. The 20th International Obfuscated C Code Contest is open from 12-Nov-2011 11:00 UTC to 12-Jan-2012 12:12 UTC. The International Obfuscated C Code Contest (abbreviated IOCCC) is a programming contest for the most creatively obfuscated →