Archive for the 'Hardware' Tag

56 post(s) are associated with this Tag

Technology: BiDi Screen from MIT Media Lab

link to article
What the MIT Media Lab describes as “Computing with a wave of the hand” makes the much hyped implementation of current multi-touch screens look like technology from another century (which it actually is).

The new system allows gestural control without the need to touch the screen’s surface of screen elements with 3D objects and hand movements in 3D space near the screen - think Minority Report on a small screen. Watch the video below to see it in action…

Continue reading…


Research: MS SecondLight

link to article
With the new Secondlight prototype Microsoft has added another dimension to its touchscreen technology called Surface.

The two build-in projectors allow to display different images in a way that looks simultaneous to the eye. Microsoft presented the new technology during the PDC and has provided some additional technical details earlier this month.

While one image is displayed onto the large screen and can be manipulated with gestures the second projector can create an independent image on a flat or 3D surface like a piece of paper or a Plexiglas cylinder.

Microsoft provided some very interesting sample applications like…

Continue reading…


IT-Terms explained: Cloud computing

link to article
In the 10 minutes video below some of the key “figure-heads” of Web 2.0 are being asked to give a short definition of what cloud computing might be.

While some didn’t take the question too serious its quite interesting which benefits others have identified…

Continue reading…


Today: SysAdminDay

link to article
Friday, July 25th, 2008, is the 9th annual System Administrator Appreciation Day. On this special international day, give your System Administrator something that shows that you truly appreciate their hard work and dedication…

continue reading…


CNCI - A new cybersecurity program

link to article
It’s G.W. Bush’s single largest request for funds in the 2009 intelligence budget and its a “highly classified, multiyear, multibillion-dollar project“.

It goes by the name CNCI aka “Cyber Initiative” and the director National Intelligence, Mike McConnell, calls it a pro-active measure to protect the US Government computing infrastructure and in the future potentially also the computing environments of (US) private entities.

While the secrecy surrounding the program does not even provide specific funding figures or a breakdown, the House Intelligence committee in its report on the program “recognizes” that “…it will be imperative that the government also take into account the interest and concerns of private citizens, the US information technology industry, and other elements of the private sector…“.

They call it a public-private partnership and outlined how the oversight should happen by a panel of lawmakers, executive branch officials and some private sector representatives. And the House has already approved 90% of the requested budget.

So far so good, sounds all nice and positive - a fresh start, “unlike any model currently existing“, well, well, well if your memory in that branch of IT goes back long enough (10 years+) then you will say together with us: Nice words but we have heard them before and when we acted within the scheme we got heavily burned and a bunch of gov. crooks around the world filled their pockets with Billions of Dollars.

So if its a “fresh start” back up your words with actions!

Demonstrate that you have learned from the past mistakes and…

continue reading…


Video: Bottom-up skyscraper demolition

link to article
Japanese construction company Kajima is currently in the process of constructing their new headquarters building and as part of the work it had to demolish their old high rise buildings used for that purpose before.

Unlike today’s common approaches to demolishing high rise building from top floor down or via controlled explosions, Kajima has developed a new method that allows to dismantle the building from bottom up. Besides that heavy machinery used in the demolition work does not need to be brought up to the top of the building…

Continue reading…


Segway adds a social element to its gliders

link to article
Companies around the world - in an effort to create communities of users around their products - are picking up social networking approaches at a fast pace.

Earlier this month Segway has started to create a network and communications around their self-balancing scooters, allowing users to communicate, create groups, find like minded people around the world or just in their local area, discuss the latest news and share their experiences.

Like Nike and other consumer good companies, Segway with its “Segway Social” network is hoping to attract future buyers by providing them…

Continue reading…


Video: Linux running 165 applications simultaneously

link to article
A few weeks ago stories were going around and people were proudly showing images of a Mac that was running 150 applications at the same time.

Then someone created “a video” showing MS Vista running about a 100 apps with just 30% processor load. The computer used was one bit of a heavy iron, nevertheless still impressive.

Here’s a video of a Linux machine that runs 165 applications simultaneously and is still smoothly cruising

continue reading…


Time: Animated Amiga Tribute

link to article
We always had a good smile for Commodore users those days with their cassette players but then we had access to a massive multi-processor Silicon Graphics to play some “special kind” of Flight Simulator.

Anyway this animation is really nice and good fun to watch. Like the music too.

Well done. Now get those…

continue reading…


Learning: Computer Science unplugged

link to article
From Binary Numbers via Steiner Trees and Finite State Automata to the Turing Test - teaching people computer science without computers.

That’s what “Computer Science Unplugged” does. They use a series of activities to explain basic concepts of…

continue reading…