WASHINGTON — As NASA devises its strategy for fostering development of a commercial successor to the space shuttle, the nation’s primary rocket builder is cautioning the agency not to count on industry for a substantial upfront investment in an endeavor rife with uncertainty.
“Not surprisingly, we are a little reluctant to commit,” Andrew Aldrin, director of business development for Denver-based United Launch Alliance (ULA), said during a March 30 event here sponsored by the Marshall Institute. “But this wasn’t always the case. Just remember, it was about 10 years ago that we invested billions in EELV (Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle) systems for a [satellite launch] market that frankly looked much more solid than the [human spaceflight] market we are looking at today.”
http://www.spacenews.com/civil/100402-commercial-crew-plan--hinge-risk-sharing.html
WASHINGTON -- Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) plans to attempt the maiden launch of its Falcon 9 rocket no sooner than May 8, the Hawthorne, Calif.-based company said April 2. SpaceX previously had reserved April 12 for the launch attempt.
"SpaceX is working closely with Ensign Bickford Aerospace & Defense Co., supplier of key components of the Flight Termination System (FTS) that will be used on Falcon 9, to complete testing of the FTS hardware and provide final data to SpaceX and Air Force Range safety officials for review and acceptance," SpaceX said in a statement sent to reporters. "Certification of the Falcon 9 FTS and subsequent range availability will put the first Falcon 9 test launch towards the latter half of the anticipated March-May window, with the first attempt no earlier than May 8, 2010."
http://www.spacenews.com/launch/100403-spacex-slips-falcon-launch-may.html
Digg has long had a decent mobile site that displays well on an iPhone. But with its new native iPhone application, users can browse through the site's links and features with a lot more speed and snap. Unfortunately, Digg's comment and discussion boards are stuck on read-only if you're accessing the site's content through the iPhone app.
Digg's iPhone application is available for free at the App Store.
Last week, there was a pretty good amount of buzz going around for Digg's new native iPhone application. Really, generating any buzz at all about any particular iPhone app can be a pretty tough task, considering how many new ones launch each week. But in this case it's not so surprising, given that Digg itself is a buzz machine -- if a link to your site gets propelled to the front page for a few minutes, you may end up getting enough hits to crash your system.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Digg-Goes-a-Little-Deeper-With-New-iPhone-App-69651.html
Coders tempted to insert Easter Eggs into their projects should find another way to get their kicks. Back in the day, "snide little comments in the garbage at the end of files or some such nonsense" were funny, recalled blogger Robert Pogson. Now, "we have malware," he said. "There is no room for extraneous stuff in software. KISS applies."
Well, it's April Fool's Day once again, and that means it's time to have some fun with recent news from the world of FOSS.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/SCO-Wins-Sony-Switches-to-Linux-Pigs-Take-to-the-Skies-69669.html
Electric cars are coming, and tech companies are already working with car manufacturers and utilities to develop ways to manage power consumption in the interest of saving money and distributing demand. Electric cars are destined to become one of the top residential electricity consumers -- in some cases, more than the summertime power draw of the air conditioner and water heater combined.
Spend a few minutes at Microsoft's Hohm Web site, enter a few details about your house, and it will spit out a series of recommendations about how best you can reduce your energy consumption, and maybe save some money in the process.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Hohm-May-Keep-Electric-Car-Charging-Costs-in-Check-69668.html
YouTube's streamlined new design has ruffled a few feathers, particularly among users who prefer the old five-star rating system to the new thumbs-up or thumbs-down options. Still, early impressions seem generally favorable. Playbacks are up, and more people are engaging by supplying comments and ratings.
After months of planning and testing, the Internet's No. 1 video-sharing site, YouTube, launched a new look and received mixed reviews.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/YouTubes-New-Look-Draws-Mostly-Cheers-69671.html
Does the world need another open source operating system for mobile devices? That's the question Intel and Nokia's mobile ambitions hinge upon. The two companies are hoping that developers who get at look at their joint MeeGo effort -- released in part on Thursday -- will say "Yes."
The MeeGo community, formed by Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) and Nokia (NYSE: NOK), on Thursday released the MeeGo distribution infrastructure and operating system base to developers. Images released are Intel Atom-based netbooks; ARM-based Nokia N900; and Intel Atom-based handsets running on the Moorestown chip.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Intel-Nokia-Hold-Their-Breath-as-Devs-Start-Noodling-With-MeeGo-69675.html
IBM is providing the FAA with a new streaming analytics system that will help the agency get the jump on any would-be cyberattackers. The software will allow the FAA to analyze data in motion, allowing real-time responses to any malware, intrusions, computer hijackings or other disturbances to its networks. It will also allow the agency to conduct deeper analyses of stored data.
IBM (NYSE: IBM) is joining forces with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to protect the nation's civilian aviation system from the ever-growing threat of cyberattacks. They are working on building a prototype security system capable of protecting the vast amount of information flowing daily through the FAA's computer networks.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/IBM-Teams-With-FAA-to-Neutralize-Cyberthreats-69672.html
TSMC's chips are used in devices ranging from mobile phones to computers. Demand plunged following the 2008 onset of the global crisis but began to recover during the second quarter of last year. Sales improved with "computer-related applications growing strongly" amid the emerging global recovery despite a seasonal decline in demand.
http://www.toptechnews.com/news/TSMC-Says-Profit-More-Than-Doubles/story.xhtml?story_id=011000UE63TY
In the space between handsets and laptops, manufacturers are scrambling to make "smartbooks," devices like Apple's iPad. Freescale unveiled its smartbook at Mobile World Congress. Such devices use cell phone-style chips such as ones made by Nvidia, Freescale and Qualcomm, which have the advantage of using less power.
http://www.toptechnews.com/news/Tablets-and-Smartbooks-Get-Noticed/story.xhtml?story_id=011000UE673W
Christopher Tarnovsky's discovery shows a way that spies can acquire military and trade secrets. Tarnovsky figured out a way to break chips that carry a "Trusted Platform Module," or TPM, designation by essentially spying on them like a phone conversation. "You've trusted this chip . . . but your secrets aren't that safe," said Tarnovsky.
http://www.toptechnews.com/news/Hacker-Cracks-PC-Encryption-Chip/story.xhtml?story_id=011000UE65R0
A Freescale Semiconductor processor with an E Ink controller could help slash e-reader costs. The Freescale i.MX508 uses ARM Cortex-8 technology and costs less than $10 in bulk. The i.MX508 powers faster page turns, applications and touch solutions. An analyst expects lower e-reader prices to compete with Apple's iPad and other devices.
http://www.toptechnews.com/news/New-Chip-Could-Slash-E-Reader-Costs/story.xhtml?story_id=011000UE68QK
Startup InVisage Technologies says its new QuantumFilm image sensor could bring professional camera features to high-end mobile devices. InVisage said QuantumFilm has four times the performance of existing silicon sensors and is based on "quantum dot" nanocrystals. The first devices with QuantumFilm are expected by mid-2011.
http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=011000UE6C2C
SanDisk has released a 32GB MicroSD card with its biggest capacity to hold the overflowing data on mobile devices. While the 32-nanometer SanDisk 32GB MicroSD card is costly at $200, it can hold much more than current 16GB cards. IM Flash Technologies and Samsung also have solutions to contain the data from mobile devices.
http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=011000UE6CDY
Advanced Micro Devices has rolled out the Opteron 6000 series for servers with more cores and performance for less money. As AMD and Intel diverge in the x86 server space, AMD is looking to recover ground from Intel. AMD is already gaining support for its Opteron 6000 series from server makers Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, Cray and SGI.
http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=011000UE6D8T
Nvidia is rolling out its GeForce GTX 480 and GeForce GTX 470 GPUs, the first in its Fermi line, targeted at hard-core gamers. The GPUs offer tessellation performance, but they reportedly run hot and consume energy, not a good choice for office applications. Microsoft's gaming division expects Nvidia's Fermi products to improve PC games.
http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=011000UE6D9F
I'm fully aware of the stakes involved for Western companies opening a window to business with Beijing, but the Great Firewall won't stop at Yahoo, Vietnam or Hong Kong. China has struggled to keep a vast country in line since the days of the Han Dynasty, and it is used to having its way -- and denying others their say.
For anyone thinking that the Google-China dynasty war would be resolved quickly -- and that mutual economic concerns would ultimately force both armies to ratchet down this uniquely 21-century cyberduel -- this was the week for the rudest of awakenings.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/The-Great-Firewall-of-China-Will-Engulf-the-Gutless-69677.html
3-D is gaining traction in the entertainment industry, with movies, televisions and DVDs drawing the interest of consumers. Mobile devices are next. Sharp claims that technology advances have vastly improved 3-D image quality on the small screen, and it will be making new 3-D LCD touchscreens available for a variety of devices. No special glasses are required.
Japanese electronics giant Sharp on Friday unveiled a liquid crystal display (LCD) touchscreen that lets viewers see three-dimensional images without special glasses.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Sharps-Next-Gen-Mobile-Touchscreens-3-D-for-the-Naked-Eye-69681.html
"The industry-accepted standard for confirming someone is who they say they are and that they control a domain is that 'the CA takes reasonable measures to verify,' which is very ambiguous at best and meaningless at worst," wrote world-renowned security expert Kurt Seifried in an article on SSL security keys published in the May 2010 issue of Linux Magazine.
Two university researchers discovered at a recent security conference that security companies often deal with governments that can compel certificate authorities to produce SSL security keys for them, which Betanews reported last week. Those keys can then be used to sign certificates as any other Web site, enabling a law enforcement authority -- hypothetically speaking, of course -- to spoof virtually any other site.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Fraudsters-Can-Easily-Buy-SSL-Certificates-Researcher-Finds-69686.html?wlc=1270451367
What’s going on April 7, 2010 from 12:30-2pm that you should know about? Only one of the best opportunities to help you decide what IPRO team you should be a part of. IPRO, or the Interprofessional Projects program, at IIT is one of the greatest opportunities you will have as a student at IIT. This experience allows you to work on an interdisciplinary team and share expertise in your field. Jobs today require individuals to work with multitudes of disciplines that you may have never encountered before. Being a part of an IPRO team allows you to get that experience and makes you a more valuable asset to companies you may work for in the future. On April 7th, there will be an IPRO Registration Fair in the McCormick Tribune Campus Center (MTCC) Center Court. There will be representatives from the 2010 Summer and Fall IPROs who can tell you what their projects are about.
http://technews.iit.edu/index.php?id=2644
