The Blueprint To All Our Data Is Hidden Inside This Mountain Fortress [Preservation]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5542072/the-blueprint-to-all-our-data-is-hidden-inside-this-mountain-fortress

In the snowy Swiss Alps, behind a three and a half ton door that could withstand a nuclear attack and beyond a maze of passageways, scientists are depositing a capsule containing everything future generations will need to decipher our data.

The facility is the Swiss Fort Knox (really, that's what it's called) and the researchers are those of Planets, a project funded partially by the European Union with the aim of ensuring "long-term access to our digital cultural and scientific assets." As one of the project's leaders noted, Einstein's paper notes are still readable today; Stephen Hawking's digital ones, seven decades on, might not be.

Today, four years after their project began, the Planets team deposited a capsule deep into the heart of the Swiss Fort Knox compound, containing punch-cards, microfilm, floppy discs, audio tapes, CDs, DVDs, USB and Blu Ray media. They wanted to give the researchers of the future everything they might need to reconstruct our media and salvage our histories, regardless of how different their technological landscape looks.

Andreas Rauber, a Viennese professor and partner of the Planets team, explains:

Unlike hieroglyphics carved in stone or ink on parchment, digital data has a shelf life of years not millennia. Failure to implement adequate digital preservation measures now could cost us billions in the future.

But digital preservation isn't only a matter of economics. As we explored in our Memory Forever theme week, our society is increasingly trusting hard drives to do the work that brains—and paper—once did, and while that's working out for the present, there's no telling what to expect when it comes time to access our digital past. Be glad that some people are thinking ahead. [Planets Project and Swiss Fort Knox via PC Mag]

Image Swiss Fort Knox

Read More...

Summary only...

Google: "If You Are Not Getting A Day [of Android Battery], There Is Something Wrong" [Android]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5542314/google-if-you-are-not-getting-a-day-%5Bof-android-battery%5D-there-is-something-wrong

On the whole, most smartphones only give you a day's usage before the battery fizzles up—but Androids seem to be particularly juice-sucking. According to Larry Page however, if you're not getting a full day's use, there's "something wrong."

Page was speaking at the Google Zeitgeist forum yesterday in London, when he was asked about battery life. Throwing the blame on third-party developers, he said that apps are the reason people may not be getting a full 24 hours of battery life. Twitter and other social networking sites constantly connecting to draw new tweets or status updates are battery-draining for sure, but even without these apps running there are still problems.

Google's CEO Eric Schmidt was on hand to chip in that "the primary consumer of the battery life on these phones is the transmit/receive circuit. So tuning that and obviously figuring out a way to not use too much of that extends your battery life...and people bring in applications that are not particularly smart about that, which is what Larry is trying to get at." [TechRadar]

Read More...

Summary only...

MacBook refresh includes Mini DisplayPort that pumps out HDMI audio

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/18/macbook-refresh-includes-mini-displayport-that-pumps-out-hdmi-au/

When it comes to port standardization, Apple marches to the beat of its own drum... but in a rare show of leniency, the company's newly refreshed MacBook will throw home theatre aficionados a bone. Though Cupertino hasn't moved to actually include an HDMI-out (sacre bleu!), a new support document shows its Mini DisplayPort now provides an audio signal alongside the video feed. Should you move to purchase a VESA-compliant Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter like the one Apple's apparently not selling, you'll finally be able to enjoy digital sound without dropping $70 for the privilege. Fancy that! Now we just need USB 3.0 ports -- placed on opposite sides of the machine -- a SATA 6G socket and a FireWire 400 port. What can we say? We're the sentimental sort.

MacBook refresh includes Mini DisplayPort that pumps out HDMI audio originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 22:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink&! nbsp;MacRumors  |  Apple  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Extend Your Wireless Network with an Old Router and Powerline Adapters [Stuff We Like]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5542012/extend-your-wireless-network-with-an-old-router-and-powerline-adapters

We've showed you one way to turn your wifi router into a repeater, but if your router doesn't have the firmware or your walls aren't wireless-friendly, you can get similar results with the addition of a device called a powerline adapter.

Photo by Andy Butkaj.

While we definitely love hacking our routers with new firmware, it does have a few downsides, most notably the fact that it's a pain to install. Furthermore, you may not be comfortable installing third-party firmware that hacks your device, if your router doesn't have the required firmware available. Technology blog Tested points out that a couple powerline adapters can help give you the same results by connecting your old router to your network through the power lines already installed in your home.

Essentially, instead of wirelessly "extending" your network, you'll be turning your old router into an access point and putting it in the dead zone of your house. It'll still need to be connected to the network, though, which is where the powerline adapters come in. Powerline adapters plug into your A/C outlets and connect to your network. You don't need any kind of electrical experience to get them working. You could, of course wire it up via Ethernet, but you probably don't want Ethernet cables running all through your house—so powerline adapters are a pretty awesome way to go.

You'll need to tweak quite a few settings on your router to make this work, and powerline extenders aren't super cheap—you could probably pick a few up for the same price of a regular wireless network extender—but if you have a house that isn't wireless extender-friendly (due to thick walls or a strangely shaped house), this is a great way to get wireless everywhere you need it. Hit the link for the full guide, and let us know your experience with powerline extenders in the comments.

How To Use an Old Router to Expand Your Wi-Fi Network [Tested]

Read More...

Summary only...

Remains of the Day: Pay With Your iPhone Edition [For What It's Worth]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5541988/remains-of-the-day-pay-with-your-iphone-edition

Visa may soon let you pay the bill using your iPhone, Google buys another big VoIP company, and Kindle will make its way to Android this summer.

Photo from MobileCrunch.

• iPhone mobile payments trial to begin soon
  Visa will begin testing its iPhone payment system soon, which will allow users to pay through their iPhone via a special case. [Macworld, MobileCrunch]
• Kindle For Android Hits This Summer—And You Can Buy Books In It
  Amazon's Kindle app is coming to Android this summer. Although there's no word on exactly when it will be released, the app will also let you buy books through it. [TechCrunch]
• Spotify Halves Subscription Cost As Competitors Gather
  Spotify is reducing the price of its subscriptions by offering two new options, in an attempt to draw more paying customers. [PaidContent]
• Finally, a Perfect Food and Wine Pairing System
  The best way to pair food with the perfect wine is simpler than you'd probably guess. [Cork'd]
• Google buys VOIP engine behind Yahoo, AOL, WebEx, Lotus conferencing
  Google is acquiring Global IP Solutions Holding, a VoIP company, for $68.2 million. Global IP Solutions Holding is responsible for many instant messaging systems, including Yahoo, AOL, WebEx, and more. [ZDNet]
• Questions About Cellphones and Brain Tumors
  A long-awaited study states that there is no link between brain tumors and cellphone use. Still, participants who used cellphones heavily had a 40 percent higher risk for a certain type of brain tumor. [NYT]

Read More...

Summary only...