Dvorak News Blog

Floating-Gate Device May Revolutionize Computer Memory

By hhopper Wednesday January 26, 2011

7 Comments

A team of researchers from North Carolina State University claim to have created a memory device that could give computer users the speed advantages of DRAM system memory and the data retention capabilities of flash memory, in one unit. The new device could lead to genuine instant-on computing and machines with improved resiliency. The development may even lead to power-hungry server farms making considerable energy savings by allowing parts of the system to be shut down during periods of inactivity without fear of data loss.

The new scalable, dual-metal device is called a double floating-gate field effect transistor (FET) and is said to combine the advantages offered by two forms of computer memory currently in common usage. Nonvolatile memory, like that used in USB flash drives, allows data to be retained after the power is turned off while the volatile variety, like the memory modules slotted into a mainboard, offers faster read and write access but needs constant power for the retention of stored data.

State of the Union Address

By Uncle Dave Tuesday January 25, 2011

62 Comments

So, what did you think of President Obama’s speech? What did he say you liked/disliked/wish he’d said/wish he hadn’t said? Don’t hold back. Tell it like it is.

Here’s the pre-released text of the speech.

Caption This Photo

By Uncle Dave Tuesday January 25, 2011

67 Comments

New Research Reveals the Root of Musical Pleasure

By hhopper Tuesday January 25, 2011

8 Comments

gizmag

We all know that certain pieces of music can evoke strong emotional responses in people. Now, a research team from Canada’s McGill University has uncovered evidence that reveals exactly what causes such feelings of euphoria and ecstasy and why music is so important in human society. Using a combination of brain scanning technologies, the study has shown that the same neurotransmitter which is associated with feeling pleasure from sex and food is released in the brain when listening to good music.

That humans can derive intense pleasure from such things as food, drugs, money and sex is well known. All of these feelings of reward generally involve the activity of a certain neurotransmitter in the brain – dopamine. It’s a mechanism that’s necessary for survival, caused by psychoactive drugs or by tangible items which offer secondary rewards of some kind.

Abstract external stimuli, like music or art, can often trigger heightened pleasure responses in people, even though they can’t be thought of as vital for survival or the result of conditioned reinforcement. They are perceived as being rewarding rather than actually having a direct or chemical influence.

Yet Another Undiscovered Squirrel Video

By Marc Perkel Tuesday January 25, 2011

8 Comments

A friend of mine took this video. I just found it on Youtube.

Jesse Ventura Slams TSA with Lawsuit

By hhopper Tuesday January 25, 2011

50 Comments

(CNN) — Count Jesse Ventura among fliers who don’t want their “junk” touched by Transportation Security Administration agents.

The former Minnesota governor and pro wrestler filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court in Minnesota against the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA.

The suit alleges enhanced airport security procedures, including pat-downs and full body scanning, violate Ventura’s rights under the Fourth Amendment, which protects Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures.

China Economy = Bubble

By John C Dvorak Tuesday January 25, 2011

22 Comments

The manager, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “The Chinese delegation has said all week that there will be double-digit growth for years to come and the Brits have lapped it up. But the data doesn’t add up. We think we’ve experienced credit bubbles over the past few years, but China is the biggest. And yet the global economy is looking to China as not just a crutch but a springboard out of the recession. It’s crazy.”

Crematorium to Help Heat Swimming Pool

By Eideard Tuesday January 25, 2011

18 Comments

Holy smoke!

A council is proposing to save money – and combat global warming – by heating a leisure centre and swimming pool using heat generated by the crematorium next door.

Redditch council in Worcestershire says it can save £14,500 a year by warming its new Abbey Stadium sports centre with heat from the crematorium’s incinerators that would otherwise be lost.

The council, which says it is the first project of its kind in the UK, is holding briefings later this week with faith groups, funeral directors and members of the public to discuss the scheme.

But some local people are concerned. Simon Thomas, of Thomas Brothers funeral directors, said: “I don’t know how comfortable people would feel about the swimming pool being heated due to the death of a loved one, I think it’s a bit strange and eerie.”

Council leader Carole Gandy defended the plans, saying it would save money and energy. “I’d much rather use the energy rather than just see it going out of the chimney and heating the sky. It will make absolutely no difference to the people who are using the crematorium for services…I think it will save the authority money and, in the long-term, save energy which is what we’re all being told we should do.”

Be careful about all that common sense stuff, Ms. Gandy. It will get you in trouble every time.

There’s A Party In My Mouth With My New LED Smile!

By Uncle Dave Tuesday January 25, 2011

17 Comments

Who else but those wacky Japanese would come up with an idea like this.

Method Man might have helped make gold fronts famous, but it looks like Japanese schoolgirls could be the driving force behind a new era of fashionable accessories for your teeth. Instead of gold, however, these “fronts” contain bright multicolored glowing LED lights.

The new fashion accessories were originally created as an experiment by two Japanese designers and are now being used in a commercial advertising a winter sale at a Japanese clothing store, Laforet Harajuku. They are quickly becoming a sought after accessory.

I wonder what the TSA would think about this if you came to an airport wearing them.

We Need More Inventions Like This

By Uncle Dave Tuesday January 25, 2011

14 Comments

We need something like this for spam senders, robocallers and other modern day annoyers.

Another Dumb Idea Fades Fast

By John C Dvorak Monday January 24, 2011

33 Comments

The World is sinking: Dubai islands ‘falling into the sea’
The islands were intended as the ultimate luxury possession, even for Dubai. But the World, the ambitiously-constructed archipelago of islands shaped like the countries of the globe, is sinking back into the sea, according to evidence cited before a property tribunal.

The islands were intended to be developed with tailor-made hotel complexes and luxury villas, and sold to millionaires. They are off the coast of Dubai and accessible by yacht or motor boat.

TSA Loses in Court. Must Allow Filming. Cannot Demand ID.

By John C Dvorak Monday January 24, 2011

54 Comments

Phil Mocek knows he isn’t required to show ID to fly, and that it’s perfectly legal to record video in publicly accessible areas of an airport. A jury agreed with him earlier this week, acquitting him of trumped-up charges brought against him by TSA and police officers who demanded obedience. He didn’t need to call any witnesses or testify himself; he was acquitted based on the evidence entered against him.

What’s pathetic were the Police lackeys who did not know the law and who were obedient wimps kow-towing to the TSA’s every whim. Too bad the local cops cannot follow the law and instead follow guys who make it up as they go along. They should be called out. The TSA apparently do not know their own rules or know what they are doing. And we trust them to run X-ray machines?

No Agenda Show
Brown is the New Green

By John C Dvorak Sunday January 23, 2011

13 Comments

Special Executive Producer: Baron Steven Pelsmaekers
This Episode’s Executive Producer: Black Night Kelly Spongberg
Associate Executive Producers: Steven Liddick, Jarred Forrester
This Episode’s Associate Executive Producer and 272 Club Member: Robert Wilcher
Art By: Kirk (SiliconSpin)

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Jack LaLanne Dead

By John C Dvorak Sunday January 23, 2011

24 Comments

Jack LaLanne, the fitness guru who inspired television viewers to trim down, eat well and pump iron for decades before diet and exercise became a national obsession, died Sunday. He was 96.

Brit ISP’s Take Anti-Net Neutrality To A New, Insane Level

By Uncle Dave Sunday January 23, 2011

24 Comments

Who do they think they are, cable TV providers?

The free, unrestricted internet as we know it is under threat. Britain’s leading ISPs are attempting to construct a two-tier internet, where websites and services that are willing to pay are thrust into the “fast lane”, while those that don’t are left fighting for scraps of bandwidth or even blocked outright. They’re not so much ripping up the cherished notion of net neutrality as pouring petrol over the pieces and lighting the match. The only question is: can they get away with it?