Evening Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 01:21 AM CEST - May,22 2003
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- Electric shock weapons could go wireless - New Scientist has
seen video stills of
a prototype of the "Plasma-Taser" in action during firing-range tests. The
pictures were shown at the European Symposium on Non-Lethal Weapons in
Karlsruhe, Germany, two weeks ago. In the first image, a spray of dark gas is
seen approaching a human-sized target. In the next, taken a fraction of a
second later, there is a lightning-like flash of electrical discharge intended
to incapacitate the targeted person.
- Alchemy with light shocks physicists - The researchers document
the ultimate control over light: a way to shift the frequency of light
beams to any desired colour, with near 100 per cent efficiency. "The degree of
control over light really is quite shocking," comments photonics expert Eli
Yablonovitch at the University of California, Los Angeles. If the effect
can be harnessed, it will revolutionise a range of fields turning heat into
light, for example, or prized terahertz rays. Right now, the only way to shift
the frequency of a light beam involves sending an extremely intense light
pulse with a power of many megawatts or even gigawatts along next to it.
- Microsoft Launched Computer Virus Information Website - Microsoft
has
joined leading anti-virus software vendors in an information-sharing
program to provide customers with detailed and timely information about
newly discovered viruses.
- Internet Connection Firewall and Basic Firewall Do Not Block Internet
Protocol Version 6 Traffic -
According to Microsoft, ICF in Windows XP and Windows XP Service Pack 1
(SP1), and ICF and Basic Firewall in Windows Server 2003, filter IPv4 traffic
only.
- Wristwatch USB Drive - LAKS
has made
the ultimate wristwatch - It's a USB drive (32/64/128MB) combined with a
watch.
- Intel to Discontinue Rambus Chip Sets - The company notified its
developers in a "product notification change" e-mail message distributed
earlier this month that shipments of the
850E chip set for desktops and the 860 chip set for workstations would cease
in May 2004. The move is just a formality, as Intel has demonstrated its
commitment to double data rate (DDR) memory with the launch of the 875 chip
set in April and the 865 chip set on Wednesday; both of these support DDR400
memory over Rambus dynamic RAM (RDRAM).
- Intel Redefines the Mainstream PC, Again - Intel is altering that
equation
with the launch of the 865PE chipset (PR),
formerly codenamed Springdale. The Santa Clara chip giant recently introduced
the 875P, its new dual-channel chip set that lets high-end systems use DDR400
memory. The high-end desktop systems the 875P targets typically cost $2,000 or
more.
- Nvidia bets on budget chip - Graphics boards fitted with
the Quadro FX 2000 sell for around $1,400 to $1,600, with the 1000 version
going for $900 to $1,000.
The new 500 will push the price of such boards down to around $400, a
level that should allow a wider range of graphics professionals to take
advantage of Nvidia technology such as Cg, a set of graphics programming tools
introduced last year.
- Sony Clie TG-50 Review - All in all,
Sony's Clie TG50 is an extreme device. It is important to remember that
first and foremost, this is a PDA. It is not a portable TV, nor is it a Harmon
Kardon stereo. What it is, is sheer technological genius. In its basic form it
is not complicated by swivel screens or built-in cameras. The PEG TG50 is yet
another example of Sony's prowess at building competent multifunction
electronic devices that satisfy the needs of today's demanding consumer and
greatly impact the overall quality of their life.
- Gainward FX 5600 Ultra Review - NordicHardware think that
GeForce FX 5600 Ultra is probably the most well rounded product in the FX
series as of yet. It has a great price/performance ratio and remains very
competitive when going up against ATi's Radeon 9500 Pro/9600 Pro. Gainward
adds value to the board by supplying us with their Enhanced Mode overclocking
and ViVo/Firewire functionality.
- Radeon 9800 "XT" Clues - Evidently the DDR-II RAM on the 256MB 9800
PRO, which is currently running at 350MHz,
is actually rated for 450MHz operation. When ATI went out to find some RAM
for this product they couldn't get much in the way of DDR-II rated at 350MHz,
but strangely Samsung had a fair amount of 400MHz+ DDR-II stockpiled but, now,
unused so they sold it to ATI at a very attractive rate. Radeon 9800 PRO
256MB's may have a reasonable memory overclock because of this, but by the
looks out the layout and the length of some of the traces I'll wager that this
will not get up to these levels.
- DirectX 9.0a SDK Developer Runtime - DirectX 9.0a is an
updated version of the DirectX 9.0 runtime which includes bug fixes and
improves performance in the graphics and networking components. There are no
new or modified APIs in this release.
- Internet Download Manager 3.15 -
Internet
Download Manager (IDM) (download)
is a tool to increase download speeds by up to 500 percent, resume and
schedule downloads. This new version allows to preview a ZIP archives before
downloading.
- GetRight 5.01 Final -
GetRight (what's
new ~ download) is
a Download Manager program to help you download files from the Internet. Most
people have already experienced the problem... you are downloading a file, and
your modem gets disconnected, or call waiting interrupts, or your computer
crashes, or any number of other problems.
- 3dfx Voodoo 3/4/5 "Voodoolizer" Drivers - I've noticed that
VoodooFiles.com
have posted a new 3dfx Voodoo3/4/5 Drivers called
Voodoolizer.
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Updated:12:40 AM CEST Jun,21
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