Nightly Tech Reading - tech
(hx) 03:37 AM CEST - Sep,07 2004
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- Spyware interferes with Microsoft patch - Though Microsoft Corp.'s
new security update package is all about protecting systems from worms,
viruses and spyware, it can't do much about what's already on computers -- and
that could pose a problem. The company is warning users of the Windows XP
operating system
to check for spyware before downloading the free massive security update,
called Service Pack 2.
- Windows Media Player 10 - 4 issues in 2 days - Windows Media Player
10 was only released on the 2nd September, and already
there'are 4 possible problems.
- Broadcast shutdown in Call of Duty 1.4 -
The game uses some anti-buffer-overflow checks that automatically shutdown
the game if they find a too big input. The result is that a query or a reply
containing over 1024 chars is ble to exploit this protection causing the
immediate stop of the game. Both servers and clients are vulnerables and the
major problem is just for clients because a single malicious server is able to
passively stop any client in the world so nobody can play online.
- Man gets life imprisonment for p0rn - The Chinese government is
bringing in
even
tougher penalties against internet porn peddlers. Those caught for
"serious offenses" could now face life imprisonment while less serious cases
could result in compulsory surveillance, detainment, taking into custody by
the police.
- [Off-topic] - Top 25 Censored Media Stories of 2003-2004 - Project
Censored has come out with
its list of the most censored media stores of 2003-2004.
- [Off-topic] - Humans and parrots may share sharp tongues -
Parrots may use their tongues to quickly alter aspects of their speech.
Until now, only humans had been shown to have this ability. "The parrot tongue
modulates speech patterns in a complex way, as in humans," says Gabriël
Beckers of Leiden University in the Netherlands, one of the study's authors.
"This could explain why they are such good mimics. They have the same
equipment to make speech."
- [R.I.P.] - Bob Evans, IBM mainframe pioneer, dies at 77 - Bob
Evans, an IBM computer scientist who
helped to develop the modern mainframe computer, died Thursday. He was 77.
- NC State engineers patent methods for 3-D nanostructures -
Nanotechnology promises to revolutionize modern life. From energy-efficient
lighting that lasts for 50 years, to greater data storage capacity, to
stronger metals and ceramics, the improvements attributed to the development
of nanostructures seem limitless. So far, the greatest impediment to
developing these advances has been creating usable nanostructures that
self-assemble. Engineers at North Carolina State University
recently received a patent for two processes that help break that barrier.
The new methods are a breakthrough in nanotechnology that opens the door to
creating new materials for a myriad of applications, including super-dense
data storage, solid-state lighting, super-strong materials and advanced
detection systems.
- LCD pixel response speed doubled - Japanese newspaper the
Nihon Kaizai Shimbun said that Mitsubishi has mastered a technology to improve
the
response speed of pixels on LCDs by 100 per cent or more. It cites unnamed
sources at Mitsubishi saying that this method produces a response speed of one
millisecond when power is applied and five milliseconds when the lights go off
and the power goes down. That, the paper said, compares to up to forty
milliseconds to switch pixels on and off.
- Samsung shows "world's first" hard drive phone -
The SPH-V5400 is a clam-shell type phone and the hard drive can store
1.5GB, the company said. The storage space can be used for several types of
media including images photographed with the built-in, megapixel digital
camera or MP3s. It also has a built-in FM transmitter so music can be played
through a nearby radio. Other functions include TV output, dual speakers,
64-tone polyphonic ringer and dual LCD panels. The main screen is a TFT screen
- 240 pixel by 320 pixel - and the sub screen is an OLED - 128 pixel by 128
pixel. The phone will go on sale in South Korea before the end of September,
for around $800.
- 201GB ROM master quality Blu-ray disks created in 1/10 second -
Marshall Media Inc. announced today that it has
successfully demonstrated 201 Gigabyte ROM optical media "direct write"
technology capability, creating 70 nanometer lines between 40 nanometer
space tracks for use with the next generation of blue violet laser diodes.
"The company's patented MMI-Burn Technology provides 15 times higher density
than Blu-Ray and faster CD and DVD manufacturing with superior duplication
quality. The company plans to incorporate the MMI-Burn technology into its
automated On-Demand manufacturing and packaging system in 2005," stated
Charlie Marshall, Founder and CEO.
- Verbatim breaks the speed barrier again with 16x DVD+R Media -
Verbatim Corporation today announced the arrival of its
1-16X speed DVD+R media. With the ability to record at about 21 MB/sec,
the discs can store 4.7GB of video, photos, music or data files in about five
minutes.
- AMD dual-core design fuels chip race with Intel - Last week,
AMD showed off an
HP ProLiant DL585 server powered by four dual-core AMD Opteron processors
manufactured using 90nm silicon-on-insulator process technology.The company
plans to introduce a full dual-core processor line-up for the one- to
eight-socket server and workstation market in mid-2005 based on the existing
940-pin socket. Dual-core chips for the client market are expected to follow
in the second half of 2005.
- Geforce 6600 GT is AGP as well -
The BR2
chip can bridge native PCI Express chip back to AGP and this is exactly
what Nvidia plans to do. Both ATI and Nvidia agreed that AGP market is here to
stay so it was natural to expect an AGP version of its new mainstream card.
Nvidia has to build new PCB to be able to fit both NV43 chip and BR2 bridge
chip on the same card and that’s why this card will be introduced a bit later
than the native PCI Express cards that are expected in just a few days.
- ATI Radeon X800 Pro review -
The X800 Pro is the most affordable of the next generation cards and will
run the game in full detail on a PC with a processor of 3GHZ or more. Consider
the resolutions this card is capable of running in and the fact that 6X AA and
16X Anisotropy are fully usable in most of the games we tested at 1280x1024
resolution. You are getting a amazing value for your money here. If you have a
lesser system you probably don't need all this video power and would be better
looking at the 9XXX series of ATI cards, saving yourself a hundred dollars or
more in the process.
- Logitech Cordless Desktop LX 501 review - Bjorn3D has posted
a review
on the Logitech Cordless Desktop LX 501
- AOpen vs. Leadtek GeForce 6800 Ultra Head 2 Head - Both cards are
identical in terms of 3D capabilities, with features such Ultra Shadow II and
Shader Model 3.0 support. The differences lie in the design, the clock speeds
and the game bundle so let's get down to it and
look at the cards themselves.
- Exploring Firefox Extensions - Flexbeta has published a nice
guide on Firefox extensions.
- MUST-HAVE Software Guide for Pocket PC -
check it out!
- Microsoft Calculator Plus -
This application includes mathematical and conversion functions.
- AutoPatcher 4.6 -
Autopatcher is a tool independent of Microsoft which updates your PC in terms of security,
and functionality. Excellently designed and maintained, the program is a must
for all users.
- Ad-Aware SE Build 1.04 -
Ad-Aware (download)
is designed to provide advanced protection from known Data-mining, aggressive
advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected traditional Trojans, Dialers,
Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components.
- ICQ Lite 4.1 Build #1836 - A new version ICQ Lite is available for
download (changelog)
- Koepi's XviD Codec 1.0.2 -
XviD (download)
is an ISO MPEG-4 compliant video codec.
- RivaTuner 2.0 RC 15.1 -
In
this version the already famous "softmodding" of the Nvidia 6800 GPU is
possible in order for the active pipelines & the vertex shaders to be
increased.
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Updated:11:14 PM CEST Jun,06
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