The software mega-giants Microsoft announced a change in policy of their Windows Live Messenger service, in a small blog post regarding the future of the instant messaging client. Access to the service in Cuba, Syria, Iran, Sudan and North Korea is now prohibited, and if a user in one of these countries does attempt to sign into the service they should receive the following error message:
"810003c1: We were unable to sign you in to the .NET Messenger Service."
Of course, as you can imagine, there are already work-arounds in place for people to get through and log in - either by using a 3rd party client or simply setting a new location in your Windows Live account area (changing it to any authorised region will allow you to sign in once again).
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the company has discontinued Messenger services to certain countries due to United States sanctions.
For those dreaming that the Star Trek technology of cloaking will one day become reality, they can take note of the steady progress that real-world cloaking technology has been making. The goal of cloaking research is to find ways to redirect light around a shape, from all directions, in essence making it so the shape disappears to the naked eye. Scientists have had success working with nanoscale objects using special lenses.
The new cloaking device developed at Purdue Unviersity is cheaper as it does not rely on exotic materials. Composed of gold films and glass, it can also cloak much bigger objects and cloaks most wavelengths of light. It is built using a specialized waveguide, a type of optical instrument found in fiber optics. (Source: Purdue University) Cloaking science or "transformation optics" as its more formally called has until now relied on exotic "metamaterials" to redirect light. However, a breakthrough from Purdue University has created a "tapered optical waveguide" that accomplishes the same behavior at a lower cost and without using exotic compounds.
The new cloak is not only cheaper, it also performs better -- it can cloak an area of up to 100 times the wavelengths of a laser, while previous designs only managed a few times the wavelengths. Additionally, where metamaterials could only cloak part of the spectrum, this design can cloak light from a variety of wavelengths.
Vladimir Shalaev, Purdue University's Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, used it to cloak objects up to 50 microns -- the size of a human hair. The cloak consisted of two thin gold layers -- one flat, on bottom, and another on top of the cloaked object. The top layer was curved to act as a "hyperlense" an optical instrument with extraordinary capabilities.
Professor Shalaev describes the breakthrough, stating, "All previous attempts at optical cloaking have involved very complicated nanofabrication of metamaterials containing many elements, which makes it very difficult to cloak large objects. Here, we showed that if a waveguide is tapered properly it acts like a sophisticated nanostructured material. Instead of being reflected as normally would happen, the light flows around the object and shows up on the other side, like water flowing around a stone."
Hyperlenses, like this superb new one from Purdue, promise to revolutionize many fields of optics. Where typical materials bend light -- a phenomenon known as refraction -- they keep its original direct with respect to a perpendicular line from the surface. Hyperlenses, however, can actually have an index of refraction of less than 0, allowing the light to reverse direction. Cloaking devices take advantage of this behavior to curve light around objects.
The lenses could revolutionize optical computing, create super-microscopes able to image DNA, cloak objects, and much more.
The new work raises hopes of large-scale cloaks (think Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak), as it enables one device to cloak many wavelengths, unlike past work which would have necessitated many devices. There has been no derived theoretical size limit for objects cloaked, so large scale cloaking may be possible as cloaking devices are refined.
The research appears in the May 29 edition of the journal Physical Review Letters.
The paper was co-authored by other researchers on the project -- Igor I. Smolyaninov, a principal electronic engineer at BAE Systems in Washington, D.C.; Vera N. Smolyaninova, an assistant professor of physics at Towson University in Maryland; Alexander Kildishev, a principal research scientist at Purdue's Birck Nanotechnology Center. BAE fabricated the device to cloak the objects, based on the Purdue team's theoretical work.
Author: Jason Mick(Blog) - May 21, 2009 11:30 AM Source: http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=15200
We introduce Cibai a generic static analyzer based on abstract interpretation for the modular analysis and verification of Java classes. We present the abstract semantics and the underlying abstract domain, a combination of an aliasing analysis and octagons.
We discuss some implementation issues, and we compare Cibai with similar tools, showing how Cibai achieves a higher level of automation and precision while having comparable performances.
Let me in to see you in the morning light to get me on and all along the tears they come see all come I want you to believe in life but I get the strangest feeling that you've gone away will you find out who you are too late to change? I wish I could be every little thing you wanted all the time I wish I could be every little thing you wanted all the time some times
lift me up just lift me up don't make a sound and let me hold you up before you hit the Ground see all come you say your all right but I get the strangest feeling that you've gone away- you've gone away and will you find out who you are too late to change?
I wish I could be every little thing you wanted all the time I wish I could be every little thing you wanted all the time some times
Don't give me up don't give me up tonight or soon nothing will be right at all salvation will you find out who you are too late to change?
The wait is over, and the quick sprint to PC City supplier in the rain and traffic jam seems paid off. After a complete week waiting for order and here it is. Thermalright IFX-14 is in my hands.
Features
* Larger surface area than any other heatsinks (140mm x 120mm) with option to install one or even two 140mm fans * Designed for better air flow management to work with the heatsink fans* and the air inside your computer case * Four large 8mm heatpipes to distribute massive amount of heat fast and efficiently * Optional to rotate the heatsink 90 degrees to best fit your system configuration * Multi-platform compatible backplate for installation on vast number and type of motherboard. No need for complicated tools to convert * Heat pipes soldered to base (nickel plated)and fins for optimum heat transfer * Includes a back-side dual heatpipe heatsink (patent pending), which not only additionally cools your CPU but also takes care of the heat coming from the back of the motherboard to extend the life expectancy and stability of your motherboard
Technical Spec
Heatsink Body * Dimension : L146.2 x W124 x H161 mm (heatsink only) * Weight : 790g (Heatsink Only) * Recommended Fan : All 120mm & 140mm Fan
Back-side Heatsink * Dimension : L134.5 x W163.5 x H112.6 mm (heatsink only) * Weight :150g (Heatsink Only) * Recommended Fan :All 80mm & 70mm Fan
Some quick reviews/logs:
The box was very big to cover the 120mm x 140mm cooler and its backside companion. It looked heavy but it was not that heavy until the assembly later.
More steps, 1. Labeled the SATA cable and connectors 2. Removed the Power supply 3. Removed the motherboard and clean it with dry brush 4. Removed Crazy Cool back plate (Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6 only) 5. Clean and shine the heatsinks and pipes with metal polish to remove fingerprints and oxidised surfaces. 6. Inserted the bolt thru kit to mount the backside heat pipe cooler and then the main IFX-14.
[b]The bolt thru kit must be carefully installed. If you screwed it too hard, your motherboard will easily be bent.[/b]
7. Place the Coolermaster Silent Fans (90cfm) 2 units. 8. Put them back together starting from Power Supply Unit, motherboard, cables, GPU and rearranging the whole wiring. 9. Checking the weight and orientation of the cooler. 10. Ready to roll.
Illusionist and augmented reality artiste Marco Tempest has put together a video preview of his newest act, called (aptly enough) "Augmented Reality Magic 1.0," and has been kind enough to share it with us. In the video, Tempest uses AR to demonstrate what's going on in his fertile imagination as he performs a card trick -- cards levitate, Jokers dance, and the birthday cake? Well, you'll just have to see for yourself. The most impressive part is that the whole thing goes down in real time, and utilizes C++ with OpenFrameworks, OpenCV, ARToolkitPlus, MacCam, "and other Open Source goodies." Nothing's done in post-production. Are you prepared to have your mind blown? Video after the break.
Simple and loves making friends. A sportbike owner - quite fast, spends a lot for computer but casual gamer. Internet is the ultimate source for information. Self-employed in multimedia and programming too. Self belief, effort, skill and good team are crucial for success.
