Scientists stuffed Bible on supersmall chip

Researchers in Israel say they have succeeded in putting a version of the Bible on a chip smaller than a pinhead. Its 300,000 words in Hebrew were inscribed on a silicon surface at the Haifa Institute of Technology. Scientists say the aim of the project is to increase young people’s interest in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The record for the smallest copy is held by a Bible measuring 2.8×3.4×1cm (1.1×1.3×0.4in), weighing 11.75g (0.4 ounces) and containing 1,514 pages. The 0.5sq-mm (0.01sq-in) nano-Bible was written on a silicon surface covered with a thin layer of gold (20nanometres thick - 0.0002mm).

It was written using a device called Focused Ion Beam (Fib). “When we send the particle beam toward a point on the surface, the gold atoms bounce off of this point, thus exposing the silicon layer underneath,” Ohad Zohar, one of the project’s managers at Technion, said. “By sending a particle beam towards various points on the substrate, we can etch any pattern of points, especially one that represents text.” The next step for Technion researchers is photographing the Bible and displaying it on a giant wall within the Faculty of Physics.

Source: BBC

Apple plans iPods with automatic volume control

Future versions of Apple’s MP3 player are to be adapted to prevent users from playing tracks at full blast through their earphones for too long. Amid growing fears that listeners could cause irreversible damage to their hearing - the highest setting is as loud as a chainsaw - Apple is developing an automatic volume control. A new patent reveals that the next iPods and iPhones could automatically calculate how long a person has been listening and at what volume, before gradually reducing the sound level. The device will also calculate the amount of “quiet time” between when the iPod is turned off and when it is restarted, allowing the volume to be increased again to a safe level.

Listening to volumes below 70 decibels is considered safe. But iPods can currently reach volumes of over 100 decibels - the equivalent to standing 10ft from a pneumatic drill - and enough to cause permanent damage after just 15 minutes. Some MP3 players can even exceed 120 decibels. In April, Apple revealed it had sold more than 100million iPods worldwide and was expecting, by the end of this year, to have sold more than 4.5million iPhones. Of those 200,000 will have been bought in Britain. Its patent application, however, is the first time Apple has acknowledged concerns over the risk the iPod poses to hearing and comes after a series of damning studies highlighted the potentially damaging effects. I appreciate the effort, but isn’t it little weird? I want to be master of my mp3 player and not to be annoyed by automatically decreased volume…

Source: Daily Mail

France: 30 000 iPhones sold in 5 days

French mobile phone operator Orange sold 30,000 iPhones in the five days following its November 29 launch, the company said Wednesday. In comparison, German operator T-Mobile said it sold 10,000 on November 9, the day the phone went on sale there. Apple’s U.K. partner O2 said the phone is its fastest-selling ever, but refused to give sales figures. Some 80 percent of Orange customers bought the iPhone with an “Orange for iPhone” service contract that includes unlimited access to the Internet and the Visual Voicemail service. Those customers paid €399 (US$585) for their iPhone, the same price T-Mobile charges for its iPhones. Orange also offers the iPhone for €549 with other types of contract, or €649 without a contract.

About 1,500 were sold without a contract, said Orange spokesman Louis Michel Aymard. Customers buying an iPhone from Orange for use on another operator’s network must pay a €100 unlocking charge, which is waived if they wait for six months from the purchase date. Since an iPhone without a contract is of little use on Orange’s network, the majority of those 1,500 customers have probably unlocked their phones, Aymard said. Orange is now the only one of Apple’s network operator partners to sell the iPhone unlocked. It does so to comply with a French law that forbids making the sale of one item conditional on the sale of another. T-Mobile briefly offered unlocked iPhones for €999 to comply with a temporary court injunction. It had been sued by rival operator Vodafone, which claimed that selling the phone tied to a two-year contract breached Germany’s consumer protection laws. On Tuesday, a court in Hamburg rejected Vodafone’s complaint, giving T-Mobile the go-ahead to sell the phone bundled with a contract.

Source: PC World

Flying car to take off in 2009

A company called Terrafugia is currently developing a plane that transitions into a car. For a mere $148,000 you too can own a Transition. When completed in late 2009, it will have an average cruising speed of 115 mph, gets over 25 mpg in the air. It’s classified as a Light Sport Utility vehicle and weighs only 1320 lbs. It will be powered by a 100 hp, 4-stroke Rotax 912 ULS. This engine is FAA certified to run on both 91+ octane autogas as well as 100LL. The same engine is used to power the rear push-prop and front wheels, using a clutch-based transmission for power selection. The Rotax engine is certified to allow a 5% ethanol mixture.

Cargo and dimensions
The vehicle will have 550 lbs of usable cargo weight in a 20 cubic foot space, which can be divided up among people, bags or fuel. It has a 20 gallon fuel tank which consumes about 120 lbs of fuel. Its maximum range is 460 miles (400 nm) when operating at 75% power, which is required to sustain 115mph cruising speed. When in folded position, the vehicle measures just 6.75 feet high, by 7.5 feet wide, by 18.75 feet long. No data on the wingspan was given, however it could not exceed approximately 35 feet due to the stated dimensions and mechanical operation of the wing through a single central hinge. The internal cabin space is 50 inches wide.

Transition’s wing loading is approximately 8.8 lbs per square foot, which is comparable to light sport or general purpose aviation aircraft. They currently have a working prototype wing design, however it is machine mounted and is not part of the actual aircraft. All of the pictures and images seen are either from a 1/5th scale prototype that was built and flown.

The vehicle goes from 1-2-3, or from 3-2-1 via the push of a button. It must be stopped, engine off, to make the transition. The vertical stabilizers double as rear taillights and indicators. A pilot’s license is required to operate the vehicle, which will have a price tag of approximately $148,000. It will be available in late 2009, with a full-size prototype completed in late 2008. A 1/5th prototype has already been created and flown.

In order to operate the vehicle, the pilot (not the driver) will have to be FAA certified and hold a pilot’s license. Currently only a visual flight rating (VFR) ability is planned, as the on-board instruments will not be sufficient for a full Instrument Rating.

Source TGD

Malware preinstalled on new hard drives

The Taipei Times is reporting that around 1,800 new 300GB and 500GB external hard drives manufactured by Maxtor shipped with malware on them. What makes this story even more interesting is that Taiwanese authorities suspected that Chinese authorities were involved.

“The bureau said that hard discs with such a large capacity are usually used by government agencies to store databases and other information. Sensitive information may have already been intercepted by Beijing through the two Web sites. That the method of attack was unusual, adding that it suspected Chinese authorities were involved. In recent years, the Chinese government has run an aggressive spying program relying on information technology and the Internet. This was the first time it had found that Trojan horse viruses had been placed on hard discs before they even reach the market.”

Now I’m not a security expert or anything like that, but doesn’t everyone format the hard drive before you install your OS on it? Of course you can use it just like storage device, and in that case something like that would be probably possible…

Source: Cnet

Microsoft enhances Zune, new 8 GB version

Responding to criticism that its original line of Zune music players — available only in black, brown or white — failed to inspire consumers, Microsoft plans to launch on Tuesday a new line if Zunes in a range of colors and bedecked with tattoos, custom engravings, and other artwork.Microsoft will also introduce a $249 Zune with an 80-Gbyte hard drive capable of storing 20,000 songs, 25,000 pictures, and 250 hours of video. Additionally, two flash memory-based Zunes — an 8-Gbyte model and a 4-Gbyte model — will go on sale Tuesday.


The launch comes one year, less a day, after the original Zune player hit stores on November 14, 2006. Customers who purchase one of the new Zunes through Microsoft’s Zune Originals Website can choose designs from 18 “internationally recognized” artists along with up to three lines of laser-engraved custom text, according to Microsoft. The new Zunes feature redesigned software that Microsoft claims makes it easier to drag and drop content from a Windows desktop to a connected Zune player. A new search feature gives users a master view across all of their digital files, including songs, videos, and podcasts.

PSP - A Stylish Gamer's Must-Have

Simply stylish...

Gonna get one for myself soon...

...'B'...

Some Cool NOKIA Codes

Might turn out to be useful. Don't blame me if it does not work :-) ...'B'...
Nokia code	Code function
*3370#	This Nokia code activates Enhanced Full Rate Codec (EFR) - Your Nokia cell phone uses the best sound quality but talk time is reduced my approx. 5%
#3370#	Deactivate Enhanced Full Rate Codec (EFR)
*#4720#	Activate Half Rate Codec - Your phone uses a lower quality sound but you should gain approx 30% more Talk Time
*#4720#	With this Nokia code you can deactivate the Half Rate Codec
*#0000#	Displays your phones software version, 1st Line : Software Version, 2nd Line : Software Release Date, 3rd Line : Compression Type
*#9999#	Phones software version if *#0000# does not work
*#06#	For checking the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI Number)
#pw+1234567890+1#	Provider Lock Status. (use the "*" button to obtain the "p,w" and "+" symbols)
#pw+1234567890+2#	Network Lock Status. (use the "*" button to obtain the "p,w" and "+" symbols)
#pw+1234567890+3#	Country Lock Status. (use the "*" button to obtain the "p,w" and "+" symbols)
#pw+1234567890+4#	SIM Card Lock Status. (use the "*" button to obtain the "p,w" and "+" symbols)
*#147#	This lets you know who called you last (Only vodofone)
*#1471#	Last call (Only vodofone)
*#21#	This phone code allows you to check the number that "All Calls" are diverted to
*#2640#	Displays phone security code in use
*#30#	Lets you see the private number
*#43#	Allows you to check the "Call Waiting" status of your cell phone.
*#61#	Allows you to check the number that "On No Reply" calls are diverted to
*#62#	Allows you to check the number that "Divert If Unreachable (no service)" calls are diverted to
*#67#	Allows you to check the number that "On Busy Calls" are diverted to
*#67705646#	Phone code that removes operator logo on 3310 & 3330
*#73#	Reset phone timers and game scores
*#746025625#	Displays the SIM Clock status, if your phone supports this power saving feature "SIM Clock Stop Allowed", it means you will get the best standby time possible
*#7760#	Manufactures code
*#7780#	Restore factory settings
*#8110#	Software version for the nokia 8110
*#92702689#	Displays - 1.Serial Number, 2.Date Made, 3.Purchase Date, 4.Date of last repair (0000 for no repairs), 5.Transfer User Data. To exit this mode you need to switch your phone off then on again
*#94870345123456789#	Deactivate the PWM-Mem
**21*number#	Turn on "All Calls" diverting to the phone number entered
**61*number#	Turn on "No Reply" diverting to the phone number entered
**67*number#	Turn on "On Busy" diverting to the phone number entered
12345	This is the default security code

Cell Makers Agree on a Single Charging Plug

Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, LG, and Nokia have agreed to use micro USB as a charging-plug standard for phones. Your days of buying a bagful of accessories every time you switch phones have come to an end. Well, not quite. You will still have to toss out all your mini USB chargers, as this decision in truth indicates a rejection of that budding de facto standard. Yep, all the carriers and accessories makers will have one last chance to profit before the standard is in place.

Kudos Guys....

...'B'...

Windows ReadyBoost

Windows ReadyBoost improves system memory and boosts performance.

Adding system memory (typically referred to as RAM) is often the best way to improve a PC's performance, since more memory means more applications are ready to run without accessing the hard drive. However, upgrading memory can be difficult and costly, and some machines have limited memory expansion capabilities, making it impossible to add RAM.

Windows Vista introduces Windows ReadyBoost, a new concept in adding memory to a system. You can use non-volatile flash memory, such as that on a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive, to improve performance without having to add additional memory "under the hood."

The flash memory device serves as an additional memory cache—that is, memory that the computer can access much more quickly than it can access data on the hard drive. Windows ReadyBoost relies on the intelligent memory management of Windows SuperFetch and can significantly improve system responsiveness.

It's easy to use Windows ReadyBoost. When a removable memory device such as a USB flash drive or a secure digital (SD) memory card is first inserted into a port, Windows Vista checks to see if its performance is fast enough to work with Windows ReadyBoost. If so, you are asked if you want to use this device to speed up system performance. You can choose to allocate part of a USB drive's memory to speed up performance and use the remainder to store files.