New Device May Revolutionize Computer Memory – ““We’ve invented a new device that may revolutionize computer memory,” says Dr. Paul Franzon, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the research. “Our device is called a double floating-gate field effect transistor (FET). Existing nonvolatile memory used in data storage devices utilizes a single floating gate, which stores charge in the floating gate to signify a 1 or 0 in the device – or one ‘bit’ of information. By using two floating gates, the device can store a bit in a nonvolatile mode, and/or it can store a bit in a fast, volatile mode – like the normal main memory on your computer.”..”

Mobile phone to blast into orbit – “The team at Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in Guildford want to see if the sophisticated capabilities in today’s phones will function in the most challenging environment known. The phone will run on Google’s Android operating system but the exact model has not yet been disclosed….”

NASA to Announce New Discovery by Hubble Space Telescope – “NASA is expected to announce a new discovery by researchers using the Hubble Space Telescope on Wednesday (Jan. 26)…”

Bastardi: Forecast for the Rest of Winter Looks Rough – “For people who are sick of the cold and snow and hoping for a quick end to winter, AccuWeather.com Chief Long Range Forecaster Joe Bastardi may have bad news. More persistent cold is expected to hold strong through at least the middle of February across much of the eastern two-thirds of the country….”

Unexpected Find Opens Up New Front in Effort to Stop HIV – “HIV adapts in a surprising way to survive and thrive in its hiding spot within the human immune system, scientists have learned. While the finding helps explain why HIV remains such a formidable foe after three decades of research – more than 30 million people worldwide are infected with HIV – it also offers scientists a new, unexpected way to try to stop the virus….”

Saturn’s Moon Rhea May Have a Breathable Atmosphere – “Saturn’s icy moon Rhea has an oxygen and carbon dioxide atmosphere that is very similar to Earth’s. Even better, the carbon dioxide suggests there’s life – and that possibly humans could breathe the air….”

Social networking under fresh attack as tide of cyber-scepticism sweeps US – “The way in which people frantically communicate online via Twitter, Facebook and instant messaging can be seen as a form of modern madness, according to a leading American sociologist….”

Pirate Bay Thumbs Nose at IFPI, Planning “Music Bay?” – “The latest salvo between the organizers of the popular BitTorrent site The Pirate Bay and their arch-enemies—organizations trying to quash piracy in its many formats—reached new levels this week….”

Apple: Hype vs. Reality [CHART]

The Inside Story of How Facebook Responded to Tunisian Hacks – “It was on Christmas Day that Facebook’s Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan first noticed strange things going on in Tunisia. Reports started to trickle in that political-protest pages were being hacked. “We were getting anecdotal reports saying, ‘It looks like someone logged into my account and deleted it,’” Sullivan said….”

In Afghanistan, armed with an iPhone – “U.S. soldiers design iPhone apps to help fight the Taliban in Afghanistan….”

Solar power enters the plastic age – “Cheaper and lighter compared to its more expensive, cumbersome silicon cousin, plastic photovoltaics (PV) could herald a revolution in the solar power market, according to a UK solar panel expert….”

Google Seeks to Weaken Search Engine Ranking of “Content Farming” Websites – “Google has announced that it is fixing flaws in its algorithm that allows search results to be spammed, while also planning to weaken the search-ability of websites referred to as ”content farms.” Matt Cutts, head of Google’s anti-spam team, writes…”

Disconnect – “If you’re a typical web user, you’re unintentionally sending your browsing and search history with your name and other personal information to third parties and search engines whenever you’re online.”

Researchers find smoking gun of world’s biggest extinction – “About 250 million years about 95 per cent of life was wiped out in the sea and 70 per cent on land. Researchers at the University of Calgary believe they have discovered evidence to support massive volcanic eruptions burnt significant volumes of coal, producing ash clouds that had broad impact on global oceans….” See also: Is Coal Fly Ash Responsible for Mass Extinction?

Sleeping next to pets could be harmful, study says – “More than 60% of American households have a pet, and depending on the survey, 14% to 62% let their dogs and cats sleep with them. That can be dangerous, says Bruno Chomel, a professor at the University of California-Davis school of veterinary medicine….”

Discovery calls for a redefinition of the kilo – “Scientists in France are moving closer to coming up with a non-physical definition of the kilo after discovering the metal artefact used as the international standard had shed a little weight. Researchers caution there is still some way to go before their mission is complete, but if successful it would lead to the end of the useful life of the last manufactured object on which fundamental units of measure depend….”

‘Insect Pizza,’ ‘Bug Mac’ Foods of the Future? – “Dutch student Walinka van Tol inspects the worm protruding from a half-eaten chocolate praline she’s holding, steels herself with a shrug, then pops it into her mouth….”

Webby Judges Identify Top Challenges for the Internet – “On the heels of the 20th anniversary of the World Wide Web last month, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) has identified the top five challenges facing the medium in the next five years….”

Ice age graveyard reveals its secrets – “An ice age graveyard where dozens of huge animals including mammoths, mastodons and a giant ground sloth died up to 150,000 years ago has been unearthed near a popular mountain ski resort….”

Appeasement is the proper policy towards Confucian China – “Is China now where Germany was in 1900? Possibly. There are certainly hints of menace from some quarters in Beijing. Defence minister Liang Guanglie said over New Year that China’s armed forces are “pushing forward preparations for military conflict in every strategic direction”….”

Still got the right stuff: the next generation of rocket scientists – “You could make the case that right now is the most exciting time in a generation to be young and interested in space. The Space Shuttle is preparing for its final flights, soon to be replaced by a new era of launch technology. “NewSpace” companies like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic are lowering launch costs, paving the way for large-scale space exploration. Incentive competitions such as the Google Lunar X PRIZE are both spurring research and development and creating dozens of new groups for young graduates to bring their skills to….”

DIY LED Cube Is a Geektastic and Addressable Light Source – “DIY LED Cube Is a Geektastic and Addressable Light Source If you’re looking for an electronics project to geek out on over the next couple weekends this comprehensive guide to building an LED cube is geeky and functional….”

Domestic use of aerial drones by law enforcement likely to prompt privacy debate – “So the Texas agents did what no state or local law enforcement agency had done before in a high-risk operation: They launched a drone. A bird-size device called a Wasp floated hundreds of feet into the sky and instantly beamed live video to agents on the ground. The SWAT team stormed the house and arrested the suspect….”

GM’s China sales pass US for first time in history – “General Motors Co. sold more cars and trucks in China last year than it did in the U.S., for the first time in the company’s 102-year history….”

Suicide bomber kills 31 at Russia’s biggest airport – “A suicide bomber killed at least 31 people and injured more than 130 on Monday at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, Russia’s biggest….”

Mortgage Giants Leave Legal Bills to the Taxpayers – “Since the government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, taxpayers have spent more than $160 million defending the mortgage finance companies and their former top executives in civil lawsuits accusing them of fraud. The cost was a closely guarded secret until last week, when the companies and their regulator produced an accounting at the request of Congress…”

The GOP’s Campaign Finance “Sneak Attack” – “On Wednesday, House Republicans plan to rush to the floor a bill that would eliminate the federal government’s presidential financing system—in the process, violating recent pledges by the GOP’s leadership of increased transparency and debate in Congress. Not one hearing has been held on the legislation, nor has a single commitee debated its merits. If it passes, it will roll back more than 30 years of law born out of the Watergate scandal, eviscerating one of the few remaining protections stopping corporations from heavily influencing, if not outright buying, American elections, reform experts say….”

Al Jazeera Launches Wikileaks Spinoff: The Palestine Papers Al Jazeera Launches Wikileaks Spinoff – “Staff work at the English-language newsroom at the headquarters of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera satellite channel in DohaIn a second of its kind initiative (after Wikileaks that is) the world’s leading Arabic news network Al Jazeera has launched a Wikileaks-like whistleblower platform for the world with a focus on the Middle East….”

Artificial retinas see well enough to balance a pencil – “A team of researchers has built a neural information system that is good enough and fast enough to balance a pencil in real time. If you think it’s an easy task, try it!”

Laser pointer attacks on planes have doubled – “Astronomy grade laser pointers are designed to reach heights of 12,000 feet. Despite the fact that these pointers can pose a serious threat to pilots, causing temporary blindness, people are still shining them at planes. A report released by the FAA states that these “attacks” have risen from 1,527 in 2009 to 2,836 in 2010….”

Why Almost Everything You Hear About Medicine Is Wrong – “If you follow the news about health research, you risk whiplash. First garlic lowers bad cholesterol, then—after more study—it doesn’t. Hormone replacement reduces the risk of heart disease in postmenopausal women, until a huge study finds that it doesn’t (and that it raises the risk of breast cancer to boot). Eating a big breakfast cuts your total daily calories, or not—as a study released last week finds. Yet even if biomedical research can be a fickle guide, we rely on it….”

Think Before You Buy 4G – “If there is any single truth about modern life, it is the fact that our smart devices just keep getting more powerful. As the devices get more powerful, they develop a hunger for more bandwidth and bigger chunks of data. Of course, the good news is that our devices do more for us than ever before, and they serve us in ways that seem to increase daily. But we have to pay the price….”

Why Fish Is a Real Man’s Food – “Alright, gents. We know you’re drooling for that burger, but if you’ve got prostate cancer, do yourself a favor and choose the fish…”

Top 10 Puzzle Games That Will Make You Want To Pull Your Hair Out – “It seems that no genre can cause quite as much frustration for the average gamer as the puzzle genre. With a game of skill you can just walk away, but when you know that there is a logical solution to a puzzle you feel absolutely worthless if you can’t derive the answer, regardless of how difficult it may be. Below is a list of the ten games that made you feel so frustrated, that you feel like tearing your hair out in anguish. Note that I’ve been rather liberal with what exactly defines a puzzle game but, regardless, these are ten brain teasing games that you do not want to attempt on a bad day….”

[[[Interesting Reading #670 – Humans ‘landing’ on Mars, Laser propulsion, Apple’s screws, Remote control BMW and much more…]]]

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