Technology Talk

If you believe 40-year-old Gary McKinnon, he’s just a ‘bumbling computer nerd’ who happened to stumble onto NASA and other US government computer systems in search of evidence of UFO technologies. And he claims to have done it through computers with default admin user names and no passwords.

BBC News has an interview with him now that the US government wants to put him on trial. He claims to have found evidence of UFOs. Here’s his description of what one is reported to look like: Read the rest

Tech companies are scrambling to come up with PCs that are affordable to the world’s poorest. In a saturated market where those that can afford PCs already have ones - and companies like Intel boast 60% profit margins - the race is on to reach those in China, India, Latin America, and Russia.

The stats show a huge market. More than two thirds of the world’s population doesn’t own a computer. Only 15% of the world’s population now has internet access. And technology prices have dropped significantly. “Forty-one years ago, a transistor cost $5 to manufacture,” [ntel CEO Paul Otellini] said. “Today, that cost is one-millionth of $1. It’s now cheaper to produce a transistor than to grow a single grain of rice.” Read the rest

Along with personalizing your music and storing your contacts and photos, IPod - with Nike’s help - will soon be able to help you stay fit.

Nike’s been working on a shoe that can connect to a Nano and provide real-time feedback how many steps you’ve walked/run,your distance, and your calories burned.

The sneaker line, Air Zoom Moire, which will debut at around $100, is the first offering in a line of footwear and clothing designed to interact with your iPod. You’ll also need to buy the sensor and iPod attachment (Nike+iPod Sport Kit) for about $29.

According to Sci-Tech-Today.com,

A sensor and receiver embedded in the shoe provide a wireless Relevant Products/Services from HP connection to the iPod, with workout information stored on the device and displayed on the screen. Runners can get audible feedback through the headphones, and data stored on the Nano can be downloaded to a Mac or PC after a run.

The Nike+iPod system will also deliver helpful podcasts by from top atheletes like marathon runner Alberto Salazar and 7 time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong.

From BusinessWeek

Nike dreamed up the idea for the product and contacted Apple to develop the technology behind it, Nike CEO Mark Parker said at the news conference: “A while back we asked a big question: Could we harness the power of digital technology to improve a runner’s experience?” It turns out the answer is a smart running shoe, equipped with a small sensor that can track motion and distance and other metrics that runners find important, but the information would only be available after their run is complete, not while running. “We quickly realized that making a smart shoe wasn’t smart enough.”

So Parker called a friend: Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The result was the kit, which both called simply a “great start.” The two companies will develop more products as part of an ongoing partnership.

Look for the shoe and Nike+iPod Sport Kit to debut in the next 2 months.

As a webmaster for several sites, I get a lot of comment spam on blogs and guestbooks. The vast majority of these comments come from automated bots that scour the web creating links back to spam sites. I’ve often wondered what’s the best way to weed out these comments from the legit ones and have ended up moderating all comments - a time consuming process. Read the rest