Telecom Italia takes first step to spin off network

By Danilo Masoni

MILAN (Reuters) - Telecom Italia took a first step to spin off its domestic fixed-line access network on Thursday, a move that could allow the debt-laden Italian telecoms group to raise cash to fund investments.

This could also help Italy speed up broadband development and give Telecom Italia more commercial flexibility.

Telecom Italia said its board had agreed to put some of its network assets, valued 13-15 billion euros, into a separate company with a view to selling a stake in the new entity to state-backed fund Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP).

"Contacts continue with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti," Telecom Italia said, without giving a timing for the possible deal.

Putting Telecom Italia's fixed-line copper and fiber network into a separate company follows political concerns over a possible tie-up with Hong Kong-based conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa.

Hutchison is targeting a majority stake in Telecom Italia in a deal that would involve merging its local unit 3 Italia into the Italian telecoms giant.

Telecom Italia and CDP have been in talks for months over a possible sale of a minority stake in the future network company but differences remain over governance issues and price, sources familiar with the issue have told Reuters.

Telecom Italia also said it would immediately inform Italy's communications regulator about the project and said the new network entity would guarantee equal access to all telecoms operators.

(Reporting By Danilo Masoni; Editing by Lisa Jucca and Jane Merriman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/telecom-italia-takes-first-step-spin-off-network-165214549.html

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Spot a Bad Hotel ? Before You Book

?

The hotel you book could make or break your whole vacation.And yet, online ads and even user reviews may be misleading. Fortunately, there are some tricks for decoding online listings and finding the best hotel or vacation rental for the money.

Nearly 150 million travel bookings were made online last year, and that number keeps growing by about 10% a year. Without a human travel agent to help, we are increasingly tasked with trying to find the best accommodations for the best price by ourselves.

Tip #1: Don?t Get Taken In By Fancy Prose

Descriptions of vacation lodging can get pretty ornate. I?ve seen everything from ?Our designers have made the rooms punch-drunk on color and light? to ?We?ve included every luxury ? and invented some of our own.? But what does that all mean? These descriptions are designed to evoke feelings rather than convey facts. So dig deeper; what are the actual, specific luxuries they?re talking about? In the case of the hotel this ad line came from, one luxury is a whirlpool tub ? fair enough ? but another is ?twice-daily housekeeping service.? Is that really worth paying for?

Tip #2: Read Between The Lines

Even if the descriptions are in plain language, look at what the words don?t say. ?garden view? could mean ?no ocean view.? And ?windows open for cool breeze? could mean ?no air-conditioning.?

Tip #3: Read Between The Pictures

Pictures can reveal what the written descriptions don?t, and you can find photos of pretty much every accommodation available online. But here, too, look closely at what the pictures aren?t showing you. If you?re hoping for a romantic getaway and there are images of the lobby, the pool, and the beds ? but there are no pictures of the view ? red flag. If you want a family lake vacation, and they only show you the cottage, not the cottage in relation to the lake ? red flag. ?You get the idea; it?s the pictures you don?t see that should make you worry.

Tip # 4: Know Which User Reviews to Trust

User reviews have made finding a great hotel ? and more importantly, avoiding a bad one ? a lot easier. But when a single hotel may have one guest writing, ?Best hotel ever? and another guest saying, ?Don?t even think about staying here,? how do you know which reviews to trust?

??????Start by throwing out the top 20% ? the glowing positive reviews, which might have been written by the owner?s brother ? and the bottom 20% ? the scathing bad reviews, which might also have been written by the owner?s brother, but who now hates him and has bought the hotel across the street.

??????Listings with only one or two reviews don?t give you enough information, so treat those reviews with a grain of salt.

??????Look for recent reviews. Factors like hotel service, cleanliness, near-by construction, remodeling, or other inconveniences, can change a lot in a short time.

??????Pay special attention to reviews that give an opinion about the amount of value you get for the money. If a hotel is inexpensive, you shouldn?t expect luxury, but you should hope to get a good deal.

Bonus Tip: How To Cancel Without Losing Any Money
Usually, it?s not a problem to cancel a reservation within a certain period, but what if you need to cancel at the last minute, and you want to avoid a cancellation fee? First, call the actual hotel ? not the 800 number ? and politely explain the circumstances. See if they will let you cancel without a fee.? If that doesn?t work, try calling the 800 number and changing your reservation to a few days later ? outside the cancellation-fee window. Then call back to the 800 number ? you?ll likely get a different reservation agent ? and try to cancel it.? I can?t promise it?ll work, but it?s worth a try.

If you have travel tips you?d liketo share, please post them on our Facebook page.

[Related: New Trick to Get The Best Seat In Coach]

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upgrade-your-life/spot-a-bad-hotel-%E2%80%93-before-you-book-151317069.html

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Scientists discover that turtles began living in shells much earlier than once thought

Public release date: 30-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kelly Carnes
carnesk@si.edu
202-633-2950
Smithsonian

Unique among Earth's creatures, turtles are the only animals to form a shell on the outside of their bodies through a fusion of modified ribs, vertebrae and shoulder girdle bones. The turtle shell is a unique modification, and how and when it originated has fascinated and confounded biologists for more than two centuries. A Smithsonian scientist and colleagues recently discovered that the beginnings of the turtle shell started 40 million years earlier than previously thought. The team's research is published in the May 30 issue of Current Biology.

The oldest known fossil turtle dated back about 210 million years, but it had an already fully formed shell, giving no clues to early shell evolution. Then a clue came in 2008 when the 220 million-year-old fossil remains of an early turtle species, Odontochelys semitestacea, were discovered in China. It had a fully developed plastron (the belly portion of a turtle's shell), but only a partial carapace made up of distinctively broadened ribs and vertebrae on its back. With this knowledge the scientists turned to newly discovered specimens of Eunotosaurus africanus, a South African species 40 million years older than O. semitestacea that also had distinctively broadened ribs. Their detailed study of Eunotosaurus indicated it uniquely shared many features only found in turtles, such as no intercostal muscles that run in between the ribs, paired belly ribs and a specialized mode of rib development, which indicates that Eunotosaurus represents one of the first species to form the evolutionary branch of turtles.

"Eunotosaurus neatly fills an approximately 30-55-million year gap in the turtle fossil record," said Tyler Lyson, a Peter Buck Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. "There are several anatomical and developmental features that indicate Eunotosaurus is an early representative of the turtle lineage; however, its morphology is intermediate between the specialized shell found in modern turtles and primitive features found in other vertebrates. As such, Eunotosaurus helps bridge the morphological gap between turtles and other reptiles."

Ribs in most other animals protect internal organs and help ventilate the lungs to assist breathing. Because the ribs of turtles have been modified to form the shell, they have also had to modify the way they breathe with specialized muscles. This presents the team with their next challenge. They plan to examine the novel respiratory system in turtles and see how it evolved in conjunction with the evolution of the turtle's shell.

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[ | E-mail | Share ]

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 30-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kelly Carnes
carnesk@si.edu
202-633-2950
Smithsonian

Unique among Earth's creatures, turtles are the only animals to form a shell on the outside of their bodies through a fusion of modified ribs, vertebrae and shoulder girdle bones. The turtle shell is a unique modification, and how and when it originated has fascinated and confounded biologists for more than two centuries. A Smithsonian scientist and colleagues recently discovered that the beginnings of the turtle shell started 40 million years earlier than previously thought. The team's research is published in the May 30 issue of Current Biology.

The oldest known fossil turtle dated back about 210 million years, but it had an already fully formed shell, giving no clues to early shell evolution. Then a clue came in 2008 when the 220 million-year-old fossil remains of an early turtle species, Odontochelys semitestacea, were discovered in China. It had a fully developed plastron (the belly portion of a turtle's shell), but only a partial carapace made up of distinctively broadened ribs and vertebrae on its back. With this knowledge the scientists turned to newly discovered specimens of Eunotosaurus africanus, a South African species 40 million years older than O. semitestacea that also had distinctively broadened ribs. Their detailed study of Eunotosaurus indicated it uniquely shared many features only found in turtles, such as no intercostal muscles that run in between the ribs, paired belly ribs and a specialized mode of rib development, which indicates that Eunotosaurus represents one of the first species to form the evolutionary branch of turtles.

"Eunotosaurus neatly fills an approximately 30-55-million year gap in the turtle fossil record," said Tyler Lyson, a Peter Buck Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. "There are several anatomical and developmental features that indicate Eunotosaurus is an early representative of the turtle lineage; however, its morphology is intermediate between the specialized shell found in modern turtles and primitive features found in other vertebrates. As such, Eunotosaurus helps bridge the morphological gap between turtles and other reptiles."

Ribs in most other animals protect internal organs and help ventilate the lungs to assist breathing. Because the ribs of turtles have been modified to form the shell, they have also had to modify the way they breathe with specialized muscles. This presents the team with their next challenge. They plan to examine the novel respiratory system in turtles and see how it evolved in conjunction with the evolution of the turtle's shell.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/s-sdt052913.php

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Pinterest Is Looking For Ways To Permit The Right Kind Of Nudity (Aka Art, Not Porn)

Pinterest is rubbing up against the limits of its own overmodest acceptable usage policy. The social site that lets people share images of things they really dig has told the FT it plans to allow more nude images to be pinned by users -- following complaints from artists and photographers about its current nudes ban. No nudity is the first clause in Pinterest's current acceptable use policy.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/wtZjXI21WB0/

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Gel Offers New Possibilities for 'Soft' Robots

A new material controlled by light may help scientists build better soft-bodied robots.

The developers of the gel say they were inspired by the way a plant grows to face the sunlight. Unlike plants, though, the gel can be made to flex and move almost instantaneously.

The UC Berkeley scientists created the gel using graphene and a synthetic protein similar to elastin, which is found in humans' blood vessels, skin and more.

The synthetic elastin, created from genetically engineered bacteria, absorbs water at room temperature, but at higher temperatures it expels the water and shrinks. [Read also: " Soft Robots Make World Safer for Humans"]

Graphene produces heat when exposed to near-infrared light. Together, the two materials make a light-controlled gel, said professor Seung-Wuk Lee of UC Berkeley's department of bioengineering. "The graphene is heated by the light, and then the elastin is responding to the heat induced by the light."

By making parts of the new gel less porous, the team could control how the material bends. The more porous side absorbed and expelled water faster, making the material shrink unevenly, which resulted in a gel that could bend in a predictable, repeatable way.

The material by itself ? which Lee and his team have only thus far assembled into tiny structures ? does not a robot make. So far, the "robots" built include a 0.4-inch (1 cm) "worm" that crawls when exposed to the infrared laser, and a roughly 0.8-inch (2 cm) hand that bends its fingers. But the proof of concept could someday be used to build complex robots, such as one that's shaped like and moves like an octopus, Lee said.

The octopus example is an apt one. For now, since the new material needs to absorb and expel water to flex and stretch, the experiments with the material were conducted while it was submerged.

If octobots seem farfetched, Lee suggests that the new material could be used for drug delivery. Perhaps the material could soak up a liquid drug, injected into a patient's bloodstream, and then squeezed out of the material's pores at the right place. Since infrared light penetrates skin, it's not impossible to imagine in the future.

Or, Lee said, why not use the shape-changing gel as a replacement for lost limbs? "We could replace our tissues" with a light-controlled gel, he said.

The study was published in the journal Nano Letters earlier this month.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gel-offers-possibilities-soft-robots-213723454.html

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U.S. Expected to Clear China Smithfield Purchase (WSJ)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/309161349?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Beware, lads! 'Downton's' Mary is a black widow

TV

Ree Hines TODAY contributor

1 hour ago

Nick Briggs / Carnival Films

Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley on "Downton Abbey."

It's been three months since the third season of "Downton Abbey" came to a close, but for fans of the drama, the final scene still stings like it was yesterday. Matthew -- the heir to "Downton" and one true love of Lady Mary -- met his final fate.

Sniff!

What a shame. Matthew made it through his wartime engagement to Lavinia with just a temporary bout of paralysis. But his marriage to Mary? It proved fatal.

OK, technically it was a particularly unlucky joyride that proved fatal for Matthew, but his marriage to Mary didn't help things. After all, Lord Grantham's eldest daughter has a bit of a reputation.

Matthew wasn't Mary's first partner. Long before he entered her life, she was betrothed to another -- her cousin, Patrick. But of course, that engagement didn't end in a happily-ever-after either. That's because Patrick, who was the heir apparent to Downton at the time, sank into the icy depths of the North Atlantic Ocean along with the Titanic.

Coincidence? Well?

Things start to seem suspicious when the fate another man is considered. Kermal Pamuk, a Turkish diplomat who was a guest in Lord Grantham's home, seduced his way into Lady Mary's bed one night. But shortly after he and Mary hit the sheets, he suffered a heart attack and died on the spot.

You get the idea. Lady Mary's a black widow -- or at the very least, bad luck for the fellows. Either way, the men of the Roaring Twenties need to take care. When season four of "Downton Abbey" kicks off, she'll be single and (after she devotes an appropriate amount of time to mourning her lost love) ready to mingle.

According to the actress behind the widowed aristocrat, finding a new man only makes sense.

"She has the heir to Downton, she has baby George and she is under pressure to find someone," Michelle Dockery recently told the Los Angeles Times. "In that world, women had to find someone. It was all about marriage and who you'd spend the rest of your life with."

Or given Mary's track record, the man she'd spend the rest of his life with.

And there won't be any shortage of available men for Mary in the upcoming season. In addition to the also single and bereaved Branson (a match that would just be wrong, wrong, wrong), Lady Mary will be free to consider a few new faces. Lord Gillingham (Tom Cullen), an old friend of the family, will make an appearance. Another eligible option will be blue blood Charles Blake (Julian Ovenden). And if Mary isn't concerned about the upper-crust set anymore, there will even be a new easy-on-the-eyes jazz singer (Gary Carr) and valet (Nigel Harman) on the scene.

But those men better beware. Only one man offered himself to Mary and lived to tell the tale. Newspaper magnate Sir Richard Carlisle, who was briefly engaged to her back in season two, was left with a bitter, broken -- but still beating -- heart when they parted ways.

It will be a while before fans know for sure which man will tempt fate for Lady Mary. "Downton Abbey" isn't expected to return to PBS until winter of 2014.

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/look-out-lads-downton-abbeys-lady-mary-black-widow-6C10128515

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Judge rejects legal challenges by accused Colorado theater gunman

By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado judge rejected challenges on Wednesday to the state's insanity defense statute and death penalty law by accused movie theater spree gunman James Holmes, resolving a key legal hurdle in the sensational case.

Lawyers for Holmes, accused of killing 12 moviegoers and wounding dozens more in a rampage last July, had argued that the state's insanity law was unconstitutional because it forces their client to cooperate with court-appointed psychiatrists.

They also contended that compelling the 25-year-old former neuroscience graduate student to reveal information to mental health experts that could be used against him at trial violates his constitutional right against self-incrimination. But Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos Samour disagreed.

"The provisions in the insanity statutes and the death penalty statute challenged by the defendant are constitutional," Samour wrote in a 51-page ruling, denying the defense's motions in their entirety.

The defense arguments were the latest legal wrangling surrounding last year's mass shooting in suburban Denver during a midnight screening of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises."

Holmes, who is charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder, is scheduled to stand trial in February. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted.

In March, then-presiding Judge William Sylvester entered a standard not guilty plea for Holmes, but allowed his attorneys to change that to not guilty by reason of insanity.

Samour, who took over the case in April, has ruled that there was "good cause" for Holmes' lawyers to change the plea.

However, Samour said he could not rule on whether he would accept it until the challenges to the insanity defense and death penalty law were resolved, so he could properly advise Holmes of the ramifications of such a plea.

Public defenders for Holmes have said in court pleadings that the former University of Colorado graduate student has been hospitalized twice since his arrest, once for "potential self-inflicted injuries."

He has grown a shaggy beard and longer hair since he was arrested outside the movie theater minutes after the shooting spree. At his first court appearance days after the shooting, he looked dazed and sleepy with his hair dyed orange and red.

Neither prosecutors nor attorneys for Holmes have publicly commented on the case due to a court-imposed gag order.

(Writing and additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Paul Thomasch, Cynthia Johnston, G Crosse and Lisa Shumaker)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/judge-rejects-legal-challenges-accused-colorado-theater-gunman-013005393.html

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Charles Communications Associates Internship | Career Corner

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Charles Communications Associates

Internship Description ? Summer/Fall 2013

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About Charles Communications Associates:? We are a San Francisco based, nationally focused marketing communications firm specializing in the wine, spirits, gourmet and eco-living sectors. Our focused team of creative and energetic individuals executes strategic communications programs for our clients which range from a Top Chef to a Pop Up Chef, from artisanally produced wines to major wine companies in the top 30 wine businesses in the U.S. We are diverse, nimble and well-respected for what we do.?? It?s a great opportunity for an individual interested in a wine career to undertake. Realizing the constantly growing potential of new media as marketing platforms, Charles Communications develops and executes new media strategies for clients driven by an in-depth understanding and experience with social network sites, blogs and other marketing relevant online media.

?

Job Description

We are looking for a 3-6 month intern who can work part time (15-20 hours/week) and who will jump in and join our fast paced team.? We need a smart, agile, resourceful can-do individual who is self-motivated, self-assured and willing to learn.

Responsibilities

• Be familiar with CCA?s clients and our general marketing strategies, ask questions when necessary
• Work on ad hoc client projects as needed ? conduct research, design collateral, coordinate meetings, assist in sending product samples mailings to media
• Help maintain CCA?s online presence: Update Facebook & Twitter profiles
• Manage and contribute to CCA?s blog
• Answer phones & greet guests
• Manage sample sends from CCA office ? arrange UPS mailing labels/pick up/tracking, pack wine, print press kits
• Assist in the management of CCA?s proprietary media list, build and update lists as requested using all of CCA?s tools.
• Participate in events where appropriate

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Qualifications: Thorough familiarity of Macs, Microsoft suite, social media capabilities and media database knowledge. Strong communications skills both writing and verbal are a must along with organizational skills.??? We want someone who will bring a lot to the party!

Compensation:? The internship offers $11/hour and/or college credit.

?

Holidays: ?Holidays for the remainder of 2013 include:? July 4-5, September 2, November 28-29, December 25, December 31.

How to apply: Please send your resume and cover letter to press@charlescomm.com. Also, to help us get to know you, please complete the following:

Develop a brief strategy for a winery launching a new label to be carried in retail stores nationwide. The wine, which is a Spanish Garnacha sourced from the Aragon region of Spain, is priced at $16, targeting a young demographic between the ages of 21-24. The company has a well-established presence in the wine industry and is known for its outstanding value, high quality and consistent style. In a competitive wine market, how do you propose to promote this launch and secure both online and print coverage?

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Author: USF SOM Undergraduate Career Corner

Please check this blog for regular updates on career opportunities available to Undergraduate students in the School of Management. All the best in your search!

Source: http://uginternships.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/charles-communications-associates-internship/

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Ask Former Stig And James Bond Stunt Driver Anything You Want

Ben Collins is famous for being a successful race car driver, author, and Hollywood stunt driver, but you probably know him best as The Stig from Top Gear. Now that the helmet's off he can answer all your questions about being the world's most infamous wheelman and driving for James Bond in the movies.

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/OW06ido5qR8/ask-former-stig-and-james-bond-stunt-driver-anything-yo-510300313

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Increasing problem of prescription drug abuse among youth

May 28, 2013 ? Young people are increasingly turning to prescription drugs to get high. Research out of the University of Cincinnati sheds new light on what could increase or lower that risk.

The research by Keith King, a University of Cincinnati professor of health promotion; Rebecca Vidourek, a UC assistant professor of health promotion; and Ashley Merianos, a graduate assistant in health promotion, is published in the current issue of the Journal of Primary Prevention.

The study focused on more than 54,000 7th- through 12th -- grade students in schools across Greater Cincinnati, including the Tristate regions of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The data was collected by the Coalition for a Drug Free Greater Cincinnati as part of the 2009-2010 Pride Survey on adolescent drug use in America.

A total of 13.7 percent of the students reported using prescription drugs -- without a doctor's prescription -- in their lifetime. Males were more likely to abuse prescription drugs, as well as high school students, versus junior high school students. Among ethnicities studied, Hispanic students indicated they were more likely to use nonmedical prescription drugs compared with white and African-American students.

The study also found that pro-social behaviors, including strong connections with parents (and their advising on the dangers of drug use), reduced the students' odds of abusing prescription drugs, along with positive connections to teachers and their schools. Connections with peers who disapproved of substance abuse also decreased student chances of abusing prescription medications. "Students at every grade level who reported high levels of parent and peer disapproval of use were at decreased odds for lifetime nonmedical prescription drug use," according to the study.

On the other hand, the authors found that relationships with drug-using peers increase the risk of youth substance abuse. Peer use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana were associated with increased use of nonmedical prescription drugs for all students.

"While much research has examined factors associated with overall substance use among youth, relatively few studies have specifically investigated risk factors, protective factors and sex/grade differences for youth involvement in nonmedical prescription use," write the authors. "Identifying specific risk and protective factors for males, females, junior high and high school students would help to clarify prevention needs and enhance prevention programming."

The study cites national research that indicates kids are turning to prescription drugs to get high under the mistaken notion that they're safer than illicit drugs, yet national research has shown that even short-term use of non-prescribed, prescription medications can cause cardiovascular and respiratory distress, seizures and death.

The authors suggest future research should explore young people's use of specific nonmedical prescription drugs.

Demographics of the Study

The study was close to evenly divided between male (49.4 percent) and female participants; 75 percent reported they were Caucasian; 14.4 percent African-American; 1.8 percent Hispanic/Latino; 2.4 percent Asian/Pacific Islander; 0.4 percent Native American; 4.1 percent multiracial and 1.5 percent selected "other" for ethnicity. Respondents were close to evenly distributed across 7th- through 12th-grades. Approximately two-thirds (62.4 percent) of participants reported living with both parents; 16.2 percent reported living with their mother only; 2.9 percent reported living with their father only.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/Vw7zQJsvOVk/130528143722.htm

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3-D microelectrodes? Charred micro-bunny sculpture shows promise of new material for 3-D shaping

May 29, 2013 ? Though its surface has been turned to carbon, the bunny-like features can still be easily observed with a microscope. This rabbit sculpture, the size of a typical bacterium, is one of several whimsical shapes created by a team of Japanese scientists using a new material that can be molded into complex, highly conductive 3-D structures with features just a few micrometers across. Combined with state-of-the-art micro-sculpting techniques, the new resin holds promise for making customized electrodes for fuel cells or batteries, as well as biosensor interfaces for medical uses.

The research team, which includes physicists and chemists from Yokohama National University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and the company C-MET, Inc., presents its results in a paper published today in the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal Optical Materials Express.

The work opens a door for researchers trying to create conductive materials in almost any complex shape at the microscopic or cellular level. "One of the most promising applications is 3-D microelectrodes that could interface with the brain," says Yuya Daicho, graduate student at Yokohama National University and lead author of the paper. These brain interfaces, rows of needle-shaped electrodes pointing in the same direction like teeth on combs, can send or receive electrical signals from neurons and can be used for deep brain stimulation and other therapeutic interventions to treat disorders such as epilepsy, depression, and Parkinson's disease. "Although current microelectrodes are simple 2-D needle arrays," Daicho says, "our method can provide complex 3-D electrode arrays" in which the needles of a single device have different lengths and tip shapes, giving researchers more flexibility in designing electrodes for specialized purposes. The authors also envision making microscopic 3-D coils for heating applications.

Currently, researchers have access to materials that can be used to make complex 3-D structures. But the commercially available resins that work best with modern 3-D shaping techniques do not respond to carbonization, a necessary part of the electrode preparation process. In this stage, a structure is baked at a temperature high enough to turn its surface to carbon. The process of "carbonizing," or charring, increases the conductivity of the resin and also increases its surface area, both of which make it a good electrode. Unfortunately, this process also destroys the resin's shape; a sphere becomes an unrecognizable charred blob. What researchers needed were new materials that could be crafted using 3-D shaping techniques but that would also survive the charring process.

The Japanese team, led by Daicho and his advisor Shoji Maruo, sought to develop materials that would fit these needs. Trained as a chemist, Daicho developed a light-sensitive resin that included a material called Resorcinol Diglycidyl Ether (RDGE), typically used to dilute other resins but never before used in 3-D sculpting. The new mixture had a unique advantage over other compounds -- it was a liquid, and therefore potentially suitable for manipulation using the preferred 3-D sculpting methods.

Daicho, Maruo, and colleagues tested three different concentrations of RDGE in their new compounds. Though there was shrinkage, the materials held their shapes during the charring process (controlled shrinkage of a microstructure can be a good thing in cases where miniaturization of a structure is desired). The resin with the lowest concentration of RDGE shrank 30 percent, while that with the highest concentration shrank 20 percent.

The researchers also tested their new resin's ability to be manipulated using techniques specifically suited for 3-D shaping. In one technique, called microtransfer molding, the light-sensitive liquid was molded into a desired shape and then hardened by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. The other technique, preferred because of its versatility, made use of the liquid resin's property of solidifying when exposed to a laser beam. In this process, called two-photon polymerization, researchers used the laser to "draw" a shape onto the liquid resin and build it up layer by layer. Once the objects were shaped, they were carbonized and viewed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

In addition to crafting pyramids and discs, the researchers reproduced the well-known "Stanford bunny," a shape commonly used in 3-D modeling and computer graphics. Maruo says that when he first saw a picture of the rabbit structure taken with the SEM, he was delighted at how well it had held up during the charring process.

"When we got the carbon bunny structure, we were very surprised," Maruo says. It was exciting, he continues, to see that "even with a very simple experimental structure, we could get this complicated 3-D carbon microstructure." The rabbit's shape would be much more difficult, expensive, and time-consuming to create using any of the existing processes compatible with carbonization, he adds.

Next steps for the team include fabricating usable carbon microstructures, as well as charring the resins at temperatures above the 800 degrees Celsius tested in this study. Moving to higher temperatures may destroy the microstructures, Maruo says, but there is a chance they will turn the surfaces into graphite, a higher-quality conductor than the carbonized surfaces they have created so far.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/P6ZPU6m0K-w/130529111341.htm

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HBO's VICE crew surprised by North Korean leader

NEW YORK (AP) ? The documentary crew that accompanied Dennis Rodman to North Korea over the winter says it had no idea it would meet the reclusive country's young leader, Kim Jong Un, until he showed up at a basketball game it was filming.

The media company VICE arranged the trip and invited Rodman after its first choice, Michael Jordan, expressed no interest. A 30-minute documentary on the unexpected piece of basketball diplomacy will air on June 14 on HBO as the final episode of VICE's first season, and was previewed for some reporters on Wednesday.

The North Korean leader loves basketball so much that he overlooked the government's antipathy for VICE founder Shane Smith, who had made two critical documentaries on North Korea, and invited the crew in. Smith wasn't allowed back but VICE's Ryan Duffy accompanied Rodman and three members of the Harlem Globetrotters traveling basketball troupe.

"We just wanted to make a good documentary," Smith said in an interview. "We didn't do it as a stunt."

Duffy quickly learned his place: One of the first things one of his "tour guides" told him was, "I know who you are. I don't like you and I don't like your company," he said Wednesday. The crew was told when it could turn on its cameras and when they had to be off, and feared landing in a North Korean prison if it didn't comply, he said.

The North Koreans did not go through the footage shot by the crew, however. Some 36 hours of film was cut down into the half-hour HBO show, and some may surface later as online extras.

The crew went through an elaborate week-long organized tour of North Korea's capital of Pyongyang, visiting a well-stocked mall with no other customers and the country's version of Sea World. At one point, it was shown a classroom with students sitting behind computers, but only one person either knew how or was allowed to use one of the machines. One student sat before Google's home page and never searched for anything, just moving the cursor back and forth randomly.

The tour was taken in the hopes of catching one or two glimpses of the real North Korean people, which the group finally achieved toward the end when its minders let the bus stop at a park and the Globetrotters played around with some of the kids, helping them learn to spin a basketball on their finger.

Duffy said the group was surprised when Kim arrived to watch what was essentially a pickup basketball game with the Globetrotters and some members of a North Korean youth team. Rodman didn't play; he sat in the stands watching with Kim. After the game, the VICE crew and players were rushed across Pyongyang unexpectedly for a dinner with Kim and other members of the North Korean government.

Although Rodman was key to securing the visit and played the most prominent role of any of the visiting Americans, he's only a bit player in VICE's documentary. Smith said Rodman declined to be interviewed about the trip by VICE afterward.

The American group brought in some basketballs and basketball equipment to distribute to young North Koreans, but wasn't asked for anything else by its hosts, Smith said. VICE hasn't spoken to anyone in the Obama administration about the trip, he said. During the trip, the administration had refrained from commenting about it.

HBO and VICE have not agreed to continue its series of news documentaries beyond this season, but the arrangement is likely. HBO said the show gets solid ratings, while VICE said the network gives VICE valuable exposure beyond the young audience that traditionally follows its product.

Smith said he's open to heading back to North Korea at some point in the future.

Next time, VICE may take Scottie Pippen.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hbos-vice-crew-surprised-north-korean-leader-183943215.html

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August: the beautiful, Yves Behar-designed $199 smart lock

The home automation market is really starting to take off, and surprisingly, it's door locks that are proving to be one of the biggest areas of interest. Established home security companies like Kwikset and mobile carriers (via unnamed OEMs) are working to combine smartphones and deadbolts, while startups like Smart Knob are using offline technology to simplify vacation rentals. August, the brainchild of Yves Behar and Jason Johnson, combines elements of both approaches and does so with Behar's typical flair for stunning design. The primary way of unlocking an August-equipped door is through an app that pairs with the stylish mechanism via Bluetooth. But it skips out on the direct internet connection, which could leave it more vulnerable to hacks.

Instead, it passes all necessary online communications through the paired phone or tablet. In fact, it's capable of operating without an internet connection at all, since it relies on algorithmically generated keys, similar to a secure ID token. Those "keys" are assigned to specific devices, that also have the app installed, which are identified via Bluetooth LE. Each lock is synced up with Augusts' servers and attached to a unique account that you manage through the companion app. And, even if the batteries die, you can still use the old standby: an actual key.

Gallery: August door lock

Filed under: Household, Software, Mobile

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Source: August

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/FeTKk0EakRM/

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Rupert Murdoch Criticizes Koran After Woolwich Attack

Rupert Murdoch, Wendi Deng, Lachlan Murdoch

News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch, left, his wife Wendi Deng and son Lachlan Murdoch leave the High Court in London after giving evidence to the Leveson inquiry, Thursday, April 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Rupert Murdoch, Wendi Deng

News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch and his wife Wendi Deng leave the High Court in London after giving evidence to the Leveson inquiry, Thursday, April 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Rupert Murdoch

FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2012 file photo Rupert Murdoch arrives at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles. Murdoch?s News Corp., the global media conglomerate under fire for phone hacking and alleged bribery in Britain, posted a 47 percent increase in third-quarter net income thanks to strong performances at its U.S. pay-TV networks and movie studio (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)

Rupert Murdoch

News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch arrives at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, Friday, July 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

The 20th Annual Sir Elton John Oscar Party - Los Angeles

Wendi Murdoch arriving at the 84th Annual Academy Awards, held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, USA on February 26, 2012. ()

A campaigner wearing a giant mask depicting News Corporation's chairman Rupert Murdoch burns the Leveson report while another wearing a mask depicting British Prime Minister David Cameron, sits tied to a chair during a protest, calling on MPs to back reform legislation to stop any one media organisation developing a stranglehold over the British media, outside the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London where Lord Justice Brian Leveson is to release his report into the culture and practices of the British press and his recommendations for future regulation to prevent phone hacking, data theft, bribery and other abuses, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

Red Magazine Red Hot Women Awards - London

Elisabeth Murdoch arrives for the annual Red's Hot Women Awards 2012 at One Marylbone, London.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, center, and his wife Wendi Deng, top, watch Andy Murray of Britain play Roger Federer of Switzerland during the men's singles final match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Sunday, July 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Gilham, Pool)

James Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch

James Murdoch, left, son of Rupert Murdoch and deputy chief operating officer of News Corp., and Lachlan Murdoch, right, son of Rupert Murdoch and former executive with News Corp., arrive at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, Wednesday, July 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

James Murdoch

James Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch and deputy chief operating officer of News Corp., arrives at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, Wednesday, July 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Rupert Murdoch, Wendi Murdoch

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his wife, Wendi, arrives at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, Thursday, July 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Lachlan Murdoch

Lachlan Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch and former executive with News Corp., arrives at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, Thursday, July 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Rupert Murdoch, Wendi Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch and his wife, Wendi, arrives at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, Thursday, July 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Sergey Brin, Wendy Deng

Google co-founder Sergey Brin shows his "Google Glasss" to Wendi Deng, Rupert Murdoch's wife, at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, Thursday, July 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Lachlan Murdoch

Lachlan Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch and former executive with News Corp., arrives at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, Friday, July 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Rupert Murdoch, Michael Bloomberg

From left, News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch, speaks as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg looks on during a forum on The Economics and Politics of Immigration in Boston, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

Rupert Murdoch,

News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch, speaks during a forum on The Economics and Politics of Immigration in Boston at which Murdoch and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

Rupert Murdoch,

News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch, speaks during a forum on The Economics and Politics of Immigration in Boston at which Murdoch and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

Rupert Murdoch,

News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch, listens to introductions during a forum on The Economics and Politics of Immigration in Boston at which Murdoch and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

Rupert Murdoch, Michael Bloomberg

From left, News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch, looks on as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks during a forum on The Economics and Politics of Immigration in Boston, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

James Murdoch Gives Evidence At The Leveson Inquiry

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 24: Protesters from the campaign group 'Avaaz' demonstrate outside the High Court with large James and Rupert Murdoch masks as former News International chairman James Murdoch gives evidence to The Leveson Inquiry on April 24, 2012 in London, England. This phase of the inquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the press in the United Kingdom is looking at the owners of various media groups. Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp, will give evidence tomorrow. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert

James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, arrives at London's High Court, on April 24, 2012, ahead of his appearance before the Leveson Inquiry. The Inquiry was set up after a phone hacking scandal led to the closure of the News of the World tabloid in 2011. Rupert Murdoch appears at the Inquiry on Wednesday and possibly Thursday. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Rupert Murdoch Returns To His Home Ahead Of His Appearance At the Leveson Inquiry

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 23: Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corporation arrives at his house, two days before he is due to give evidence to the Leveson Inquiry, on April 23, 2012 in London, England. This phase of the inquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the press in the United Kingdom is looking at the owners of various media groups. The inquiry, which may take a year or more to complete, comes in the wake of the phone hacking scandal that saw the closure of The News of The World newspaper in 2011. (Photo by Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images)

Rupert Murdoch (C), Chairman and CEO of

Rupert Murdoch (C), Chairman and CEO of News Corp. and John Witherow (R), Editor of the Sunday Times of London, leave the funeral of slain Times of London correspondent Marie Colvin, at St. Dominic's Catholic Church on March 12, 2012 in Oyster Bay, New York. Colvin was killed in Syria along with French photographer Remi Ochlik as the two were covering the violence in the city of Homs on February 22. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)

Rupert Murdoch (L), Chairman and CEO of

Rupert Murdoch (L), Chairman and CEO of News Corp. and John Witherow (R), Editor of the Sunday Times of London, leave the funeral of slain Times of London correspondent Marie Colvin, at St. Dominic's Catholic Church on March 12, 2012 in Oyster Bay, New York. Colvin was killed in Syria along with French photographer Remi Ochlik as the two were covering the violence in the city of Homs on February 22. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)

The First Editions Of The Sun On Sunday Hit The Newstands

BROXBOURNE, UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 25: (EDITORS NOTE: THIS IMAGE IS FREE FOR USE UNTIL MARCH 3 2012) In this handout photograph provided by News International, Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, reviews the first edition of The Sun On Sunday as it comes off the presses on February 25, 2012 in Broxbourne, England. Around 3 million copies of 'The Sun On Sunday', the first ever Sunday edition of News International's daily tabloid newspaper 'The Sun', are due to go on sale on Sunday February 26, 2012. (Photo by Arthur Edwards/News International via Getty Images)

The First Editions Of The Sun On Sunday Hit The Newstands

BROXBOURNE, UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 25: Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, arrives to oversee the first editions of the 'The Sun On Sunday' newspaper coming off the priniting press on February 25, 2012 in Broxbourne, England. Around 3 million copies of 'The Sun On Sunday', the first ever Sunday edition of News International's daily tabloid newspaper 'The Sun', are due to go on sale on Sunday February 26, 2012. News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch, who has flown into the UK to oversee the launch, said he would be 'very happy' if sales of his new paper exceed two million copies and enjoyed similar success to the 'News Of The World', its defunct predecessor. (Photo by John Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Rupert Murdoch Sighting In London

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 21: News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch smiles as he leaves his flat on February 21, 2012 in London, England. Mr Murdoch has announced that a new paper 'The Sun on Sunday' will publish it's first edition this weekend. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

69th Annual Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JANUARY 15: Rupert Murdoch and wife Wendi Murdoch arrive at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 15, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Rupert Murdoch Delivers Keynote At The National Summit On Education Reform

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 14: News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch delivers a keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform on October 14, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Rupert Murdoch was the keynote speaker at the two-day National Summit on Education Reform. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Rupert Murdoch Delivers Keynote At The National Summit On Education Reform

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 14: News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch (L) shakes hands with Joel Klein (R) during a keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform on October 14, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Rupert Murdoch was the keynote speaker at the two-day National Summit on Education Reform. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Rupert Murdoch Delivers Keynote At The National Summit On Education Reform

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 14: News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch pauses as he delivers a keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform on October 14, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Rupert Murdoch was the keynote speaker at the two-day National Summit on Education Reform. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Occupy Wall Street Protestors March Down New York's Fifth Avenue

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 11: Protesters with the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement yell up to the residence of NewsCorp CEO Rupert Murdoch on October 11, 2011 in New York City. Hundreds of activists marched along 5th avenue and Park Avenue stopping in front of the buildings where prominent heads of major business and financial institutions live. Many of the 'Occupy Wall Street' demonstrations have been living in Zuccotti Park in the Financial District near Wall Street. The activists have been gradually converging on the financial district over the past three weeks to rally against the influence of corporate money in politics among a host of other issues. The protests have begun to attract the attention of major unions and religious groups as the movement continues to grow in influence. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The generval view shows newspapers in Me

The generval view shows newspapers in Melbourne on July 21, 2011 with coverage dominated by Rupert Murdoch's appearance before a British parliamentary committee and moves in Australia to introduce a legal right to privacy after the phone-hacking scandal in Britain, paving the way for people to sue media organisations for serious breaches. Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said he was acting now after the News of the World furore heightened concerns. AFP PHOTO / William WEST (Photo credit should read WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

News Corporation Chief Rupert Murdoch re

News Corporation Chief Rupert Murdoch reads a copy of one his newspapers, The London Times, as he leaves his London home on July 20 2011. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Wednesday warned Rupert Murdoch's Australian arm it faced some 'hard questions' as calls intensified for a media inquiry following the British hacking scandal. Gillard declined to comment on Murdoch's grilling by British MPs over the outcry that saw him close tabloid News of the World and dump his bid for satellite broadcaster BSkyB, but said the Australian public was concerned. AFP PHOTO/CARL COURT (Photo credit should read CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images)

Leveson Inquiry

Lachlan Murdoch leaving his father Rupert's home in Mayfair, central London as his brother James, gives evidence to the Leveson Inquiry into press standards.

Rupert Murdoch with Queen Elizabeth II in 1985

File photo dated 28/02/1985 of Queen Elizabeth II with proprietor Rupert Murdoch (left) at The Times newspaper building at Grays Inn Road, London, to mark the paper's bicentenary.

Rupert Murdoch with Princess Diana

Diana, Princess of Wales with Rupert Murdoch, proprietor of The Times, as she arrived at Hampton Court Palace to attend a gala evening to celebrate the newspaper's bicentenary.

Media - News of the World Take-over Meeting - Connaught Rooms, Bloomsbury

Handshakes by Rupert Murdoch, chairman of the Australian group News Ltd[Right] and Sir William Carr, chairman of the news of the world organisation, after what was for them the succesful outcome of the vital NOTW shareholdersw meeting at the connaught rooms, bloomsbury, london. By a show of hands, shareholders voted 299 in favour and 20 against a resolution regarding the creation of further ordinary shares and their allotment to News ltd. This meant the virtual end of the take-over bid by Milliionaire labour MP Robert Maxwell.

New technology print works

Newspaper proprietor Rupert Murdoch holds copies of the Sun at his new high technology print works in Wapping, East London.

Thatcher papers on show

BLACK AND WHITE ONLY. File photo dated 22/01/1981 of Rupert Murdoch at a press conference in London, discussing the future of The Times newspaper.

New Sunday Sun tabloid

File picture, dated 17/11/1969, Rupert Murdoch looks at one of the first copies of The Sun newspaper, at the News of the World building , in London.

Media - The Times Newspaper Bicentenary - London

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh with proprietor Rupert Murdoch, left, at The Times newspaper building at Grays Inn Road, London, to mark the paper's bicentenary.

Margaret Thatcher, Rupert Murdoch

FILE - In this Nov. 14, 1991, file photo, Margaret Thatcher accepts the United Cerebral Palsy of New York's 37th Annual Humanitarian Award in New York from Rupert Murdoch. (AP Photo/Mike Albans, File)

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/28/rupert-murdoch-twitter-koran-woolwich_n_3346997.html

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Tech Tips and Advice- The Blue Screen of Death and Computer ...

Hello ZoHa Islands!

I have received many request about over heating and BSOD (blue screen of death) when logged on second life and because second life is resource extensive I felt the need to post this article.

Computer Turns Off Without Warning
If your computer turns off without warning, it?s a sign that something is very wrong. Maybe your computer turns off while playing a game like second life or maybe it turns off after a few minutes even when you are doing nothing.

There are several common causes of sudden power offs and a few more exotic causes. I?ll start with the common and move to the less common.
The Computer Turns Off Without Warning When It Overheats

The most common cause of a sudden power off is overheating. The BIOS program which resides on your computer?s motherboard is designed to power off your computer immediately if your computer gets too hot?typically higher than about 150C (300F). This helps protect your computer from heat damage. To check your temp download monitor app from here. I use this program it works great! Be careful on using some of the apps on this page as ONLY experienced users should ever attempt to overclock or over voltage their system!

One simple reason computers overheat is because they?re in hot rooms. If the temperature in your room goes above about 45C (110F), the fans on the computer may not be sufficient to dump the excess heat from the computer processor (CPU) or graphics processor (GPU). A simple solution (besides getting an air conditioner) is to take the case off of the computer so it can cool to room temperature much faster. Be careful doing this if you have pets or young children who might stick their limbs in the fans or on the hot parts of the computer.

If your room isn?t that hot, your computer could be overheating because its fans aren?t working properly. If your computer doesn?t make any noise when it?s turned on?especially after it has a few minutes to warm up?the fans probably aren?t working. (Note: some mini computers don?t have fans.) Turn off your computer, open up your computer case, and turn your computer back on to see if the fans are working. If they aren?t, you need to fix them yourself (usually by buying new fans), or you need to take the computer to a repair shop.

Sometimes the fans are working but the computer still overheats. This happens when you get too much dust inside the computer. Dust is a terrific insulator?dust is made primarily of cellulose, the same stuff they use for premium home insulation. The dust collects on your computer?s heat sinks and prevents the heat from moving from the CPU or GPU to the air so the fan can whisk away that heat. Smoking around your computer will also not only kill you but will most likely kill your computer, nicotine plus dust will clog it up fast.

Cleaning the dust of your computer takes only a couple minutes. Buy a can of compressed air from the supermarket, turn off your computer, remove the case, and clear out any dust. Using alcohol and cotton swabs cleaning smoke and dust from fans and parts works but be careful not to leave any wet parts after cleaning, and always do this with computer unplugged from power source. As funny as it may seem to your family and friends your computer shocking your ass across the room it is not advised.

If none of the tricks above fixed your problem, your computer probably isn?t overheating, so move to the next section.
The Computer Turns Off Without Warning During Brownouts

Have you ever noticed your lights flickering during a thunderstorm? That?s a brown out. Your computer is much more sophisticated than a light bulb and parts of it need constant power in order to work correctly. For example, your computer memory (RAM) needs a bit of electricity every 28 milliseconds or it will lose data.

High-quality computers with high-quality power supplies often include a small capacitor which acts sort of like a very short term battery during brownouts. It helps keep your computer functioning. Cheaper computers include smaller capacitors, so the computer turns off without warning during brownouts.

Note: some brownouts happen so quick you don?t see the lights flicker. But your computer notices them the same. Even if your computer doesn?t shutdown during a brownout, you can get some weird effects if you lose data from your computer memory or the CPU misses a beat.

If you get frequent brownouts, you can buy a Uninterpretable Power Supply (UPS) for your computer which will keep the power on during a brownout and even a short blackout. Don?t buy the absolute cheapest UPS?they tend to wait too many milliseconds before turning on. Go for a mid-range UPS (about $100 in the U.S.).
The Computer Turns Off Without Warning When There?s A Virus

One way computer viruses hide from anti-virus software is by using space in your computer?s hard drive and memory which is dedicated to Windows itself. When Windows tries to access some of this space and discovers it?s already being used by the virus, Windows doesn?t know what to do, so often it will display a Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD) and become non-responsive. Sometimes it won?t even display the BSOD; the error will be so bad, the computer just turns off.

Obviously the fix for this problem is to remove the virus. You will need a current malware remover and some time.? An excellent malware program is Malwarebytes and is free! The paid version of course works in the background and keeps you protected all the time but the free version will do if you check it each week.?? If that doesn?t fix your problem and you think you still have a virus, you will probably need to reinstall Windows.
The Computer Turns Off Without Warning When There?s A Wiring Fault

An electrical short?when the electrical current from two separate wires accidentally connects?can start a fire, so most modern electronics try to detect this problem and shut off instantly if they find it. If your computer turns off without warning, and you have none of the problems above, you could have a wiring fault.

Wiring faults are usually hard to detect and hard to fix. If you changed something physical in your computer shortly before you started having problems, change it back. Otherwise, you will need to bring your computer to a repair shop. Be warned: most repair shops probably won?t fix a wiring fault, or if they do, they will charge more than the cost of a new computer. You can also try some free hardware diagnostic tools to find the problem. SiSoft Sandra is probably the most popular hardware diagnostic tool. You can use it to analyze your hardware, run benchmarks and get information about the software installed on your system. You can download free lite version here.

Normally, a wiring fault would persist and you wouldn?t be able to turn your computer on anymore. But sometimes a wiring fault only happens when the computer gets hot or when a particular component gets used. So your computer runs fine for a few minutes until the circuit gets shortened and then it shuts down without warning. Although having your computer turn off suddenly seems like a pain, it possibly saved your computer from going up in flames and burning down your house.

If you have a wiring fault on a removable component, such as a hard drive, you can replace just that component. But if the wiring fault is on the motherboard, you will probably need to replace the whole computer or just live with the fact that the computer turns off without warning.
Hope this helps.
Deuce Marjeta
Operations Manager

Source: http://blog.zoha-islands.com/tech-tips-and-advice-the-blue-screen-of-death-and-computer-overheating/

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Report: Plans for Australia spy HQ hacked by China

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) ? Australian officials on Tuesday refused to confirm or deny whether Chinese hackers had stolen the blueprints of a new spy agency headquarters as a news report claims. A tiny party essential to the ruling coalition's government demanded an inquiry into how much damage may have been done.

Australian Broadcasting Corp. television reported on Monday night that the plans for the 630 million Australian dollar ($608 million) Australian Security Intelligence Organization building had been stolen through a cyberattack on a building contractor. Blueprints that included details such as communications cabling, server locations and security systems had been traced to a Chinese server, the network reported.

Des Ball, an Australian National University cybersecurity expert, said China could use the blueprints to bug the building, which is nearing completion in Canberra, the capital, after lengthy construction delays.

Ball told the ABC that given the breach, ASIO would either have to operate with "utmost sensitivity" within its own building or simply "rip the whole insides out and ... start again."

Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, the minister in charge of the spy agency, on Tuesday refused to confirm or deny the report, citing a longstanding government policy of declining to comment on security matters.

He later said the lakeside glass and concrete structure did not need to be redesigned, and that ASIO will move in this year.

"This building is a very secure, state-of-the-art facility," said Dreyfus, adding that the ABC report contained "unsubstantiated allegations."

"I'm not going to comment on operational matters involving the Australian Security Intelligence Organization or any security matters," he said.

Questioned about the alleged security breach in Parliament, Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the ABC report as "inaccurate" but refused to go into detail.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China opposed hacking in any form and questioned what evidence the ABC report relied on.

"Since it is technically untraceable, it is very difficult to find the source and identify the hacker," Hong said. "Therefore we have no idea what is the evidence for their report in which they make the claim with such certainty."

He said countries needed to cooperate to fight hacking. "Groundless accusations won't solve the problem," Hong said.

The minor Greens party, which the center-left Labor Party relies on to maintain its minority government, has demanded an inquiry into the future of the troubled building, which has been plagued by cost blowouts from an original budget of 460 million Australian dollars.

"It is time that we had an independent inquiry into the whole sorry history of the ASIO building and the extent to which the current hacking has compromised its capacity to ever be the building and serve the purpose for which it was intended," Greens leader Christine Milne told reporters.

She said no more money should be spent on the building until an inquiry was held into the truth of the hacking allegation and the extent of the alleged security compromise.

The alleged hacking would appear to be "an extremely serious breach" to Australia's intelligence-sharing allies, including the United States, Milne said.

Dreyfus didn't immediately respond to the Greens' call for an inquiry.

ASIO, Australia's main spy agency, has grown rapidly since the al-Qaida attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, and needs the new headquarters to house its growing staff that has trebled to almost 1,800 in a decade.

Tobias Feakin, a security analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said that if a security breach has occurred, it could affect intelligence sharing with allies.

"There is no doubt that instances like this, if proved true, create a period of difficulty," Feakin said. "But one thing that would happen is that there would be mutual assistance provided to be able to plug that gap and no intelligence agency could possibly allow that kind of breach to continue."

Foreign Minister Bob Carr refused to discuss the allegations but said the claims do not jeopardize Australia's ties with its most important trading partner, China.

"It's got absolutely no implications for a strategic partnership," Carr said. "We have enormous areas of cooperation with China."

____

AP researcher Zhao Liang contributed to this report from Beijing

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/report-plans-australia-spy-hq-hacked-china-061636428.html

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