Free Republic

Some state lawmakers want to create a fund for victims of the April 16 shooting at Virginia Tech that left 33 people dead. Any significant action on the proposal is likely several months away -- the General Assembly meets in January -- but several state legislators say the idea is increasingly becoming a topic of conversation. "I feel it's altogether appropriate, in this case, for the commonwealth to do this," state Sen. John S. Edwards, D-Roanoke, said during a phone interview yesterday. "I would strongly support this." Edwards, whose district includes Blacksburg, the home of Virginia Tech, believes money for...

t was a slow Friday at Red Herring magazine. The receptionist at the Silicon Valley tech title had stepped away from her desk. So a messenger strolls in from the summer sunshine, finds a 20-something reporter on her first real job and hits her with an eviction notice. Red Herring has three days to pay the rent or get out. Word got around, fast. Then someone looked outside. There, driving up in a rented silver Mazda minivan is a correspondent with gossip blog Valleywag. Aaaaaaand she's got a camera. Silicon Valley is booming again. But if you work in tech...

North Carolina State University physicists have recently deduced a way to improve high-energy-density capacitors so that they can store up to seven times as much energy per unit volume than the common capacitor. High performance capacitors would enable hybrid and electric cars with much greater acceleration, better and faster steering of rockets and spacecraft, better regeneration of electricity when using brakes in electric cars, and improved lasers, among many other electrical applications. A capacitor is an energy storage device. Electrical energy is stored by a difference in charge between two metal surfaces. Unlike a battery, capacitors are designed to release...

U.S. consumers should be allowed to take phones along with them when they switch wireless carriers, and spectrum to be auctioned through the U.S. Federal Communications Commission should include rules requiring the winning bidders to sell access to competitors at wholesale rates, some U.S. lawmakers said Wednesday. Some members of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet also questioned what they called huge early termination fees on wireless telephone contracts. But other lawmakers and executives with wireless carriers questioned the need for new wireless regulations, saying an already competitive market protects customers. The U.S. wireless industry...

After a short downturn, the tech economy is back on the upswing. Hi-tech careers are on the rebound and, with the right college education and on-the-job training, your future looks bright. Professionals with technical training or degrees from online technical schools will find prime-time opportunities to advance their careers. Some of the top job seekers poised to laugh all the way to the bank in this resurgent tech economy: IT specialists, database administrators, high-tech marketing pros, and digital designers. We'll take a closer look at these individual careers by type, but first the good news numbers that are putting smiles...

Excerpt - ~ snip ~ We have been testing the iPhone for two weeks, in multiple usage scenarios, in cities across the country. Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions. ~ snip ~ The iPhone’s most controversial feature, the omission of a physical keyboard in favor of a virtual keyboard on the...

Think that all of the great Web sites have already been invented? Think again. The Internet is evolving in new and inventive ways thanks to mashups that pull data from all over the Web and to AJAX-based interfaces that give sites the same degree of interactivity and responsiveness that desktop apps possess. To keep you ahead of the curve, we've rounded up 25 innovative Web sites and services that are well worth watching. Some of them help you design your own personalized Web site mashups; others enable you to create video mixes, build wikis, share personal obsessions, and more. But...

So the Rice team decided to investigate using sound instead of radio waves. Bone is known to be a great conductor of sound, but so far it has only been used to transmit analogue signals in applications such as checking how bone is healing after a fracture, and in hearing aids that transmit sound from outside the skull to the auditory nerve. To see if bone could transmit digital signals over longer distances - to a headset, say, from a sensor worn on the wrist - the team applied a small vibrator to various parts of the body. When they...

The Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base has a long history of leading the cutting edge of aeronautical technology. With the airborne laser program, the center is leading the way in yet another area of futuristic weaponry, this time the use of directed energy, more commonly known as lasers. "Directed energy is transformative. It changes the way we fight wars," said Michael Rinn, deputy program manager for the airborne laser for The Boeing Co. The airborne laser is seen as a pathfinder for directed energy programs, working through the development issues of the new technology that...

SEATTLE — A 27-year-old man described as one of the world's most prolific spammers was arrested Wednesday, and federal authorities said computer users across the Web could notice a decrease in the amount of junk e-mail. Robert Alan Soloway is accused of using networks of compromised "zombie" computers to send out millions upon millions of spam e-mails. "He's one of the top 10 spammers in the world," said Tim Cranton, a Microsoft Corp. lawyer who is senior director of the company's Worldwide Internet Safety Programs. "He's a huge problem for our customers. This is a very good day." • Click...

One of the coolest websites for pet owners that I just read about on the internet. Matchmaking Doggie style on the internet. Pet Socializing !!!

A homemade Rube Goldberg device...

(CBS) NEW YORK Walking in high heels just became a lot more comfortable for women. A Philadelphia woman has created the high heel shoe with an adjustable heel. Women love the way high heels make them feel, but at the same time they hate the way high heels make them feel. One woman gladly said, “You look pretty much better in pretty much everything you’re wearing in heels.” Another complained, "I start to get this burn on the ball of my feet after wearing them all night." Women routinely trade in Stilettos for sneakers, choosing comfort over style. Now that...

I have 5 networked pc's here and a "floater" laptop, running a mix of XP Pro, Win2K, and Ubuntu. My subscriptions for A/V, Firewall, and Anti-Spam are all up this month. Currently, I use paid-for full version/suites of ZoneAlarm and AVG. I also have MS Defender, and Ewido. I have a regular maintenance routine I perform once a week using spyware blaster, Opt Out, Spyware S&D, Black Light, and Crap Cleaner. I also use a registry monitoring app, and sysinternals process explorer. I haven't had an infection in well over a year, and then it was so mild I've forgotten...

<p>16 May 2007 - Air Canada and Virgin Atlantic last month each placed new orders for Boeing 787 Dreamliners, the midsize aircraft capable of flying transoceanic routes. At last count, Boeing had compiled 567 orders from 44 customers. It said it remains on track to test fly the first 787s this summer and begin deliveries in 2008. Having opened the order book in April 2004, Boeing called the 787 "the fastest-selling commercial airplane in history." It also has helped Boeing get an edge on Airbus--which has been beset by development problems for its jumbo A380--and position itself as the industry leader at a time when all forecasts point to growing global air traffic. According to Boeing and its 787 customers, the new jet will allow airlines to serve existing routes more efficiently and open many new ones. It is designed to operate more quietly and burn "20 percent less fuel" than similarly sized airplanes. Inside, passengers should expect higher cabin humidity, improved lighting and air quality, big windows, large stowage spaces and an overall design developed with disabled passengers in mind. Such features represent "little things that all add up to make your 16 1/2 hours a little more pleasant," said Jim Friedel, Northwest Airlines senior vice president of Pacific and cargo, speaking at the Masters Program in February. "The 787 will be a game-changer especially for us at Northwest, but I believe this will be an industry trend over time." Northwest has 18 firm orders, with options and purchase rights for another 50. It expects to begin commercial 787 service in October 2008. Continental Airlines president Jeffrey Smisek, speaking in April at the UATP Airline Distribution 2007 conference, also described the 787 as "a game-changing product." Continental currently has 25 787s on firm order, and Smisek said he expects that the airline "will be taking more than that over the years." Weyerhaeuser director of travel, meetings, food service, fleet and transportation Suzanne Fletcher, who has been involved with 787 presentations, said she agrees with Boeing that air travelers would begin selecting their flights based on the airplane serving the route, not the carrier. "It is so much more of a passenger-focused than before when planes were carrier-focused," she said. "The comfort built into this aircraft is amazing." Fletcher, who also serves as president and CEO of the National Business Travel Association, noted that Boeing designed the 787 to fly at lower altitudes. As a result, "Passengers will feel better when they arrive," she said, "and that is important for business travelers." Other Boeing 787 customers include ANA, Air New Zealand, Japan Airlines, India's Jet Airways, LOT Polish, Qantas and Singapore Airlines. At Air Canada, the latest order for 23 of the new jets brings its total to 37, with options for another 23. It will start taking deliveries in 2010 to replace the existing B767 fleet, which burns 30 percent more fuel, according to Air Canada. Virgin Atlantic's 15-plane order from April marked the largest 787 agreement with a European airline. CEO Steve Ridgway tagged the 787 as "our aircraft of the future." Virgin, which also entered an "environmental partnership" with Boeing centered on biofeul development, hyped the new plane as "revolutionary" for its fuel efficiency. The airline said the 787 would enable it to expand into more markets, "possibly" including Bangkok, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Seattle and Vancouver. Virgin will start taking delivery in 2011 and has purchase rights and options for as many as 28 additional 787s. Boeing is building three 787 variations, with capacities ranging from 210 to 330 passengers, and ranges up to 8,500 nautical miles, which would allow for nonstop flights between London and Perth, for example. "Now we have the capability to envision nonstop flights from the States to points in Asia that simply were out of reach or economically unattractive because you had to find 400 passengers a day to get there," said Northwest's Friedel. "Using that airplane, we at Northwest can contemplate nonstops from Detroit to Shanghai, Beijing, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. All of those are comfortably within reach and economically viable because it's a 225-seat airplane." "That will be an important trend for you and your travelers because we airlines frankly struggle with maintaining nonstop services to Asia," Friedel continued. "East Coast to Europe, you can get there with a variety of technology choices today. The Pacific didn't have that before. A machine like this allows us to make more nonstop routes stick." For example, airlines can avoid suspending certain longer-haul flights because of high fuel prices or modestly lower demand, as Northwest did in September 2005 on its New York JFK-Tokyo route. The 787 has given Boeing momentum and the company now is poised to reclaim from Airbus the distinction as the world's largest airplane manufacturer (measured by deliveries). The new plane has attracted some intercontinental airlines that have been disappointed by developmental delays for the Airbus A380, which will be the world's largest passenger aircraft when it enters service--now expected in late 2007, nearly two years behind schedule. Despite some cancellations, Airbus as of March had 156 firm A380 orders from 15 airlines, including Air France, launch customer Emirates (which now has 47 of the jets on order), Lufthansa, Qantas and Singapore airlines. Airbus--which has described the double-deck jumbo A380 as "cleaner, greener, quieter and smarter"--also is developing its A350 line, an extra-wide plane designed for 270 to 350 passengers. As of March, it had collected 104 firm orders. Boeing and Airbus are developing these new aircraft families--as well as Boeing's 747-800 program now underway--at a time when air traffic is expected to climb steadily. According to the International Air Transport Association, global airline passengers will number more than 2.2 billion this year, up from 1.7 billion in 2000. Looking out to 2025, Boeing predicted that more than 27,000 new airplanes would be needed, including more than 3,000 in the smaller, twin-aisle aircraft category (which includes the 787). By 2025, it projected 650 deliveries of the largest commercial planes (those with more than 400 seats), including its own 777 and the Airbus A380. An Airbus forecast predicted the world's airlines would need nearly 22,000 aircraft of over 100 seats by 2025 to handle 5 percent annual passenger traffic growth, including more than 1,600 of the largest aircraft.</p>

Free software is great, and corporate America loves it. It's often high-quality stuff that can be downloaded free off the Internet and then copied at will. It's versatile - it can be customized to perform almost any large-scale computing task - and it's blessedly crash-resistant. A broad community of developers, from individuals to large companies like IBM, is constantly working to improve it and introduce new features. No wonder the business world has embraced it so enthusiastically: More than half the companies in the Fortune 500 are thought to be using the free operating system Linux in their data centers....

I have no way of knowing if this post is permitted or not? Freerepublic .. as I see it usually deals in current events and breaking news. I have a question and it seems Odd, even to me to ask a question on this site. My wife, God bless her, has children, (previous marriage) who graduated from Virginia Tech. Somehow, I stepped over the line tonite by saying that some students .. at Tech, stood, like sheep and waited to be shot by Cho. She is in complete denial and is so mad at me that I don't know what...

Well folks, it looks like the U.S. Census Bureau is finally getting high-tech for their 2010 census. With $600 million poured into the Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA) project, half a million (500,000) field enumerators will be getting hooked up with a HTC Census smartphone. Armed with an EVDO data-only Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC, and integrated GPS, the enumerator's job of collecting absentee census information will get nice and streamlined. As a high-tech plus, the built-in GPS unit also keeps the enumerator honest.Back in 2000, I was actually a census enumerator. My job consisted of driving to households to...

The powerful "Cell" microprocessor that fuels Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 video game console will be available in IBM mainframe computers so those high-performance machines can run complex online games and virtual worlds. Jointly developed by IBM, Sony and Toshiba Corp., Cell is touted as a "supercomputer on a chip" because of its design, which includes one central processing unit helped by eight additional processors working on specific tasks. Because of that unusual architecture, Cell's use outside of PlayStations has been limited to specialized hardware for graphics-intensive functions such as military or medical applications.

<p>And all those big cops, scores of them, hundreds, with the latest, heaviest, most sophisticated gear, all the weapons and helmets and safety vests and belts. It looked like the brute force of the state coming up against uncontrollable human will.</p>