Television on the Internet taking off for real

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Visitors attend the annual MIPTV trade show in Cannes, southern France. It's been a long time coming but television on the Internet appears finally to be taking off, opening up a new viewing experience for free and helping to fight online piracy

It's been a long time coming but television on the Internet appears finally to be taking off, opening up a new viewing experience for free and helping to fight online piracy. The online video-on-demand (VOD) service "will let you watch your favourite programmes anytime for free", Hulu's youthful CEO Jason Kilar told a conference at the giant MIPTV audiovisual entertainment industry trade show this week. Geared to appeal to a wide audience, Hulu, which is free but comes with short 15 to 30-second advertising spots that fund the service, offers high picture and sound quality, Kilar said. __

Live-animal nerve regeneration study gets a boost

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Figure illustrates "lab on a chip" technique developed by MIT researchers to allow immobilization and imaging of a live C. elegans worm: (a-i) worm moves freely in chip's microfluidic channel; (a-ii) partial immobilization of worm; (a-iii) full immobilization; (b) low magnification image of worm immobilized in the device; (c) close-up of immobilized worm showing animal's neurons (fluorescent). Image courtesy / Mehmet Fatih Yanik

An MIT team has improved upon its landmark technology reported last year in which the researchers used a fingernail-sized lab on a chip to image, perform surgery on and sort tiny worms to study nerve regeneration. The team has found a unique way to immobilize the animals while they are still awake for several minutes with unprecedented stability, which then allowed the researchers to conduct fast, detailed three-dimensional imaging and to perform high-resolution laser nanosurgery on the animals. The advance, which builds on a technology first reported last year, could ultimately help researchers better understand the genetic underpinnings of regeneration and degeneration in the nervous system--not just in the worm but in more complex organisms including humans. That, in turn, could help in treatments of neural injuries and diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Led by Mehmet Fatih Yanik, MIT assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, the team reported its latest work in the April 2 advanced online issue of the journal Lab on a Chip. The work involves the C. elegans worm, one of the tiniest multi-cellular organisms known. Smaller than a human hair, the worm is considered a key model for investigating a variety of biological phenomena such as aging, fat metabolism and neurological diseases. Geneticists have been studying C. elegans since the 1960s, but the manual processes they used to do so were painstaking and time-consuming. That changed in a big way last year when Yanik and colleagues reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science that they had developed a microfluidic chip to automate and accelerate research on the tiny worms. Essentially, the tiny worms are flowed inside the chip, immobilized by suction and imaged with a high-resolution microscope __

Flying off course: Why migratory birds from Asia land in Europe

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The new research findings also now explain why the only vagrants to have been seen by bird-spotters in Central Europe are long-distance migratory birds from Far East Asia. The genetically programmed journey for short-distance migratory birds from Asia would end somewhere in the west of northern Asia. Credit: Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) / modified from Susan Walter/UFZ

Migratory birds make mistakes in terms of direction, but not distance. These are the findings of a team of ornithologists and ecologists from the University of Marburg, the Ornithological Society in Bavaria and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), writing in the Journal of Ornithology. The scientists assessed several thousand reports of Asian birds from the leaf-warbler and thrush families that had strayed to Europe. They discovered that the distance between the breeding grounds in northern Siberia and the wintering sites in southern Asia was often similar to the distance between the breeding grounds and Europe. The more similar the distances and the more numerous a particular species, the higher the probability of this species of bird straying to Europe __

EarthFX

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Database

The EarthFX Earth Science Data Model (EESDM) is the result of years of being applied to a wide variety of real studies where the storage of environmental data is a key component. This Data Model is the tables, fields and relationships that make up a database and is fundamental to both effective analysis and having the data outlive the end of the project.

For more information use the menu on the left or click here.

SiteFX

SiteFX assists users to organize and manage their environmental data. SiteFX strengths are the managment of groundwater and water-quality data and all data is stored in a relational database.

For more information, use the menu on the left or click here.

VIEWLOG

VIEWLOG provides a truly integrated borehole data management and interpretation system. By tightly coupling a powerful borehole data editor with GIS-style mapping and cross-section tools, VIEWLOG offers an unrivalled level of visual interpretation control.

For more information, use the menu on the left or click here.

EarthFX Data Centre

The EarthFX Data Centre pulls all of our software products together in an enterprise solution. In addition to remote SiteFX access, major web based modules include the Lab Integration, Sampling Program Admin, Temporal Data Graphing and Viewlog Mapping modules.

For more information use the menu on the left, or click here.

About EarthFX

EarthFX is a recognized power in the management of groundwater data, and the firm delivers data-management solutions to streamline the collection, management, analysis and reporting of these data. This is acheived with proven data models, on-site training and capacity building, software and support.

The firm is staffed with geologists, hydrogeologists, engineers, and computer scientists, and collectively, we offer modelling, programming, database and web technology solutions specifically for the geosciences.

Our Approach

At the foundation of our approach is comprehensive data management. Data is compiled into an open database in MS-ACCESS. The data is stored in our EarthFX Data Model, and our analysis and visualization methods as well as our software are fully linked to this database.

Our software allows for detailed visualization of the borehole data. This includes 2D plan-views and cross sections, and 3D fence diagrams and fly throughs.

Analysis of the data includes the ability to create a detailed 3D geologic model that is linked to the borehole data. Our software allows users to make geologic picks on cross section, delineate bedrock valleys and interpolate geologic surfaces (using advanced geostatistical methods).

Once data has been compiled, visualized and analyzed, a numerical model can be set up. These models can be simple or complex, depending on the needs of the client. We have experience in developing regional-scale, transient models that include groundwater/surface water interaction. We also have the ability to determine detailed water budgets for watersheds.

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First animal on Earth 'more complex than thought'

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The evolutionary history of the comb jelly has revealed surprising clues about Earth's first animal. Credit: Casey Dunn

A new study mapping the evolutionary history of animals indicates that Earth's first animal--a mysterious creature whose characteristics can only be inferred from fossils and studies of living animals--was probably significantly more complex than previously believed.

New York (PTI): The first animal on Earth, a mysterious creature whose characteristics can only be inferred from fossils, was probably more complex than earlier thought, a new study has revealed. Using high-powered technologies, researchers in the United States have defined the earliest splits at the base of the animal tree of life -- a hierarchical representation of the evolutionary relationships between species, introduced by Charles Darwin.

According to the study, the comb jelly split off from other animals and diverged onto its own evolutionary path before the sponge, a finding that challenges the traditional view of the base of the tree of life. "This was a complete shocker. So shocking that we initially thought something had gone very wrong. The presence of the relatively complex comb jelly at the base of the tree of life suggests that the first animal was probably more complex than believed," lead researcher Casey Dunn said.

According to her, the comb jelly could have achieved its apparent seniority over the simpler sponge via one of two new evolutionary scenarios -- either it evolved its complexity independently of other animals, after it branched off onto its own evolutionary path or the sponge evolved its simple form from more complex creatures.

"The second scenario is a possibility that underscores the fact that evolution isn't necessarily just a march towards increased complexity. This scenario would provide a dramatic example of that principle," Dunn said.

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GE FORCE 9800GX2 ZOTAC

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Introduction It feels weird to have done four articles on the 9800 GX2 without having actually had a look at a single retail card yet. The first retail card to come out of the gates comes in the form of a ZOTAC offering. The respective SLI setups were tested with the same benchmarks that we have used so far so as to give us a fair indication of how much the cards scale and also how they fair as compared to the 9800GX2. Also, we couldn't just change all our benchmarks as we needed to compare the results to the cards that we've tested previously as well. We might be able to squeeze in a few newer benchmarks from the next graphics card article and gradually shift completely to the newer set. What to Expect??

Referring to the above graph, you'll see an approximation of the processing power that you can get from the 8800GTs and 9600GTs in SLI (theoretically). The figures indicate a marginal difference in performance between the 9800GX2 and the 8800GT. The 9600GT too comes close but not close enough to make the 8800GT tremble. Talking about the number of stream processors, the GX2 has 256, the 8800GTs and 9600GTs (in SLI) have 224 and 128 shaders respectively. Obviously the GX2 has the upper hand here (theoretically) as it uses dual GPUs on a single card thus providing better integration between the GPUs and lower latencies. Also, the 9600GTs don't look so threatening but reality might make your eyes pop out. __

power gamming and more on Wii 20 players can play at a time

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In a first for the series, GTA IV will get online play. The game, which is set for US launch on April 29, supports up to 16 players online on both PS3 and Xbox 360. There will be four new multiplayer modes (the total number will be more than 15) including team Deathmatch (full DM or team DM) and GTA race; each mode will offer customization. Also included will be co-op modes like Cops 'n Robbers and Hangman's Noose, where teamwork is essential. You can pick a custom or quick game, and then tweak options to alter each game significantly - change weapon types (all handguns for instance or only snipers), add or subtract police, traffic, pedestrians, or blips (i.e., enemy location). In team Deathmatch, you can set up an equally balanced 8-on-8 battle or a 2-on-14 fight. GTA Race is just the same as previous GTA single-player campaigns, the only difference is that now up to 16 people can play in a no-holds barred lap race to the finish. Although unlike past GTA games, now cars are destructible, and drivers can arm themselves with pistols, machine guns, rifles, and more. Drive anything you like or just walk across the race line, it's allowed! GT mode, on the other hand, is a straight weaponless race. Reports say that there is a lot of variety in gameplay types with hundreds of custom options including character creation, and the organic integration of full world online maps including vehicles such as cars, boats, and helicopters. The Multiplayer-capable GTA IV does sounds like fun. We are eagerly waiting for the game, and when it's time, we will provide you with our very own detailed GTA IV review. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue There are games and there are experiences; there are good-looking games and there is Gran Turismo. This is a legendary franchise, a game that satisfies critics and gamers alike, a game that sells millions of copies without guns, gore, or strippers. Developers could learn a thing or two from Polyphony Digital, as the GT games have consistently improved game after game. Gran Turismo isn't enjoyed by everyone; it's a simulation, aptly called the Real Driving Simulator -- and with good reason. GT4 was a major hit and sold millions of copies worldwide; fans of the series are eagerly awaiting GT5. The full game is still a year away, but we can get a glimpse of the real deal by spending some quality time with GT5 Prologue. This isn't a mere demo, but not a full game either.

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue isn't as in-depth as a full GT title, but still holds enough playtime to last you a few weeks. The game features over 70 cars and six racetracks; the full game will feature about 60 tracks and over 900 cars from various manufacturers. Gameplay

You get an Arcade mode as well as an Events mode; in the latter, you have to clear a number of races in three car categories, A, B, and C, with class A being the most challenging. When you start the game, you'll be given a small amount of "Credit," used to buy cars for yourself. You will win credits by completing races in the Events mode. Arcade mode is much simpler -- choose a racetrack, car (from the ones you own), and race-type, and start racing. The race-types are Single Race, Drift, and Time Trial, and these are track-specific.

Well, Arcade mode is good for practicing and learning a track, but the real fun is in the Events mode. There are many standard races to be completed as well as some special races with objectives. You will need to purchase many cars, since not all cars are allowed to race on all tracks -- this is a strategy used to ensure that the player tries out various cars and the sponsors get their money's worth (*wink*). There are many new cars this time in GT: you have Ferraris, Aston Martins, and many more. __

Nokia Predicts 500 Million Mobile Users by 2010

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India's burgeoning population is going to get even more well-connected in the days to come. One supposes this is great news for consumers, more so for the telecom sector. To be precise, India's mobile phone user base is expected to cross 500 million mobile phone users by 2010 -- this according to Nokia. Out of which, 60 million users will have mobile video capability and 100 million will prefer mobile music services. Speaking at the Goafest Conclave, D Shivakumar, vice president and managing director of Nokia India, predicted that half the subscribers will be accessing the Internet through mobile phones. In his view, services delivered through mobiles will open a window of opportunity for advertisers in the country. He went on to say that the market will be divided into three sections: the top-end limited to some 50 million customers, the mid-range comprising around 150 million subscribers, and the third tier -- claimed to be unique to India -- dominated by low-cost basic handsets with minimal functionality. While it may be good for India to have so many mobile phone users by 2010, it may be quite another thing for them to experience better network connectivity and cheaper calling rates by that time. __

Micro Technologies Rolls Out ‘Software’ To Locate Stolen NBs.India’s first laptop tracking system

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Mumbai based Micro Technologies Ltd has made announcement about the launching of India’s first laptop tracking system, which will locate stolen laptop computers.

The newly launched software known as “Micro LNTS” (Lost Notebook Tracking System) can be installed on notebook hard drives where it subsequently works in stealth mode.

In case of theft, it permits systems to be tracked as soon as they are connected to the World Wide Wed (WWW). The users can log into their Web-based personal tracking and monitoring page via www.microInts.net in order to trace from where the laptop has been accessed.

Dr. P. Sekhar, chairman and managing director of Micro Technologies, said, “LNTS is just the incidental name. It is also a manageability tool for files and folders as well as a parental control system for tracking the online activities done by children. The system can be used to keep a check on the number of hours children spend on the Internet and what kind of websites they visit.”

The software also provides other management tools including sending out regular emails for notebook activity, hide the documents containing important data, date-wise data storage, login intimation on mobile and email, remotely monitoring of user specified URL/Document, and getting the list of installed software.

But it should be remembered that LNTS is not fool-proof like other software tools. If a thief formats the hard drive of the notebook before connecting to the Internet, the software will be deleted from the system.

The software is available in 3 different models including LNTS- Elite and Premium for individual users, and Micro LNTS-Corporate Micro LNTS. The Elite model is priced at Rs. 600, whereas the Premium costs Rs 1500.

The stock of the company, on Friday (April 11), marked its closure at Rs 277.55, up 1.1% on the Bombay Stock exchange (BSE).

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LOTS OF COOL GOOGLE SEARCH AND MORE

www.youthsprouts.blogspot.com Google Code Search Google now lets you do searches -- including regular expression searches -- across public source code. Search public source code.

Syntax and Examples (more about regexp syntax)
regexp	Search for a regular expression go{2}gle hello,\ world ^int printk
"exact string"	Search for exact string "compiler happy"
file:regexp	Search only in files or directories matching regexp file:\.js$ XMLHttpRequest file:include/ ioctl file:/usr/sys/ken/slp.c "You are not expected to understand this."
package:regexp	Search packages with names matching regexp. (A package's name is its URL or CVS server information.) package:perl.*\.tar\.gz Frodo package:linux-2.6 int\ printk
lang:regexp	Search only for programs written in languages matching regexp lang:lisp xml lang:"c++" sprintf.*%s
license:regexp	Search only for files with licenses matching regexp. license:bsd int\ printf -license:gpl heapsort

GWT-Ext is a powerful widget library that provides rich widgets like Grid with sort, paging and filtering, Tree’s with Drag & Drop support, highly customizable ComboBoxes, Tab Panels, Menus & Toolbars, Dialogs, Forms and a lot more right out of the box with a powerful and easy to use API. It uses GWT and Ext.

GWT-Ext 2.0.3 has been released. Grab the distribution from the Downloads area. Further details can be found in the release notes. See the entire release announcement here.

Check out the wiki for setup and install instructions.

Google testing new site design James Yu has a screenshot of a new design Google has been testing lately. Google Pages, new Geocities-style site-building software Google has released a new program that gives users 100MB of web space to make simple HTML pages in.

Publish in seconds With one click, the pages you create are ready for your friends, family and the whole world to see at http://youthsproutsblog.googlepages.com/
		Don't worry about saving Google Page Creator saves your changes automatically as you type, so no more nervous breakdowns from losing all your work.
		What you see is what you'll get As you edit your page, you're seeing exactly what it will look like when other people see it. No complex tools to learn. No web designers to hire.

Google Music, search for bands and albums __

NOW MASHUP SEARCH. GOOGLE NOT STOPING ITS SEARCH RESEARCH

www.youthsprouts.blogspot.com searchmash, an experimental site started by Google Uses Ajax and some other web2.0-ish features. __

ANDROID AND MORE ---GOOGLE.....Android - An Open Handset Alliance Project

www.youthsprouts.blogspot.com The Open Handset Alliance, a group of more than 30 technology and mobile companies, is developing Android: the first complete, open, and free mobile platform. To help developers get started developing new applications, we're offering an early look at the Android Software Development Kit. Open Android allows you to access core mobile device functionality through standard API calls. All applications are equal Android does not differentiate between the phone's basic and third-party applications -- even the dialer or home screen can be replaced. Breaking down boundaries Combine information from the web with data on the phone -- such as contacts or geographic location -- to create new user experiences. Fast & easy development The SDK contains what you need to build and run Android applications, including a true device emulator and advanced debugging tools.     Sergey Brin and Steve Horowitz discuss the availability of the SDK, that it will be open source in the future, and demo some applications. Three part overview of the Android architecture and APIs First look at building an Android Application more videos __

GWT -- Google Web Tool ----- know more

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Google Developer Day US - Fast, Easy, Beautiful: GWT

www.youthsprouts.blogspot.com   Google Web Toolkit (GWT) makes it easier to write high-performance AJAX applications. You write your front end in the Java programming language and GWT compiles your source into highly optimized JavaScript. Writing web apps today is a tedious and error-prone process. You spend 90% of your time working around browser quirks, and JavaScript's lack of modularity makes sharing, testing, and reusing AJAX components difficult and fragile. It doesn't have to be that way. High performance JavaScript. GWT produces AJAX apps that: Load faster than hand-written JavaScript apps Use smaller, more compact, cacheable code Automatically support IE, Firefox, Mozilla, Safari, and Opera Use the browser's "back" button correctly Better development tools. Since you're writing in Java, you can use: IDEs that you love like Eclipse, IntelliJ, and NetBeans Full-featured debugging, with variable watches and breakpoints Unit tests (based on JUnit) both in a debugger and in a browser Google APIs and reusable UI components. GWT comes equipped with useful libraries: Built-in UI components serve as cross-browser building blocks for your app RPC helps with client-server interaction JavaScript Native Interface (JSNI) simplifies integrating GWT code with existing JavaScript code   __