Maxim Bange

Google zou drijvende datacentra van zeecontainers bouwen op twee Amerikaanse locaties.

De comeback van een oud Trojaans paard heeft volgens Microsoft geleid tot een opvallend hoog percentage tijdelijke infecties.

Door correspondent Marieke de Vries

Een prominente Chinese partijleider heeft ingrijpende economische en sociale hervormingen beloofd. Volgens Yu Zhengsheng, de vierde man van het dagelijks bestuur van de Communistische Partij, zal de partijtop tijdens de volgende bijeenkomst 'verregaande hervormingen onderzoeken'.

"De hervormingen zullen dit keer in de breedte zijn, veel kracht hebben en ongeëvenaard zijn", zegt Yu.

Yu is de eerste leider die zich in het openbaar uitlaat over de langverwachte hervormingen. Volgende maand komt de nieuwe partijtop voor de derde keer sinds de leiderschapswisseling in november vorig jaar bij elkaar. Dat is voor de communistische leiders vaker het moment geweest om hervormingen aan te kondigen.

Speculaties

Over concrete maatregelen is nog niets bekend, maar in de staatsmedia wordt er al maanden over gespeculeerd. Verwacht wordt dat het midden- en kleinbedrijf meer speelruimte krijgt in de vorm van belastingverlagingen. Met name private ondernemers profiteren daarvan. De grote staatsbedrijven zouden daarentegen macht en invloed moeten inleveren.

Op financieel gebied wil China experimenteren met een vrije munt, buitenlandse investeringen en kapitaaltoevoer in speciaal daarvoor ingerichte economische zones. De tweede economie ter wereld groeit de afgelopen maanden minder snel en het is nog niet zeker of die daling al gestopt is. De hervormingen moeten daar veranderingen in brengen.

Sociale hervormingen

Ook sociaal komen er volgens Yu hervormingen aan. De gevolgen van de massale trek van het platteland naar de stad hebben ervoor gezorgd dat er in de Chinese megasteden tweederangsburgers wonen, omdat mensen van het platteland in de stad geen recht hebben op onderwijs, gezondheidszorg of sociale voorzieningen. Mogelijk gaat dat veranderen.

De derde bijeenkomst van de 200 leden van het Centraal Comité van de Communistische Partij vindt waarschijnlijk begin november plaats. Alles is achter gesloten deuren.

Het ministerie van Algemene Zaken heeft de deuren opengezet voor Google Street View.

Online kan door het Torentje, de Trêveszaal, de Statenzaal, de Blauwe Zaal en de centrale hal van Algemene Zaken gewandeld worden.

In de Trêveszaal wordt vergaderd door de ministerraad. De Statenzaal ligt daarnaast en wordt vooral gebruikt voor officiële ontvangsten. Tijdens vergaderingen wordt daar ook in de pauzes koffie gedronken. Het Torentje is de werkkamer van de minister-president en in de Blauwe Zaal overlegt hij met zijn adviseurs.

Google Street View maakt steeds vaker ook de binnenkant van gebouwen en andere bijzondere plekken beschikbaar. Zo is ook het Witte Huis in de Verenigde Staten voor een groot deel te bekijken, net als grote delen van de Veluwe en de Efteling.

A new crop of filmmakers based in Los Angeles are shaking up the horror genre with low-budget but cerebral thrillers made without any help from Hollywood LA Weekly reports that films like V/H/S, Cheap Thrills, and You're Next were made on the cheap but are starting to attract mainstream attention. V/H/S played at the Sundance Film Festival, and You're Next has been picked up by Lionsgate for a wide release this summer. And while indie horror movies are filled with zombies, Satanists, and haunted VHS tapes, to name a few terrors, the directors are equally interested in human psychology. "Under the surface of their films are everyday terrors: desperation, power, greed," the Weekly writes. "Who needs monsters when you can make ordinary men...

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Blizzard heeft The Mystic, de nieuwe Artisan in Reaper of Souls, uit de doeken gedaan. Deze nieuwe npc zal in staat zijn Enchanting en Transmogrification uit te voeren voor spelers, waardoor de stats van een item kunnen worden aangepast en het uiterlijk van armor en wapens verandert.

De Amerikaanse autoriteiten hebben een grote hoeveelheid bitcoins in beslag genomen. Het gaat om 144.000 bitcoins die naar verluidt van de mogelijke oprichter en beheerder van Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht, waren. Hoe de FBI zeker is dat de bitcoins van Ulbricht waren, is onduidelijk.

AFP

NSA denies website was hacked, cites internal error Fox News The National Security Agency says an internal system error caused its website to go down for several hours Friday during a scheduled update. There had been speculation on the Internet that the online site had been hit with a denial-of-service attack, but the ... Washington, DC march targets NSA surveillanceThe Hill (blog) Did Hackers Take Down NSA.gov?Wall Street Journal Don't Let the NSA Kill the InternetBloomberg Slate Magazine (blog) -Voice of America -CBC.ca all 86 news articles »

One can never have enough portable power available on demand. I should know, I have around 50,000 mAh in power banks ready to rock for any reason. A great deal just floated in on a Wallet Style 20000 mAh external power bank from Daily Steals.

The deal offers you a choice of 6 colors to match your style. Each power bank offers dual USB ports, LED charging indicator, charging cable with interchangeable tips and an LED Flashlight built in. For $35 it is a pretty killer price tag for that much juice. If you need some power backup, this could be a great buy. Hit the link below to go check it out and get one, or more, ordered.

Order – Wallet Style 20000 mAh External Power Bank

 

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New touch screen testing conducted by Finnish technology company OptoFidelity has suggested [PDF] the touch displays of Apple’s iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are less accurate than the display of the Samsung Galaxy S3, but the testing has failed to take into account that Apple has designed its iPhones to compensate for different usage angles.

Using its proprietary OptoFidelity Touch Panel Performance Tester, which compares the coordinates of touches by a robot with an artificial finger to coordinates from a touch device, the company measured the accuracy of both the iPhone 5s, the iPhone 5c, and the Galaxy S3. The video below demonstrates how the testing was carried out.

The test assigned a PASS/FAIL score when the actual touch position registered greater than ±1 mm off from the reported coordinates from the artificial finger, marking passes with green dots and fails with red dots. According to the test, both of Apple’s iPhones demonstrated “extremely bad” performance near the edges and the top of the screen.

OptoFidelity suggests that this impacts both top and edge screen functionality, making it more difficult to perform tasks like accessing the Q and P keys on the virtual keyboard as they are located towards the edges of the display, but machine testing does not replicate real world usage, where the phone is held at and viewed from various angles.

iOS is designed to compensate for the angle that it expects a phone to be held at, which suggests that some of the discrepancies between screen accuracy between the iPhone 5s/5c and the Galaxy S3 may be intentional on Apple’s part, in order to provide a better experience for users that are not holding their phones in static positions.

In addition to testing touch screen accuracy, OptoFidelity also took a look at touch screen latency, which was previously examined by Agawi. As with those initial tests that showed the iPhone 5 to be far more accurate than its Android counterparts, OptoFidelity had similar results with the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c.

Testing functionality such as web browsing opening time and camera application opening time revealed that the iPhones were more responsive than the Galaxy S3, with the iPhone 5s registering slightly faster response times.

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LG clearly doesn’t have a monopoly on Quad HD smartphone screens — Japan Display has unveiled two low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) LCDs that offer the extra-sharp 2,560 x 1,440 resolution. The headlining 5.4-inch panel is ever so slightly denser than its Korean equivalent, at 543ppi; there’s also a 6.2-inch (473ppi) model for giant devices. Both LCDs have “dead-bands” that are just 1mm thick, which should lead to extra-slim bezels on finished products. Japan Display hasn’t said which companies will use the Quad HD screens, but it’s easy to see one of the joint venture’s partners (Hitachi, Sony or Toshiba) calling first dibs.

Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Mobile, Sony

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Via: Talk Android

Source: Japan Display

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A number of power users of Apple’s Pages application have expressed concern over what they see as a step backward in the just-released upgrade of iWork. One blogger, Pierre Igot, called the new release of Pages an “unmitigated disaster”, and there is a 26-page thread on the Apple Support forums and several threads on the MacRumors forums examining features that have been removed from the various iWork applications.

From Igot’s post:

Apple’s engineers appear to have chosen to keep the emphasis on “simplicity” at the expense of “power”. They have not just neglected to add features to bring the feature set of the application closer to that of a word processor like Microsoft Word. They have actually removed many features for no apparent reason other than to bring the application in line with its iOS counterpart, which is, inevitably, much less powerful.

It appears Apple’s intention was to increase both usability and cross-platform compatibility of Pages across the OS X, iOS, and iWork in iCloud, at the expense of some more powerful features.

Amongst the missing features, Pages has lost a number of templates, the ability to export to .rtf file formats, keyboard shortcuts to paragraph and character styes, and AppleScript support is not working properly.

This isn’t the first time that Apple has seen criticisms from power users over an updated product release. The company was hammered by power users of Final Cut Pro X when it was released in 2011, because a number of essential features were completely missing from the software. Apple offered refunds to unhappy customers and launched a new marketing campaign to win back skeptical users after adding many of the features that were requested.

Of course, the new release is a free update to a consumer-focused software product where many of the missing features were likely never used by the majority of Apple’s customers, so the concerns of power users may fall on deaf ears. Igot does note that the company — perhaps intentionally — set aside iWork ’09 applications in a folder on computers that upgraded to the new versions, so users who prefer the older Pages app can continue to use it, albeit without the iCloud and cross-platform features in the new release.

John Gruber believes Apple may be willing to sacrifice overall functionality to create parity across the iOS, OS X and web versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote over the short-term. However, Apple has not yet given any indication as to what future versions of iWork could look like — or if they will eventually gain some of the features missing in the new version.

Upset Pages users would be well-served to give Apple feedback on its website.

The post Some Power Users Are Unhappy With Lost Features in the New iWork appeared first on AIVAnet.

Duitsland en Brazilië werken aan een VN-resolutie die oproept om een einde te maken aan buitensporige spionage-activiteiten en privacyinbreuken tussen landen. Het gaat om een resolutie voor de Algemene Vergadering van de Verenigde Naties, die niet bindend is.

Frankrijk, maar ook Italië, Zweden en Israël werkten nauw samen met inlichtingendiensten van de Verenigde Staten als onderdeel van een samenwerkingsverdrag met de codenaam Lustre. Dat beweert een Duitse krant op basis van Snowden-documenten.

One of the inherent downsides of technology’s rapid advancement is how much of its history gets left behind with each new plateau we reach. However, the great minds at the Internet Archive (IA) have come up with a way to not only preserve our past, but make it accessible via the Javascript MESS emulator that can run a slew of classic games and programs in your browser. Next time you have a hankering to futz with WordStar or play E.T. The Extraterrestrial at work, you won’t have to go blow the cobwebs off the relics sitting in the office supply closet, you can just check out the IA’s Historical Software Collection. From there, you’re but a few clicks away from reliving a curated swath of computing’s best (and worst) moments. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to be playing The Hobbit for the the foreseeable future.

[Image credit: wizzer2801/Flickr]

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Internet

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Via: The Verge

Source: Internet Archive Blog

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Sixteen imprisoned rebels have been hanged in south-eastern Iran in retaliation for a deadly ambush on border guards, Iranian officials say.

The Internet Archive, the online repository of millions of digitized books, wants to shield its readers from other's prying eyes -- like the government's.

Some people think a lot can go wrong if you have your emails pass through LinkedIn's servers with the company's new Intro technology.

After being punted from the App Store, casual-sex app Bang With Friends is re-launching today on Android devices under a new name, "Down."

Next week, the beta version of Down will be available in the App Store for iPhone users as well. Co-founder Colin Hodge announced the news on stage at Business Insider's Startup 2013 conference Friday afternoon.  It currently has more than 1 million users.

"We chose DOWN to represent the simple, natural way that our generation dates, without alienating people who may not want an app that says ‘bang’ but are totally down otherwise," co-founder Colin Hodge said in a release. 

Down pretty much works the same way as before. The app has a new interface that the founders call "damn sexy." It looks and feels a bit more like Tinder and also includes a similar chat component. Down pulls in Facebook profile pictures and lets people simply say if they'd like to have a sexual encounter with the person or not. 

In addition to seeing faces they're currently friends with on Facebook, Down now lets people size up friends of friends on Facebook too. You also can opt to take people on dates, if you'd rather not skip straight to the sheets.

Here's what Down looks like. And here's the link if you're down to download it.

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Ozone depletion was significant in 2013, but less than the long-term average.

A programme to bring 3D printers into state school classrooms to boost the teaching of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM), and design and technology is to be extended by the government.

Here is a superb piece by David Spencer, Professor of Political Economy at the Leeds University Business School. Prof Spencer argues that society needs more idleness, not less. CLICK HERE TO READ THE PIECE.

Over vier jaar is er vrijwel zeker een vaccin dat mensen beschermt tegen alle vormen van griep, zegt hoogleraar farmaceutische technologie Frijlink van de universiteit in Groningen. Hij leidt een internationale onderzoeksgroep die op zoek is naar een universeel vaccin.

The Xbox 360 version of Minecraft is getting into the spirit of Halloween with a new texture pack that enables creations that could be most accurately described as "spooktacular."

Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition's new Halloween texture pack is free to download from Xbox Live Marketplace, adding art for jack-o'-lanterns, screaming trees, slimy rivers, skeletal remains, black cats and much more. The 4 MB download is available from today until Nov. 3.

A more detailed look at the Halloween-themed textures is available below.

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Scentee wants to expand your smartphone horizons and add smell to the senses your phone already stimulates. The plug-in accessory attaches to headphone socket on both iPhones and Android smartphones and, when told to by the companion app, releases a burst of fragrance, paired with a customizable LED light. It’s ridiculous, but that’s very much part of the Japan-made accessory’s charm. The most important factor here is arguably the range of scents available, and Scentee hasn’t held back. In no particular order, aromas include rose, mint, cinnamon roll, bacon, coffee, curry, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lavender, apple, coconut, strawberry and er, corn soup. They’re joined by a special limited edition Korean BBQ collection that’ll be available on November 15 and includes three extra ‘flavors’: two different type of meat and, well, baked potato. This bundle’s particularly skewed towards Japanese customers, although we’re already infatuated with the idea of on-demand bacon smells. We’ve sniffed our way through several options during our time with the accessory — the video (and more details) are right after the break. %Gallery-slideshow102091%

Filed under: Cellphones, Science, Mobile, Alt

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Source: Scentee

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It may be technically possible for buyers of the new Mac Pro to replace their graphics cards, according to a report from the French site Mac4Ever. [Google Translate]

The site claims the GPU on the Mac Pro is placed on an independent daughter card with a proprietary connection, which would make sense as it would make warranty-repairs of broken GPUs significantly easier. There is no indication if or when third-party graphics cards could be released for the new Mac Pro, but the new device is scheduled for release in December of this year.

From the Google Translation of Mac4Ever‘s post:

According to our information, it is possible to change the graphics card in this machine. In fact, the GPU is placed on a daughter card, it is possible to remove and thus replace. As you might expect, Apple uses a proprietary connector (as is the case for SSD array present on the rest of the range). But nothing prevents, on paper, a manufacturer decides to offer compatible models on the market

A similar system is used in the MacBook Air’s SSD flash storage. In 2010, Other World Computing released aftermarket SSD upgrades for the MacBook Air, allowing larger SSD options than Apple’s 256GB maximum — for a significant price. The MacBook Air uses a proprietary SSD connector and board, but OWC was able to design replacement storage options for the computer.

Apple did specify that RAM in the new Mac Pro would be user replaceable, but said nothing about the graphics cards. It’s likely that the graphics cards, if it’s even possible to replace them, would not be an Apple-approved user replaceable part and could affect the product’s warranty, much like the aftermarket SSD replacement in the MacBook Air.

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Pinterest may be all about pictures (and some ads), but a deal sealed today with Getty Images will provide users with some very important words as well: photo metadata. Why should you care? It means that you’ll now get a whole host of info along with any Getty pictures you pin. So, you’ll be able to see things like the title, caption and the photographer’s name from any of Getty’s vast catalog of pictures. And, that info will make it easier for you to find similar and related photos to stick on Pinterest’s digital boards. As for the deal itself, Pinterest is paying Getty an undisclosed sum for the data and will make sure all photos will be properly attributed. In return, Pinterest gets the aforementioned benefits for its users, and eliminates any copyright complications it might have faced from Getty. Two birds, one stone. Well played, Pinterest.

Filed under: Internet

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Pinterest

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Need for more PS4 info after news about the companion app and day one 1.50 firmware update popped up earlier today? SCE President Shuhei Yoshida just tweeted a link to the system’s official FAQ, which answers questions users might have about game sharing and how friends lists work across the new system and older PS3s. As Sony was kind enough to point out during E3, game sharing on discs is simple and familiar. When it comes to downloaded games it’s all about which system is designated as your “primary” PS4, which is where content you purchase through the app will automatically download, and is the one that hooks up to your PS Vita. Only one system can be your primary system at a time, and as long as your games are on that console, any user can play them or enjoy your PlayStation Plus features. It’s similar to the current experience on Xbox 360, with an added bonus because your account can be in use on two systems at the same time.

Your PlayStation Network account will still work on other PS4s, but if you download a game there, only your account can play it. Switching to a different console as your primary is also possible, as long as you deactivate the current primary first. The other issue is how your new friends list will work across devices. On the PS4 you can have up to 2,000 friends, but the PS3 will only display 100 of them. If you’re mobile, your Vita or PlayStation app should be able to display all 2,000. If there are any questions left, hit the FAQ and take a look.

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony

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Source: PS4 FAQ

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The National Security Agency's website, nsa.gov, has been down the better part of the afternoon, and people are saying it's the work of the collective of controversial hackers known only as "Anonymous."

Any association with Anonymous is at this point, purely speculative, but Twitter is abuzz with theories that the site was the subject of a targeted attack. 

Gizmodo reports that the site is suffering from a distrubuted denial of service, when hackers overtake a of slave computers to overload the server.

The site went down shortly after 3 p.m., and at the time of this post still was not back up.

Brian Fung, the tech reporter for the Washington Post, tweeted that he spoke with an NSA spokesperson, who said that they were looking into the outage, but refused to say if it was the result of a cyber attack.

As Gizmodo points out, it's not wholly clear that Anonymous is behind the attack, or that the NSA's website was attacked at all. And the fact that it took at least an hour for people to start linking the outage to anonymous is a little suspicious. 

Anonymous tacitly acknowledged some level of involvement on Twitter.

Aww don't panic about http://t.co/BCCEvVEoQL being down. They have a backup copy of the internet.

— Anonymous (@AnonyOps) October 25, 2013

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AMSTERDAM - KLM en Schiphol zijn uitgeroepen tot respectievelijk ’s werelds beste luchtvaartmaatschappij en luchthaven op sociale media. De awards werden donderdag in Amsterdam uitgereikt door SimpliFlying, een internationaal bekend marketingbureau voor de luchtvaartsector.