Jul 31, 2013
Pakai Kartu SIM Lawas, 750 Juta Ponsel Terancam
Kompas.com - Kartu Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) ternyata rentan terhadap program jahat dan pembajakan. Ahli keamanan digital dari Security Research Labs di Berlin, Jerman, Karsten Nohl, berhasil mengindentifikasi cacat dalam teknologi enkripsi kartu SIM.
Celah keamanan tersebut bisa dimanfaatkan penjahat cyber untuk membongkar kunci keamanan kartu SIM yang terdiri dari 56 digit angka.
Setelah berhasil menyusup, si penjahat cyber dapat menguping pembicaraan dalam panggilan telepon, melakukan pembelian, sampai meniru identitas si pemilik resmi.
Nohl mengatakan kepada The New York Times bahwa aksi peretasan itu dapat dilakukan dalam waktu kurang dari dua menit.
"Kami dapat memata-matai Anda. Kami mengetahui kunci enkripsi untuk melakukan panggilan. Kami juga bisa baca SMS Anda. Lebih dari sekadar memata-matai, kami bisa mencuri data dari kartu SIM, identitas Anda, dan membebankannya ke akun Anda," kata Nohl.
Ia menjelaskan, celah keamanan itu ditemukan pada kartu SIM yang menggunakan Data Encryption Standard (DES), sebuah metode enkripsi "jadul" yang dikembangkan perusahaan IBM pada 1970. Teknologi lawas ini masih digunakan oleh 3 miliar ponsel yang terhubung dengan kartu SIM.
Dari penelitian yang dilakukan Nohl dan timnya, diperkirakan ada 1.000 kartu SIM di Eropa dan Amerika Utara yang menunjukan tanda-tanda cacat teknologi. Nohl memperkirakan terdapat 750 juta ponsel yang rentan terhadap serangan karena masih banyak operator yang mempertahankan SIM dengan metode keamanan DES.
Nohl dan tim telah membagikan hasil penelitian dua tahunnya kepada GSM Association, sebuah kelompok dagang yang mewakiliki industri ponsel global. Nohl juga berencana mempresentasikan temuannya dalam konferensi Black Hat di Las Vegas, Amerika Serikat, pada Agustus mendatang.
Juru Bicara GSM Association, Claire Cranton, mengatakan, organisasi masih mengandalkan standar teknologi enkripsi yang lama. "Kami akan mempertimbangkan implikasi dan memberi bimbingan kepada para operator seluler dan vendor SIM yang mungkin terkena dampak," tutur Cranton.
Celah keamanan tersebut bisa dimanfaatkan penjahat cyber untuk membongkar kunci keamanan kartu SIM yang terdiri dari 56 digit angka.
Setelah berhasil menyusup, si penjahat cyber dapat menguping pembicaraan dalam panggilan telepon, melakukan pembelian, sampai meniru identitas si pemilik resmi.
Nohl mengatakan kepada The New York Times bahwa aksi peretasan itu dapat dilakukan dalam waktu kurang dari dua menit.
"Kami dapat memata-matai Anda. Kami mengetahui kunci enkripsi untuk melakukan panggilan. Kami juga bisa baca SMS Anda. Lebih dari sekadar memata-matai, kami bisa mencuri data dari kartu SIM, identitas Anda, dan membebankannya ke akun Anda," kata Nohl.
Ia menjelaskan, celah keamanan itu ditemukan pada kartu SIM yang menggunakan Data Encryption Standard (DES), sebuah metode enkripsi "jadul" yang dikembangkan perusahaan IBM pada 1970. Teknologi lawas ini masih digunakan oleh 3 miliar ponsel yang terhubung dengan kartu SIM.
Dari penelitian yang dilakukan Nohl dan timnya, diperkirakan ada 1.000 kartu SIM di Eropa dan Amerika Utara yang menunjukan tanda-tanda cacat teknologi. Nohl memperkirakan terdapat 750 juta ponsel yang rentan terhadap serangan karena masih banyak operator yang mempertahankan SIM dengan metode keamanan DES.
Nohl dan tim telah membagikan hasil penelitian dua tahunnya kepada GSM Association, sebuah kelompok dagang yang mewakiliki industri ponsel global. Nohl juga berencana mempresentasikan temuannya dalam konferensi Black Hat di Las Vegas, Amerika Serikat, pada Agustus mendatang.
Juru Bicara GSM Association, Claire Cranton, mengatakan, organisasi masih mengandalkan standar teknologi enkripsi yang lama. "Kami akan mempertimbangkan implikasi dan memberi bimbingan kepada para operator seluler dan vendor SIM yang mungkin terkena dampak," tutur Cranton.
Jul 21, 2013
Harga MPV Honda di Bawah Rp 200 Juta
Detik.com - PT Honda Prospect Motor (HPM) memastikan MPV murahnya akan disokong mesin berkapasitas 1.500cc i-VTEC. MPV yang disebut-sebut sebagai MPV Brio ini menggunakan platform turunan Honda Brio.
Jika resmi meluncur di pasar low MPV Indonesia, MPV Brio akan dijual di bawah Rp 200 juta.
"Di bawah Rp 200 juta. Kita main harga di segmen yang paling gemuk. Memang harga belum kita pastikan, tapi di kisaran itu," kata Direktur Marketing dan Aftersales Service PT HPM, Jonfis Fandy.
Menurutnya, Honda akan bersaing langsung dengan Toyota Avanza, Daihatsu Xenia, Suzuki Ertiga dan Chevrolet Spin.
"Agar bisa kompetitif kita buat mobil dengan harga terjangkau. Indonesia harga nomor satu, tapi Honda dengan harga paling murah enggak mungkin," ucapnya.
Mobil konsep MPV atau LMPV Concept ini merupakan model pertama yang dirancang Honda khusus untuk pasar Indonesia.
Honda LMPV Concept juga akan menjadi produk pertama Honda di Indonesia yang berada di kelas LMPV, yang merupakan pasar terbesar di tanah air.
Selain menawarkan kapasitas 7 tempat duduk dalam konfigurasi tiga baris bangku, model ini juga akan menghadirkan desain inovatif, kesenangan berkendara, kabin yang lapang, serta standar keselamatan tinggi.
"Honda LMPV Concept akan menjadi produk istimewa bagi Honda di Indonesia karena secara khusus dirancang sesuai dengan kebutuhan konsumen dan karakter jalan di Indonesia. Honda LMPV Concept juga akan diproduksi di Indonesia, dan menjadi produk pertama dari pabrik baru Honda di Karawang yang kami rencanakan untuk mulai beroperasi pada awal 2014," ujar President Director PT Honda Prospect Motor Tomoki Uchida.
Jika resmi meluncur di pasar low MPV Indonesia, MPV Brio akan dijual di bawah Rp 200 juta.
"Di bawah Rp 200 juta. Kita main harga di segmen yang paling gemuk. Memang harga belum kita pastikan, tapi di kisaran itu," kata Direktur Marketing dan Aftersales Service PT HPM, Jonfis Fandy.
Menurutnya, Honda akan bersaing langsung dengan Toyota Avanza, Daihatsu Xenia, Suzuki Ertiga dan Chevrolet Spin.
"Agar bisa kompetitif kita buat mobil dengan harga terjangkau. Indonesia harga nomor satu, tapi Honda dengan harga paling murah enggak mungkin," ucapnya.
Mobil konsep MPV atau LMPV Concept ini merupakan model pertama yang dirancang Honda khusus untuk pasar Indonesia.
Honda LMPV Concept juga akan menjadi produk pertama Honda di Indonesia yang berada di kelas LMPV, yang merupakan pasar terbesar di tanah air.
Selain menawarkan kapasitas 7 tempat duduk dalam konfigurasi tiga baris bangku, model ini juga akan menghadirkan desain inovatif, kesenangan berkendara, kabin yang lapang, serta standar keselamatan tinggi.
"Honda LMPV Concept akan menjadi produk istimewa bagi Honda di Indonesia karena secara khusus dirancang sesuai dengan kebutuhan konsumen dan karakter jalan di Indonesia. Honda LMPV Concept juga akan diproduksi di Indonesia, dan menjadi produk pertama dari pabrik baru Honda di Karawang yang kami rencanakan untuk mulai beroperasi pada awal 2014," ujar President Director PT Honda Prospect Motor Tomoki Uchida.
Spesialis Timor, Diandalkan Banyak Anak Klub
Otomotifnet.com - Ada referensi bengkel spesialis mobil Korea lagi nih! Hendra Susanto, bosnya bengkel yang bernama Korea Timorer Motors ini memang lebih banyak menangani mobil Timor. “Banyak komunitas yang ngebengkel di sini, di antaranya Timor-er, Korea Otomotif Indonesia (KOI), dan Korea Car Club of Indonesia (KCCI),”ujarnya.
Semua perawatan dan perbaikan bisa dilakukan di sini, kecuali body repair saja yang tidak ada. Untuk biaya tune-up mesin SOHC kena Rp 300 ribu, kalau DOHC Rp 350 ribu. “Biaya segitu sudah termasuk injector/carburator cleaner, filter udara, filter bensin, busi, dan jasa,”bilangnya lagi.
Sementara itu kalau paket ganti oli pakai oli Conoco dibanderol Rp 250 ribu dapat filter oli gratis. Ada juga paket ganti kopling set pakai Excedy kena Rp 900 ribu. “Ini plat kopling semikompetisi, jadi agak berat kalau untuk harian,” tukasnya.
Lalu paket ganti timing belt untuk mesin SOHC bisa ditebus senilai Rp 450 ribu, sedangkan untuk mesin DOHC Rp 550 ribu. “Sudah termasuk parts dan jasa,” tutupnya.
Langsung saja ke Jl. WR Supratman no. 3, Kampung Utan, Ciputat. Telp. 021-7499090, 0811-858170.
Semua perawatan dan perbaikan bisa dilakukan di sini, kecuali body repair saja yang tidak ada. Untuk biaya tune-up mesin SOHC kena Rp 300 ribu, kalau DOHC Rp 350 ribu. “Biaya segitu sudah termasuk injector/carburator cleaner, filter udara, filter bensin, busi, dan jasa,”bilangnya lagi.
Sementara itu kalau paket ganti oli pakai oli Conoco dibanderol Rp 250 ribu dapat filter oli gratis. Ada juga paket ganti kopling set pakai Excedy kena Rp 900 ribu. “Ini plat kopling semikompetisi, jadi agak berat kalau untuk harian,” tukasnya.
Lalu paket ganti timing belt untuk mesin SOHC bisa ditebus senilai Rp 450 ribu, sedangkan untuk mesin DOHC Rp 550 ribu. “Sudah termasuk parts dan jasa,” tutupnya.
Langsung saja ke Jl. WR Supratman no. 3, Kampung Utan, Ciputat. Telp. 021-7499090, 0811-858170.
Ini Bebek Madura, "Ta’iye"!
Kompas.com - SEORANG pelanggan dengan wajah berlumur bulir keringat menyorongkan piring yang telah kosong kepada Siti Aisyah. Si pelanggan meminta tambah nasi dan siraman bumbu pedas. Itu gara-gara menyantap nasi bebek Madura. Walau kepedasan, ingin saja tambah.
"Pelanggan minta tambah nasi dan bumbu pedas saja, boleh-boleh saja. Yang penting mereka senang,” kata Siti Aisyah (55), istri Munawi, pemilik warung Nasi Bebek Madura di Jalan Ampera Raya, Jakarta Selatan.
Pencinta bebek yang tengah berkunjung ke Surabaya atau Madura pasti tak akan melewatkan kesempatan mencicipi nasi bebek Madura Sinjay di Bangkalan, Madura. Kelezatannya yang tersohor membuat pemburu bebek bahkan rela antre selama berjam-jam.
Padahal, di Jakarta pun kita sebenarnya bisa sesekali menikmati kelezatan serupa. Dari beberapa nasi bebek Madura yang lezat di Jakarta, dua di antaranya Nasi Bebek H Munawi di Jalan Ampera Raya, Jakarta Selatan, dan Nasi Bebek Mak Isa di Klender, Jakarta Timur.
Warung Nasi bebek Madura H Munawi dapat ditemui tak jauh sebelum supermarket Total Buah Segar, dari arah utara menuju selatan, sejajar dengan Pengadilan Negeri Jakarta Selatan. Sementara warung nasi bebek Madura Mak Isa terletak di Jalan Raya Bekasi, tak jauh dari Stasiun Kereta Klender (lama) di Jakarta Timur.
Seporsi nasi bebek di warung H Munawi berupa sepotong bebek goreng disiram bumbu kehitaman yang kental, nasi hangat yang pulen, empat iris timun segar, dan sejumput taburan serundeng kelapa. Penampilan potongan bebek yang kehitaman dan berminyak ini memang terlihat tak menarik.
Namun, dalam petualangan kuliner kita tahu bahwa tampilan visual sering kali tak seiring sejalan dengan cita rasa. Penampilan yang sederhana bahkan buruk tak jarang justru memberi kenikmatan surgawi.
Hampir serupa dengan nasi bebek H Munawi, bebek olahan Mak Isa juga berpenampilan serba hitam. Hanya saja tanpa taburan serundeng kelapa. Meski demikian, keduanya sama- sama sukses membikin lidah bergelora.
Ketika disibakkan dari tulangnya, daging bebek ini berwarna kecoklatan bersemu merah, empuk, dan samar- samar beraroma asap yang sedap. Sama sekali tak terendus bau anyir ataupun amis.
Volume daging bebek memang tak semontok daging ayam. Namun percayalah, kenikmatan pada bebek tak semata soal kemontokan. Gurihnya bumbu yang sempurna merasuki setiap potongan bebek membuat kita gemas ingin menyesapi tulang belulangnya hingga bersih.
Sementara bumbu hitamnya yang pedas menjadi elemen krusial yang memberi rasa gurih tak tertandingi pada olahan bebek ini. Warna kehitaman tersebut terjadi karena bumbu dimasak lama hingga kering dan keluar minyak. Minyak ini yang kemudian bersenyawa dengan lelehan lemak dari bebek.
Pada olahan nasi bebek H Munawi, rasa pedas dari bumbu relatif lebih ”manusiawi” dan memberi efek hangat pada perut cukup lama. Sementara pada olahan bumbu bebek Mak Isa rasa pedas terasa lebih agresif, membikin lidah kelojotan. Jika sudah begitu, segera sambar irisan timun demi mendinginkan lidah yang membara.
”Bumbunya sebenarnya biasa saja, bawang merah, bawang putih, cabai rawit merah, jahe, lada, dan lain-lain yang rahasia dapur,” ujar Mak Isa (50) tersenyum.
Bebek segar
Salah satu kunci kelezatan bebek bagi Mak Isa sebenarnya tak semata bumbu, tetapi kualitas bebek. Begitu pula yang dikatakan Siti Aisyah, istri H Munawi. Bebek yang dimasak setiap hari harus bebek segar yang baru disembelih. Keduanya berpantang memasak bebek yang telah dibekukan. Mak Isa sendiri yang saban hari mengolah sekitar 400 bebek memperoleh pemasok bebek dari daerah Kerawang, Jawa Barat.
"Pelanggan minta tambah nasi dan bumbu pedas saja, boleh-boleh saja. Yang penting mereka senang,” kata Siti Aisyah (55), istri Munawi, pemilik warung Nasi Bebek Madura di Jalan Ampera Raya, Jakarta Selatan.
Pencinta bebek yang tengah berkunjung ke Surabaya atau Madura pasti tak akan melewatkan kesempatan mencicipi nasi bebek Madura Sinjay di Bangkalan, Madura. Kelezatannya yang tersohor membuat pemburu bebek bahkan rela antre selama berjam-jam.
Padahal, di Jakarta pun kita sebenarnya bisa sesekali menikmati kelezatan serupa. Dari beberapa nasi bebek Madura yang lezat di Jakarta, dua di antaranya Nasi Bebek H Munawi di Jalan Ampera Raya, Jakarta Selatan, dan Nasi Bebek Mak Isa di Klender, Jakarta Timur.
Warung Nasi bebek Madura H Munawi dapat ditemui tak jauh sebelum supermarket Total Buah Segar, dari arah utara menuju selatan, sejajar dengan Pengadilan Negeri Jakarta Selatan. Sementara warung nasi bebek Madura Mak Isa terletak di Jalan Raya Bekasi, tak jauh dari Stasiun Kereta Klender (lama) di Jakarta Timur.
Seporsi nasi bebek di warung H Munawi berupa sepotong bebek goreng disiram bumbu kehitaman yang kental, nasi hangat yang pulen, empat iris timun segar, dan sejumput taburan serundeng kelapa. Penampilan potongan bebek yang kehitaman dan berminyak ini memang terlihat tak menarik.
Namun, dalam petualangan kuliner kita tahu bahwa tampilan visual sering kali tak seiring sejalan dengan cita rasa. Penampilan yang sederhana bahkan buruk tak jarang justru memberi kenikmatan surgawi.
Hampir serupa dengan nasi bebek H Munawi, bebek olahan Mak Isa juga berpenampilan serba hitam. Hanya saja tanpa taburan serundeng kelapa. Meski demikian, keduanya sama- sama sukses membikin lidah bergelora.
Ketika disibakkan dari tulangnya, daging bebek ini berwarna kecoklatan bersemu merah, empuk, dan samar- samar beraroma asap yang sedap. Sama sekali tak terendus bau anyir ataupun amis.
Volume daging bebek memang tak semontok daging ayam. Namun percayalah, kenikmatan pada bebek tak semata soal kemontokan. Gurihnya bumbu yang sempurna merasuki setiap potongan bebek membuat kita gemas ingin menyesapi tulang belulangnya hingga bersih.
Sementara bumbu hitamnya yang pedas menjadi elemen krusial yang memberi rasa gurih tak tertandingi pada olahan bebek ini. Warna kehitaman tersebut terjadi karena bumbu dimasak lama hingga kering dan keluar minyak. Minyak ini yang kemudian bersenyawa dengan lelehan lemak dari bebek.
Pada olahan nasi bebek H Munawi, rasa pedas dari bumbu relatif lebih ”manusiawi” dan memberi efek hangat pada perut cukup lama. Sementara pada olahan bumbu bebek Mak Isa rasa pedas terasa lebih agresif, membikin lidah kelojotan. Jika sudah begitu, segera sambar irisan timun demi mendinginkan lidah yang membara.
”Bumbunya sebenarnya biasa saja, bawang merah, bawang putih, cabai rawit merah, jahe, lada, dan lain-lain yang rahasia dapur,” ujar Mak Isa (50) tersenyum.
Bebek segar
Salah satu kunci kelezatan bebek bagi Mak Isa sebenarnya tak semata bumbu, tetapi kualitas bebek. Begitu pula yang dikatakan Siti Aisyah, istri H Munawi. Bebek yang dimasak setiap hari harus bebek segar yang baru disembelih. Keduanya berpantang memasak bebek yang telah dibekukan. Mak Isa sendiri yang saban hari mengolah sekitar 400 bebek memperoleh pemasok bebek dari daerah Kerawang, Jawa Barat.
Menurut Siti Aisyah, bebek yang digunakan adalah bebek afkir, yakni bebek petelur yang sudah tidak produktif. Bebek demikian membutuhkan waktu masak yang cukup lama supaya empuk dan bumbu meresap paripurna. Baik Aisyah dan Mak Isa enggan menggunakan alat masak panci tekan (presto) yang menjanjikan daging bebek dapat empuk dalam waktu masak yang singkat.
”Dengan presto, daging memang cepat empuk, tetapi bumbunya belum benar-benar meresap, jadi kurang sedap. Lebih baik dimasak ungkep cara tradisional saja,” kata Siti Aisyah.
Tak hanya bebek yang dimasak secara tradisional. Nasi hangat yang pulen pun rupanya ditanak dengan cara tradisional, bukan dengan rice cooker. ”Nasi yang ditanak dengan cara kuno begini walaupun masaknya lama, tetapi bisa pulen tanpa benyek. Jadi makan bebeknya lebih nikmat,” ujar Siti Aisyah.
Bagi penggemar bebek, cita rasa bebek bersimbah bumbu kental kehitaman ini memang tanpa tedeng aling-aling. Maklum, ini bebek Madura, ta’iye!
”Dengan presto, daging memang cepat empuk, tetapi bumbunya belum benar-benar meresap, jadi kurang sedap. Lebih baik dimasak ungkep cara tradisional saja,” kata Siti Aisyah.
Tak hanya bebek yang dimasak secara tradisional. Nasi hangat yang pulen pun rupanya ditanak dengan cara tradisional, bukan dengan rice cooker. ”Nasi yang ditanak dengan cara kuno begini walaupun masaknya lama, tetapi bisa pulen tanpa benyek. Jadi makan bebeknya lebih nikmat,” ujar Siti Aisyah.
Bagi penggemar bebek, cita rasa bebek bersimbah bumbu kental kehitaman ini memang tanpa tedeng aling-aling. Maklum, ini bebek Madura, ta’iye!
Jul 17, 2013
Now’s Your Chance to Steal Someone Else’s Old Yahoo Email Address
Slate.com - As of Monday afternoon, Yahoo is letting people request other people’s old email addresses. Under a plan greenlighted by CEO Marissa Mayer to gin up fresh interest in the once-popular service, any address that has lain fallow for a year or more has now been reset and is fair game for a new user to poach. So if you always dreamed of being johnsmith@yahoo.com but had to settle for jmsmith348b@yahoo.com, you might be in luck. Go to wishlist.yahoo.com and enter up to five choices for your new handle, and the company will email you in mid-August to let you know whether you got any of them.
The scheme is symbolic of the “reset” button that Mayer pressed the moment she took the company’s top job, one year ago today. As with other dramatic changes, like her ban on working from home, it has drawn criticism, with Wired’s Mat Honan blasting it as a security risk. “It means that people will be able to claim Yahoo IDs and use them to take over other people’s identities via password resets and other methods,” Honan wrote in June. And Sophos security expert Chet Wisniewski told me at the time that the move “cement(s) Yahoo’s position as the least secure large Internet company.” But Yahoo has moved to cover its old users’ backs by setting up an email verification process to make sure new users don’t get messages intended for their address’s former owners. Honan explains the security mechanism here, calling it a “significant improvement” over the old plan, if still imperfect.
Security issues aside, the email reset is part of Mayer’s fascinatingly ambitious effort to make Yahoo cool again. It’s a seemingly impossible task for a company that has come to be an emblem for how quickly Silicon Valley giants can fall from the summit. But the effort alone has already won over some investors, who have made Yahoo one of the hottest tech stocks of the past year. An earnings report later today, on the one-year anniversary of the Mayer hire, will tell us more about how much progress the company has made.
So too, in a way, will the success or failure of the email reset, which poses the question: Would you rather win the aesthetically pleasing handle johnsmith@yahoo.com, or settle for jmsmith348b@gmail.com and a better email program?
The scheme is symbolic of the “reset” button that Mayer pressed the moment she took the company’s top job, one year ago today. As with other dramatic changes, like her ban on working from home, it has drawn criticism, with Wired’s Mat Honan blasting it as a security risk. “It means that people will be able to claim Yahoo IDs and use them to take over other people’s identities via password resets and other methods,” Honan wrote in June. And Sophos security expert Chet Wisniewski told me at the time that the move “cement(s) Yahoo’s position as the least secure large Internet company.” But Yahoo has moved to cover its old users’ backs by setting up an email verification process to make sure new users don’t get messages intended for their address’s former owners. Honan explains the security mechanism here, calling it a “significant improvement” over the old plan, if still imperfect.
Security issues aside, the email reset is part of Mayer’s fascinatingly ambitious effort to make Yahoo cool again. It’s a seemingly impossible task for a company that has come to be an emblem for how quickly Silicon Valley giants can fall from the summit. But the effort alone has already won over some investors, who have made Yahoo one of the hottest tech stocks of the past year. An earnings report later today, on the one-year anniversary of the Mayer hire, will tell us more about how much progress the company has made.
So too, in a way, will the success or failure of the email reset, which poses the question: Would you rather win the aesthetically pleasing handle johnsmith@yahoo.com, or settle for jmsmith348b@gmail.com and a better email program?
If The Sun Went Out, How Long Could Life On Earth Survive?
Popsci.com - If you put a steamy cup of coffee in the refrigerator, it wouldn’t immediately turn cold. Likewise, if the sun simply “turned off” (which is actually physically impossible), the Earth would stay warm—at least compared with the space surrounding it—for a few million years. But we surface dwellers would feel the chill much sooner than that.
Within a week, the average global surface temperature would drop below 0°F. In a year, it would dip to –100°. The top layers of the oceans would freeze over, but in an apocalyptic irony, that ice would insulate the deep water below and prevent the oceans from freezing solid for hundreds of thousands of years. Millions of years after that, our planet would reach a stable –400°, the temperature at which the heat radiating from the planet’s core would equal the heat that the Earth radiates into space, explains David Stevenson, a professor of planetary science at the California Institute of Technology.
Although some microorganisms living in the Earth’s crust would survive, the majority of life would enjoy only a brief post-sun existence. Photosynthesis would halt immediately, and most plants would die in a few weeks. Large trees, however, could survive for several decades, thanks to slow metabolism and substantial sugar stores. With the food chain’s bottom tier knocked out, most animals would die off quickly, but scavengers picking over the dead remains could last until the cold killed them.
Humans could live in submarines in the deepest and warmest parts of the ocean, but a more attractive option might be nuclear- or geothermal-powered habitats. One good place to camp out: Iceland. The island nation already heats 87 percent of its homes using geothermal energy, and, says astronomy professor Eric Blackman of the University of Rochester, people could continue harnessing volcanic heat for hundreds of years.
Of course, the sun doesn’t merely heat the Earth; it also keeps the planet in orbit. If its mass suddenly disappeared (this is equally impossible, by the way), the planet would fly off, like a ball swung on a string and suddenly let go.
Within a week, the average global surface temperature would drop below 0°F. In a year, it would dip to –100°. The top layers of the oceans would freeze over, but in an apocalyptic irony, that ice would insulate the deep water below and prevent the oceans from freezing solid for hundreds of thousands of years. Millions of years after that, our planet would reach a stable –400°, the temperature at which the heat radiating from the planet’s core would equal the heat that the Earth radiates into space, explains David Stevenson, a professor of planetary science at the California Institute of Technology.
Although some microorganisms living in the Earth’s crust would survive, the majority of life would enjoy only a brief post-sun existence. Photosynthesis would halt immediately, and most plants would die in a few weeks. Large trees, however, could survive for several decades, thanks to slow metabolism and substantial sugar stores. With the food chain’s bottom tier knocked out, most animals would die off quickly, but scavengers picking over the dead remains could last until the cold killed them.
Humans could live in submarines in the deepest and warmest parts of the ocean, but a more attractive option might be nuclear- or geothermal-powered habitats. One good place to camp out: Iceland. The island nation already heats 87 percent of its homes using geothermal energy, and, says astronomy professor Eric Blackman of the University of Rochester, people could continue harnessing volcanic heat for hundreds of years.
Of course, the sun doesn’t merely heat the Earth; it also keeps the planet in orbit. If its mass suddenly disappeared (this is equally impossible, by the way), the planet would fly off, like a ball swung on a string and suddenly let go.
Jul 16, 2013
Honda Recall 2 Model Motor
Detik.com - Karena memiliki masalah pada sistem rem Antilock Brake System (ABS), Honda harus menarik (recall) dua moge miliknya, Honda CTX700T dan CTX700N. Honda mengatakan ABS kedua motor ini mungkin salah produksi.
Dilansir Auto Evolution, Honda melaporkan akan menarik dua motor miliknya itu karena masalah ABS. Sejauh ini hanya 13 sepeda motor yang akan terpengaruh, tapi besar kemungkinan motor-motor lain juga akan kena recall.
Honda menjelaskan kalau modulator ABS kedua produknya ini kemungkinan telah salah diproduksi dan bisa gagal berfungsi dengan baik. Honda mengkhawatirkan kesalahan ini akan menimbulkan potensi kecelakaan.
Sebagai permulaan, kampanye recall Honda ini baru akan dilakukan di Kanada, namun biasanya bila Kanada melakukan recall, Amerika Serikat juga akan ikut serta.
Honda menjelaskan kalau mereka akan bertanggung jawab dengan mengganti modulator ABS tanpa biaya alias gratis.
Dilansir Auto Evolution, Honda melaporkan akan menarik dua motor miliknya itu karena masalah ABS. Sejauh ini hanya 13 sepeda motor yang akan terpengaruh, tapi besar kemungkinan motor-motor lain juga akan kena recall.
Honda menjelaskan kalau modulator ABS kedua produknya ini kemungkinan telah salah diproduksi dan bisa gagal berfungsi dengan baik. Honda mengkhawatirkan kesalahan ini akan menimbulkan potensi kecelakaan.
Sebagai permulaan, kampanye recall Honda ini baru akan dilakukan di Kanada, namun biasanya bila Kanada melakukan recall, Amerika Serikat juga akan ikut serta.
Honda menjelaskan kalau mereka akan bertanggung jawab dengan mengganti modulator ABS tanpa biaya alias gratis.
Jul 13, 2013
Jul 12, 2013
Celebrate Nikola Tesla's Birthday By Remembering All Of His Awesome Inventions
Huffingtonpost.com - Wednesday is inventor Nikola Tesla's 157th birthday.
The Serbian engineer, who moved to the U.S. at age 35, is considered one of the most important and most overlooked inventors of all time -- as he lost the spotlight again and again in the 19th century to the flashier Thomas Edison. Indeed, his rivalry with Edison morphed into one of the most epic battles of all time.
Like so many brillant artists and inventors Tesla didn't gain real acclaim until after his death at age 86. Many modern science and history enthusiasts have developed a fondness for him. The man behind the online comic The Oatmeal even raised money to buy the long-forgotten land where Tesla's laboratory once stood and build a Tesla museum there. He ended up raising more than $1.3 million for the museum.
In honor of Tesla's birthday, we've rounded up some the most important things that you may not realize Tesla invented.
1. The Remote Control
Tesla first demonstrated the remote control in 1898, when he showed off a radio-controlled boat in Madison Square Garden. Tesla reportedly hoped that remote-controlled weapons would someday be used by the government.
2. Robots
Tesla's remote-controlled boat is considered to be one of the first robots. Tesla has been called "the father of robotics," so you can thank and/or blame him for pretty much everything from R2D2 to Google's self-driving cars.
3. Electric Motors
Ever wonder where the electric car company Tesla got it's name? Nikola Tesla invented the AC motor in 1888. The Tesla Roadster's motor is a direct descendant of Nikola Tesla's original invention. Tesla was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for that invention in 1975.
4. The Radio
Tesla's invention of the radio was hotly debated in in early 20th century. Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi claimed to have invented the radio, but he actually used technology that Tesla patented to make his first radio transmission in 1901. After much debate, the U.S. Supreme court eventually ruled in Tesla's favor, recognizing him as the radio's inventor in 1943. Unfortunately, this occurred months after Tesla's death.
5. Neon Lighting
Tesla actually created some of the first neon and fluorescent lighting. The neon lights that he exhibited in 1893 look remarkably similar to the ones we see today.
The Serbian engineer, who moved to the U.S. at age 35, is considered one of the most important and most overlooked inventors of all time -- as he lost the spotlight again and again in the 19th century to the flashier Thomas Edison. Indeed, his rivalry with Edison morphed into one of the most epic battles of all time.
Like so many brillant artists and inventors Tesla didn't gain real acclaim until after his death at age 86. Many modern science and history enthusiasts have developed a fondness for him. The man behind the online comic The Oatmeal even raised money to buy the long-forgotten land where Tesla's laboratory once stood and build a Tesla museum there. He ended up raising more than $1.3 million for the museum.
In honor of Tesla's birthday, we've rounded up some the most important things that you may not realize Tesla invented.
1. The Remote Control
Tesla first demonstrated the remote control in 1898, when he showed off a radio-controlled boat in Madison Square Garden. Tesla reportedly hoped that remote-controlled weapons would someday be used by the government.
2. Robots
Tesla's remote-controlled boat is considered to be one of the first robots. Tesla has been called "the father of robotics," so you can thank and/or blame him for pretty much everything from R2D2 to Google's self-driving cars.
3. Electric Motors
Ever wonder where the electric car company Tesla got it's name? Nikola Tesla invented the AC motor in 1888. The Tesla Roadster's motor is a direct descendant of Nikola Tesla's original invention. Tesla was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for that invention in 1975.
4. The Radio
Tesla's invention of the radio was hotly debated in in early 20th century. Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi claimed to have invented the radio, but he actually used technology that Tesla patented to make his first radio transmission in 1901. After much debate, the U.S. Supreme court eventually ruled in Tesla's favor, recognizing him as the radio's inventor in 1943. Unfortunately, this occurred months after Tesla's death.
5. Neon Lighting
Tesla actually created some of the first neon and fluorescent lighting. The neon lights that he exhibited in 1893 look remarkably similar to the ones we see today.
Jul 11, 2013
Deteksi kanker lewat bau air kencing
Detik.com - Air seni penderita kanker kandung kemih memiliki bau unik, menurut peneliti.
Para ilmuwan Inggris membuat alat yang dapat "mencium" adanya kanker kandung kemih dalam sampel air kencing.
Alat itu menggunakan sensor untuk mendeteksi bahan kimia bergas yang ada bila terdapat sel kanker.
Uji coba awal menunjukkan hasil yang cukup akurat, kata para penemu kepada jurnal PLoS One.
Namun para pakar mengatakan studi lebih lanjut diperlukan untuk menyempurnakan uji coba sebelum alat ini dijual.
Setiap tahun sekitar 10.000 orang di Inggris didiagnosa terkena kanker kandung kemih.
Para dokter berupaya mencari cara mendeteksi kanker jenis ini sedini mungkin karena lebih memungkinkan untuk disembuhkan.
Air seni penderita kanker
Banyak kalangan yang tertarik untuk mempelajari bau air kencing.
Uji coba sebelumnya menunjukkan bahwa anjing dapat dilatih untuk mencium bau sel kanker.
Profesor Chris Probert dari Universitas Liverpool dan Profesor Norman Ratcliffe dari Universittas West of England, mengatakan alat baru ini dapat melacak bau kanker.
"Alat ini dapat membaca gas dari urine bila sample dipanaskan," kata Profesor Ratcliffle.
Para pakar menguji alat mereka dengan menggunakan 98 sample air seni, 24 di antaranya dari pria yang terkena kanker kandung kemih dan 74 dari pria yang mengalami gangguan kandung kencing namun bukan kanker.
Profesor Probert mengatakan hasil itu sangat memberi harapan namun ia menambahkan, "Kami perlu meneliti sampel dari pasien lain untuk menguji alat lebih lanjut sebelum dapat digunakan di rumah sakit-rumah sakit."
Para ilmuwan Inggris membuat alat yang dapat "mencium" adanya kanker kandung kemih dalam sampel air kencing.
Alat itu menggunakan sensor untuk mendeteksi bahan kimia bergas yang ada bila terdapat sel kanker.
Uji coba awal menunjukkan hasil yang cukup akurat, kata para penemu kepada jurnal PLoS One.
Namun para pakar mengatakan studi lebih lanjut diperlukan untuk menyempurnakan uji coba sebelum alat ini dijual.
Setiap tahun sekitar 10.000 orang di Inggris didiagnosa terkena kanker kandung kemih.
Para dokter berupaya mencari cara mendeteksi kanker jenis ini sedini mungkin karena lebih memungkinkan untuk disembuhkan.
Air seni penderita kanker
Banyak kalangan yang tertarik untuk mempelajari bau air kencing.
Uji coba sebelumnya menunjukkan bahwa anjing dapat dilatih untuk mencium bau sel kanker.
Profesor Chris Probert dari Universitas Liverpool dan Profesor Norman Ratcliffe dari Universittas West of England, mengatakan alat baru ini dapat melacak bau kanker.
"Alat ini dapat membaca gas dari urine bila sample dipanaskan," kata Profesor Ratcliffle.
Para pakar menguji alat mereka dengan menggunakan 98 sample air seni, 24 di antaranya dari pria yang terkena kanker kandung kemih dan 74 dari pria yang mengalami gangguan kandung kencing namun bukan kanker.
Profesor Probert mengatakan hasil itu sangat memberi harapan namun ia menambahkan, "Kami perlu meneliti sampel dari pasien lain untuk menguji alat lebih lanjut sebelum dapat digunakan di rumah sakit-rumah sakit."
Jul 10, 2013
Biaya Bayi Tabung Hanya Rp 2,5 Juta
Kompas.com - Harapan muncul bagi jutaan pasangan suami istri di negara berkembang yang ingin memiliki anak. Sebuah proses laboratorium yang sederhana berhasil mengurangi biaya perawatan kesuburan dan proyek bayi tabung hingga hanya 200 euro atau sekitar Rp 2,5 juta.
Kantor berita AFP, Senin (8/7/2013), mengutip jumpa pers European Society fot Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) yang menegaskan, pengembangan dalam penyederhanaan proses laboratorium akan membuat biaya bayi tabung hanya 10 persen sampai 15 persen dari program bayi tabung yang ada selama ini.
Penggunaan sistem dua tabung menggantikan inkubator karbon dioksida khusus, gas medis, dan sistem purifikasi udara dalam menjaga embrio tetap sehat saat proses bayi tabung berlangsung. Sistem baru ini sudah dicoba di Belgia pada pasien dengan usia di bawah 36 tahun di mana sedikitnya delapan indung telur siap untuk proses kesuburan ini.
Dan, sejauh ini diklaim 12 bayi tabung "biaya murah" telah lahir dan kondisinya sehat. "Hasil awal kami sudah terbukti secara prinsip dan sebuah sistem yang sederhana telah didesain untuk negara-negara yang sedang berkembang, di mana perawatan kesuburan melalui bayi tabung sangat memungkinkan dengan biaya terjangkau," ujar Elke Kleskz dari Genk Institute for Fertility Technology.
Selama ini, proyek bayi tabung di negara-negara kaya membutuhkan biaya 1,5 juta sampai 3 juta euro (sekitar Rp 16 miliar sampai Rp 36 miliar). Biaya program bayi tabung ini bisa ditekan hingga biaya minimal kurang dari 300.000 euro. Namun, kini biaya tadi bisa ditekan lagi hingga hanya sekitar Rp 2,5 juta.
Program bayi tabung murah ini sedang disiapkan dan November mendatang diharapkan sudah tersedia pusat latihan bagi klinik di negara berkembang. Sudah ada lebih dari lima juta bayi tabung lahir sejak bayi tabung pertama, Louise Brown, lahir tahun 1978. Namun, biaya mahal membuat bayi tabung hanya bisa diperoleh di negara kaya atau hanya orang kaya yang sanggup membayar program bayi tabung.
Kini program itu bisa dikembangkan di negara berkembang di mana kaum perempuan di sana menghadapi stigma, disakiti dan dikecam karena dituduh sebagai penyebab pasangan tak punya keturunan. Lebih dari dua juta pasangan di negara berkembang menghadapi persoalan berkaitan dengan kesuburan.
Kantor berita AFP, Senin (8/7/2013), mengutip jumpa pers European Society fot Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) yang menegaskan, pengembangan dalam penyederhanaan proses laboratorium akan membuat biaya bayi tabung hanya 10 persen sampai 15 persen dari program bayi tabung yang ada selama ini.
Penggunaan sistem dua tabung menggantikan inkubator karbon dioksida khusus, gas medis, dan sistem purifikasi udara dalam menjaga embrio tetap sehat saat proses bayi tabung berlangsung. Sistem baru ini sudah dicoba di Belgia pada pasien dengan usia di bawah 36 tahun di mana sedikitnya delapan indung telur siap untuk proses kesuburan ini.
Dan, sejauh ini diklaim 12 bayi tabung "biaya murah" telah lahir dan kondisinya sehat. "Hasil awal kami sudah terbukti secara prinsip dan sebuah sistem yang sederhana telah didesain untuk negara-negara yang sedang berkembang, di mana perawatan kesuburan melalui bayi tabung sangat memungkinkan dengan biaya terjangkau," ujar Elke Kleskz dari Genk Institute for Fertility Technology.
Selama ini, proyek bayi tabung di negara-negara kaya membutuhkan biaya 1,5 juta sampai 3 juta euro (sekitar Rp 16 miliar sampai Rp 36 miliar). Biaya program bayi tabung ini bisa ditekan hingga biaya minimal kurang dari 300.000 euro. Namun, kini biaya tadi bisa ditekan lagi hingga hanya sekitar Rp 2,5 juta.
Program bayi tabung murah ini sedang disiapkan dan November mendatang diharapkan sudah tersedia pusat latihan bagi klinik di negara berkembang. Sudah ada lebih dari lima juta bayi tabung lahir sejak bayi tabung pertama, Louise Brown, lahir tahun 1978. Namun, biaya mahal membuat bayi tabung hanya bisa diperoleh di negara kaya atau hanya orang kaya yang sanggup membayar program bayi tabung.
Kini program itu bisa dikembangkan di negara berkembang di mana kaum perempuan di sana menghadapi stigma, disakiti dan dikecam karena dituduh sebagai penyebab pasangan tak punya keturunan. Lebih dari dua juta pasangan di negara berkembang menghadapi persoalan berkaitan dengan kesuburan.
Jul 8, 2013
James Bond-like telescopic contact lens lets you zoom in on the world
Mnn.com - A new telescopic contact lens could soon transform people with impaired vision into high-tech super spies.
It sounds like a high-tech gadget out of a James Bond movie: a telescopic contact lens that lets you zoom in on the world. But it's real, and it could soon be available to everyday consumers, according to New Scientist.
Developed by Eric Tremblay and colleagues at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the cyborg-like contact lens utilizes a central unmagnified optical path that is surrounded by a ring of optics. Liquid crystal shutters, which would be controlled by the user, can then block one or another of these optical paths, so the view can be magnified. In other words, the user can effectively zoom in and out on objects like a camcorder.
It sounds like a high-tech gadget out of a James Bond movie: a telescopic contact lens that lets you zoom in on the world. But it's real, and it could soon be available to everyday consumers, according to New Scientist.
Developed by Eric Tremblay and colleagues at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the cyborg-like contact lens utilizes a central unmagnified optical path that is surrounded by a ring of optics. Liquid crystal shutters, which would be controlled by the user, can then block one or another of these optical paths, so the view can be magnified. In other words, the user can effectively zoom in and out on objects like a camcorder.
Other than being straight-up cool, these telescopic contact lens could be a godsend for people with impaired vision, particularly those with age-related macular degeneration. Currently, such people are typically given cumbersome bioptic telescopes, which attach to their glasses to make up for a loss of vision in the central area of their retinas. Replacing those devices with contact lenses that can perform the same function would allow them to operate normally in the world, and more discreetly.
But that discretion could also raise some serious privacy concerns. The lens could give anyone with normal vision a kind of super eyesight, allowing them to stealthily zoom in on other people. In other words, anyone wearing a pair of these high-tech lenses could use them to spy on other people without them knowing about it. So while the contacts would be welcome in the hands of those with vision impairments, in the hands of the neighborhood peeping tom? Not so much.
The research was funded by DARPA, the high-risk research arm of the U.S. Defense Department, suggesting that concerns over spying — or other military uses for the technology —may not be so far-fetched.
Even so, the technology could also lead to breakthroughs in augmented reality. If Google Glass ever catches on, for instance, contact lenses that perform similar functions would be the next step forward.
Right now there's still time to debate the use of the technology, as researchers have a number of kinks to work out before the contact lenses can be made available to consumers or patients. For instance, current prototypes are built of hard plastic, which would not be comfortable in the eye. The acuity of the zoomed-in image is also not up to design specifications, and researchers still need to determine the mechanism for switching the magnification on and off. But none of these details are insurmountable. The arrival of a zoomable contact lens is only a small matter of time.
The research was funded by DARPA, the high-risk research arm of the U.S. Defense Department, suggesting that concerns over spying — or other military uses for the technology —may not be so far-fetched.
Even so, the technology could also lead to breakthroughs in augmented reality. If Google Glass ever catches on, for instance, contact lenses that perform similar functions would be the next step forward.
Right now there's still time to debate the use of the technology, as researchers have a number of kinks to work out before the contact lenses can be made available to consumers or patients. For instance, current prototypes are built of hard plastic, which would not be comfortable in the eye. The acuity of the zoomed-in image is also not up to design specifications, and researchers still need to determine the mechanism for switching the magnification on and off. But none of these details are insurmountable. The arrival of a zoomable contact lens is only a small matter of time.
11-X, WEP, Midway, CyberPlayGround, FACE – the rejected names for Microsoft’s first console
Edge-online.com - Microsoft’s ‘naming guys’ wanted to call the company’s first games console 11-X or Eleven-X, but were overruled by Seamus Blackley and his launch team.
Blackley was part of the team that built and launched the first Xbox, and in an excerpt from an archive Edge interview published online for the first time, he revealed to us the long list of suggested acronym-based names for what eventually became the Xbox.
“First, there were our code names, which were WEP – ‘Windows Entertainment Project’ – designed to make Microsoft executives comfortable, Midway – ‘Midway between a PC and a console or ‘Battle of Midway’ – you decide – and DirectX Box, which was shortened to xbox in email very early on.”
“When we got the first approval, Kevin [Bachus] was told we had to get a new name, because ‘xbox’ wasn’t legally sound, so against his judgment he did so, and got the phase two, or ‘car’ names. These were so bad we didn’t even save them, but I remember making fun of one of them by calling it the ‘Microsoft Bunduss’. Then we got the ‘acronym’ phase from the naming geniuses.”
Blackley was sent a huge list of potential acronym-based names, which were all “crap,” he says. The team decided to stick with Xbox. “Phase four was a battle between us and the naming guys, when we decided we just wanted to risk it and go with Xbox – since that’s what everyone called it anyway – and they wanted, for some unknowable reason, to call it ‘11-X’ or ‘Eleven-X’. Finally, we told them no, but still had to decide: X-Box, xBox, XboX, Xbox, X-box…”
You can read the complete list of the ‘naming guys’ various suggestions below, and read more from Blackley in our recent The Making Of: Xbox interview.
- MAX (Microsoft Action Experience)
- AIO (All In One)
- MIND (Microsoft Interactive Network Device)
- FACE (Full Action Center)
- MITH (Microsoft Interactive Theatre)
- XON (Experience Optimised Network)
- MVPC (Microsoft Virtual Play Center)
- TAC (Total Action Center – discs/games could be called TACs)
- MARC (Microsoft Action Reality Center)
- LEX (Live Entertainment Experience)
- M-PAC (Microsoft Play and Action Center)
- RPM (Real Performance Machine)
- MOX (Microsoft Optimal Experience)
- E2 (Extreme Experience)
- MTG (Microsoft Total Gaming)
- VIP (Virtual Interactive Player)
- PTP or P2P (Powered To Play)
- VIC (Virtual Interactive Center – disks/games could be called VICs)
- MARZ (Microsoft Active Reality Zone)
- TSO (Three, Six, Zero)
- EHQ (Entertainment Headquarters)
- O2 (Optimal Ozone or Optical Odyssey)
- MIC (Microsoft Interactive Center)
- R&R (Reality and Revolution)
- MEA (Microsoft Entertainment Activator)
- AMP (Active Microsoft Player)
- VPS (Virtual Play System)
- MAP (Microsoft Action Play)
- MEGA (Microsoft Entertainment & Gaming Attendant or Microsoft Entertainment & Gaming Assembly)
- CPG (CyberPlayGround)
- VERV (Virtual Entertainment & Reality Venture)
- OM (Odyssey of the Mind)
- P2 (PowerPlay)
- IS1 (Interactive System In One)
- MET (Microsoft Entertainment Technology or Microsoft Entertainment Theatre)
Blackley was part of the team that built and launched the first Xbox, and in an excerpt from an archive Edge interview published online for the first time, he revealed to us the long list of suggested acronym-based names for what eventually became the Xbox.
“First, there were our code names, which were WEP – ‘Windows Entertainment Project’ – designed to make Microsoft executives comfortable, Midway – ‘Midway between a PC and a console or ‘Battle of Midway’ – you decide – and DirectX Box, which was shortened to xbox in email very early on.”
“When we got the first approval, Kevin [Bachus] was told we had to get a new name, because ‘xbox’ wasn’t legally sound, so against his judgment he did so, and got the phase two, or ‘car’ names. These were so bad we didn’t even save them, but I remember making fun of one of them by calling it the ‘Microsoft Bunduss’. Then we got the ‘acronym’ phase from the naming geniuses.”
Blackley was sent a huge list of potential acronym-based names, which were all “crap,” he says. The team decided to stick with Xbox. “Phase four was a battle between us and the naming guys, when we decided we just wanted to risk it and go with Xbox – since that’s what everyone called it anyway – and they wanted, for some unknowable reason, to call it ‘11-X’ or ‘Eleven-X’. Finally, we told them no, but still had to decide: X-Box, xBox, XboX, Xbox, X-box…”
You can read the complete list of the ‘naming guys’ various suggestions below, and read more from Blackley in our recent The Making Of: Xbox interview.
- MAX (Microsoft Action Experience)
- AIO (All In One)
- MIND (Microsoft Interactive Network Device)
- FACE (Full Action Center)
- MITH (Microsoft Interactive Theatre)
- XON (Experience Optimised Network)
- MVPC (Microsoft Virtual Play Center)
- TAC (Total Action Center – discs/games could be called TACs)
- MARC (Microsoft Action Reality Center)
- LEX (Live Entertainment Experience)
- M-PAC (Microsoft Play and Action Center)
- RPM (Real Performance Machine)
- MOX (Microsoft Optimal Experience)
- E2 (Extreme Experience)
- MTG (Microsoft Total Gaming)
- VIP (Virtual Interactive Player)
- PTP or P2P (Powered To Play)
- VIC (Virtual Interactive Center – disks/games could be called VICs)
- MARZ (Microsoft Active Reality Zone)
- TSO (Three, Six, Zero)
- EHQ (Entertainment Headquarters)
- O2 (Optimal Ozone or Optical Odyssey)
- MIC (Microsoft Interactive Center)
- R&R (Reality and Revolution)
- MEA (Microsoft Entertainment Activator)
- AMP (Active Microsoft Player)
- VPS (Virtual Play System)
- MAP (Microsoft Action Play)
- MEGA (Microsoft Entertainment & Gaming Attendant or Microsoft Entertainment & Gaming Assembly)
- CPG (CyberPlayGround)
- VERV (Virtual Entertainment & Reality Venture)
- OM (Odyssey of the Mind)
- P2 (PowerPlay)
- IS1 (Interactive System In One)
- MET (Microsoft Entertainment Technology or Microsoft Entertainment Theatre)
Jul 5, 2013
Jul 4, 2013
No sign of HIV return in bone marrow transplant patients, say scientists
Guardian.co.uk - Two men who became free of HIV infection after bone marrow transplants have stopped taking Aids drugs without any sign of the virus returning, according to scientists.
Talk of a cure is premature, the doctors told the International Aids Society conference in Kuala Lumpur, but the news will raise hopes that progress can be made towards a treatment that will not only keep the virus at bay but eventually eradicate it.
The two men, who had longstanding HIV infections, were given bone marrow transplants at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Centre in Boston because they were suffering from cancers of the blood. Tests showed that as their own cells were replaced by cells from the bone marrow donor, the levels of virus in their blood steadily dropped to undetectable.
One of the men stopped taking antiretroviral medication to suppress HIV almost four months ago and the other seven weeks ago. They still have no detectable HIV in their blood cells.
"While these results are exciting, they do not yet indicate that the men have been cured," said Timothy Henrich, from the division of infectious diseases at Brigham. "Long-term follow up of at least one year will be required to understand the full impact of a bone marow transplant on HIV persistence."
One of the patients became infected with HIV in the early years of the epidemic, and the other was infected as a baby. They are both monitored frequently. Scientists have conducted extensive tests to try to find HIV not only in their blood cells but also in tissue and have not found anything, although they cannot be sure it is not there. HIV is able to hide and remain at low levels but remain capable of becoming active.
The virus could still be present in an organ such as the brain or in the gastrointestinal tract, Henrich said. "If the virus does return, it would suggest that these other sites are an important reservoir of infectious virus and new approaches to measuring the reservoir at relevant sites will be needed to guide the development of HIV curative strategies."
Even if the virus does not reappear, bone marrow transplants are not feasible for everybody. There is a 15-20% mortality rate and the patient has to take drugs to suppress their immune system thereafter. But the experiences of the two men will teach scientists a great deal more about how to combat the virus.
The International Aids Society, which brings together researchers in the field worldwide, has led efforts towards a hunt for a cure for HIV infection as successive attempts to design a vaccine have failed.
The case of the "Berlin patient", later identified as American Timothy Ray Brown, was proof that a cure was possible. Brown underwent a stem cell transplant because of cancer, but his doctors managed to find a donor who had genetic resistance to HIV – a rare thing. Brown has been cured of both HIV infection and cancer, but the treatment carries major risks and is hugely expensive, and it would be very unlikely that many donors with genetic resistance to the virus could be found.
In March it was announced that a child born with HIV in Mississippi had been "cured" by being given very prompt antiretroviral therapy after birth. The child's mother stopped giving the baby drugs at around the age of 18 months and no longer went for regular checks to the hospital. When they returned five months later, the child had no detectable virus. Scientists are uncertain why it happened, but speculated that the early use of drugs – within 30 hours of the birth – may have prevented the virus taking hold.
Henrich said he was cautious but excited about the scientific developments. "Five years ago if you'd mentioned a cure, research people wouldn't have taken you seriously," he said. "We're not there yet. Are we close? Probably not, but who knows? This could be a rapid learning curve in the next few years."
Talk of a cure is premature, the doctors told the International Aids Society conference in Kuala Lumpur, but the news will raise hopes that progress can be made towards a treatment that will not only keep the virus at bay but eventually eradicate it.
The two men, who had longstanding HIV infections, were given bone marrow transplants at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Centre in Boston because they were suffering from cancers of the blood. Tests showed that as their own cells were replaced by cells from the bone marrow donor, the levels of virus in their blood steadily dropped to undetectable.
One of the men stopped taking antiretroviral medication to suppress HIV almost four months ago and the other seven weeks ago. They still have no detectable HIV in their blood cells.
"While these results are exciting, they do not yet indicate that the men have been cured," said Timothy Henrich, from the division of infectious diseases at Brigham. "Long-term follow up of at least one year will be required to understand the full impact of a bone marow transplant on HIV persistence."
One of the patients became infected with HIV in the early years of the epidemic, and the other was infected as a baby. They are both monitored frequently. Scientists have conducted extensive tests to try to find HIV not only in their blood cells but also in tissue and have not found anything, although they cannot be sure it is not there. HIV is able to hide and remain at low levels but remain capable of becoming active.
The virus could still be present in an organ such as the brain or in the gastrointestinal tract, Henrich said. "If the virus does return, it would suggest that these other sites are an important reservoir of infectious virus and new approaches to measuring the reservoir at relevant sites will be needed to guide the development of HIV curative strategies."
Even if the virus does not reappear, bone marrow transplants are not feasible for everybody. There is a 15-20% mortality rate and the patient has to take drugs to suppress their immune system thereafter. But the experiences of the two men will teach scientists a great deal more about how to combat the virus.
The International Aids Society, which brings together researchers in the field worldwide, has led efforts towards a hunt for a cure for HIV infection as successive attempts to design a vaccine have failed.
The case of the "Berlin patient", later identified as American Timothy Ray Brown, was proof that a cure was possible. Brown underwent a stem cell transplant because of cancer, but his doctors managed to find a donor who had genetic resistance to HIV – a rare thing. Brown has been cured of both HIV infection and cancer, but the treatment carries major risks and is hugely expensive, and it would be very unlikely that many donors with genetic resistance to the virus could be found.
In March it was announced that a child born with HIV in Mississippi had been "cured" by being given very prompt antiretroviral therapy after birth. The child's mother stopped giving the baby drugs at around the age of 18 months and no longer went for regular checks to the hospital. When they returned five months later, the child had no detectable virus. Scientists are uncertain why it happened, but speculated that the early use of drugs – within 30 hours of the birth – may have prevented the virus taking hold.
Henrich said he was cautious but excited about the scientific developments. "Five years ago if you'd mentioned a cure, research people wouldn't have taken you seriously," he said. "We're not there yet. Are we close? Probably not, but who knows? This could be a rapid learning curve in the next few years."
Toyota Tarik Yaris dari Seluruh Dunia
Detik.com - Toyota Motor Corp akan menarik sekitar 185.000 mobil di seluruh dunia. Model yang ditarik termasuk mobil hatchback Yaris.
Mobil-mobil ini harus ditarik karena masalah pada sistem electric power steering, yang berpotensi membuat setir mobil terasa berat.
Jika dirinci, pabrikan terbesar dunia itu menarik sekitar 130.000 unit di Jepang, 7.050 unit di Jerman dan 7.000 unit di Prancis. Sedangkan sisanya di negara lainnya
Yaris yang ditarik adalah Yaris atau Vitz yang diproduksi antara November 2010 sampai Maret 2012.
Selain Yaris, Toyota juga melakukan penarikan kembali Verso-S atau yang terkenal dengan Lactis di Jepang. Mobil yang ditarik adalah mobil antara 2010 sampai Agustus 2011.
"Tidak ada insiden yang terkait dengan proses penarikan," ujar juru bicara Shiori Hashimoto seperti dilansir Reuters, Rabu (3//7/2013).
Mobil-mobil ini harus ditarik karena masalah pada sistem electric power steering, yang berpotensi membuat setir mobil terasa berat.
Jika dirinci, pabrikan terbesar dunia itu menarik sekitar 130.000 unit di Jepang, 7.050 unit di Jerman dan 7.000 unit di Prancis. Sedangkan sisanya di negara lainnya
Yaris yang ditarik adalah Yaris atau Vitz yang diproduksi antara November 2010 sampai Maret 2012.
Selain Yaris, Toyota juga melakukan penarikan kembali Verso-S atau yang terkenal dengan Lactis di Jepang. Mobil yang ditarik adalah mobil antara 2010 sampai Agustus 2011.
"Tidak ada insiden yang terkait dengan proses penarikan," ujar juru bicara Shiori Hashimoto seperti dilansir Reuters, Rabu (3//7/2013).
Boston University sues Apple over 1997 patent, asks for ban on iPhone sales
Gigaom.com - How do college students feel about this one? The powers that be at Boston University want a federal court to ban the sale of a wide range of Apple products — including the iPhone 5, the iPad and the MacBook Air — because they allegedly infringe a patent issued to one of its professors in 1997.
In a complaint filed this week in the Massachusetts federal court, the trustees of BU say the Apple products contain a “gallium nitride thin film semiconductor device” that is still under patent protection. Professor Theodore Moustakas applied for the patent in 1995, which means it is set to expire in 2015. Here’s an image from the patent, which describes the use of nitrogen to prepare a type of film that is “a potential source of inexpensive and compact solid-state blue lasers:”
In a complaint filed this week in the Massachusetts federal court, the trustees of BU say the Apple products contain a “gallium nitride thin film semiconductor device” that is still under patent protection. Professor Theodore Moustakas applied for the patent in 1995, which means it is set to expire in 2015. Here’s an image from the patent, which describes the use of nitrogen to prepare a type of film that is “a potential source of inexpensive and compact solid-state blue lasers:”
Boston University is not only seeking an injunction banning the sale of a wide range of Apple products, but is also asking for an accounting of Apple’s profits — meaning the school wants Apple to hand over its earnings from the last few years. If that happens, lucky BU students can expect free tuition and gold-plated water fountains (which would presumably make up for the absence of new Apple gear).
More realistically, Apple will attack the patent or else settle quietly. The episode is likely to raise the question, yet again, of how well the patent system, and the 20 year monopolies it awards, are serving America’s digital economy. In this case, some may wonder why it took BU so long to commence their gold-mining expedition.
More realistically, Apple will attack the patent or else settle quietly. The episode is likely to raise the question, yet again, of how well the patent system, and the 20 year monopolies it awards, are serving America’s digital economy. In this case, some may wonder why it took BU so long to commence their gold-mining expedition.
Jul 3, 2013
End may be near for BlackBerry
Cnn.com - "It is not the end / of the road for BlackBerry / but it may be close," wrote BGC analyst Colin Gilllis in a haiku to investors.
BlackBerry (BBRY) continues to struggle to sell phones. The former smartphone giant said Friday it shipped just 2.7 million BlackBerry 10 devices in its fiscal first quarter, and the company reported a surprise loss. Shares promptly lost nearly 30% of their value.
If the next few quarters echo this one, BlackBerry's dreams of once again becoming relevant in a market it once dominated will be destroyed. Over the past several years, BlackBerry's smartphone platform market share has been surpassed by Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500), Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and even Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500).
"The [stock] drop of 30% after that report shows how desperate the situation has become," said Brian Sozzi, CEO and chief equities strategist at Belus Capital Advisors. "The market is telling you there is something fundamentally wrong with the company and you need a major fix."
Sozzi thinks that move should be a sale of BlackBerry, or at least some of its assets.
Despite its struggles in hardware, BlackBerry does possess other valuable resources that could make it attractive to potential buyers.
BlackBerry owns a trove of lucrative patents, which is a huge advantage in the competitive -- and litigious -- smartphone field. The company's several enterprise software solutions, including a newly announced security platform for iOS and Android, could be another strong source of revenue. And BlackBerry's reputation endures as a company that specializes in that strong mobile security.
It also has an impressive $3.1 billion in cash on hand.
That portfolio could be attractive to a big rival like Microsoft, Apple or Samsung.
"We believe BlackBerry's biggest assets remain in its patents and its cash," wrote Kevin Smithen, an analysts at Macquarie Capital, in a research note on Friday. "We think the likely end game for BlackBerry is a break-up for liquidation at a lower price."
BlackBerry declined to comment for this story, though CEO Thorsten Heins has repeatedly said that the company is constantly considering all of its strategic options -- even as it continues to pin hopes on its current strategy of wooing back customers with its improved smartphone lineup.
Yet some believe the end isn't quite as near as you'd think for BlackBerry.
The company as it stands now isn't a great fit for any one suitor, says Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi. That could complicate a potential sale.
"I don't think owning the brand, or even owning the whole company, is something anyone would consider," said Milanesi. "I can see them picking and choosing. The BlackBerry brand itself isn't compelling at this point."
Even if BlackBerry tried and failed to find a buyer -- or refused to consider that option -- and the downward spiral continued, the company wouldn't disappear overnight. BlackBerry will certainly tap into its big cash hoard to continue marketing BlackBerry 10 devices.
"No matter what they do, the wrong move won't kill you overnight, and the right move won't save you overnight," Milanesi said. "It's going to be a long, drawn-out process."
BlackBerry (BBRY) continues to struggle to sell phones. The former smartphone giant said Friday it shipped just 2.7 million BlackBerry 10 devices in its fiscal first quarter, and the company reported a surprise loss. Shares promptly lost nearly 30% of their value.
If the next few quarters echo this one, BlackBerry's dreams of once again becoming relevant in a market it once dominated will be destroyed. Over the past several years, BlackBerry's smartphone platform market share has been surpassed by Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500), Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and even Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500).
"The [stock] drop of 30% after that report shows how desperate the situation has become," said Brian Sozzi, CEO and chief equities strategist at Belus Capital Advisors. "The market is telling you there is something fundamentally wrong with the company and you need a major fix."
Sozzi thinks that move should be a sale of BlackBerry, or at least some of its assets.
Despite its struggles in hardware, BlackBerry does possess other valuable resources that could make it attractive to potential buyers.
BlackBerry owns a trove of lucrative patents, which is a huge advantage in the competitive -- and litigious -- smartphone field. The company's several enterprise software solutions, including a newly announced security platform for iOS and Android, could be another strong source of revenue. And BlackBerry's reputation endures as a company that specializes in that strong mobile security.
It also has an impressive $3.1 billion in cash on hand.
That portfolio could be attractive to a big rival like Microsoft, Apple or Samsung.
"We believe BlackBerry's biggest assets remain in its patents and its cash," wrote Kevin Smithen, an analysts at Macquarie Capital, in a research note on Friday. "We think the likely end game for BlackBerry is a break-up for liquidation at a lower price."
BlackBerry declined to comment for this story, though CEO Thorsten Heins has repeatedly said that the company is constantly considering all of its strategic options -- even as it continues to pin hopes on its current strategy of wooing back customers with its improved smartphone lineup.
Yet some believe the end isn't quite as near as you'd think for BlackBerry.
The company as it stands now isn't a great fit for any one suitor, says Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi. That could complicate a potential sale.
"I don't think owning the brand, or even owning the whole company, is something anyone would consider," said Milanesi. "I can see them picking and choosing. The BlackBerry brand itself isn't compelling at this point."
Even if BlackBerry tried and failed to find a buyer -- or refused to consider that option -- and the downward spiral continued, the company wouldn't disappear overnight. BlackBerry will certainly tap into its big cash hoard to continue marketing BlackBerry 10 devices.
"No matter what they do, the wrong move won't kill you overnight, and the right move won't save you overnight," Milanesi said. "It's going to be a long, drawn-out process."
Jul 2, 2013
Jul 1, 2013
Panduan baru dalam pengobatan HIV
Detik.com - WHO menyakini pengobatan dini pada orang dengan HIV akan mampu menekan penyebaran virus.
Sebuah panduan baru dalam perawatan HIV diperkirakan akan memberikan jutaan orang di negara berkembang berkesempatan mendapatkan obat yang bisa menyelamatkan hidup mereka.
Badan Kesehatan Dunia, WHO merekomendasikan kepada pasien untuk mulai melakukan perawatan pada tahap awal penyakit yang dideritanya itu.
WHO mengatakan panduan yang diluncurkan pada Konferensi Internasional AIDS di Kuala Lumpur ini akan mampu membantu menghindari jumlah tambahan kematian sebanyak 3 juta orang akibat AIDS pada 2025 mendatang.
Lembaga sosial bernama MSF menyambut baik langkah tersebut tapi mereka mengatakan langkah ini harus dibarengi dengan investasi lebih banyak.
Panduan pengobatan baru ini akan mengharuskan seorang pasien mengkonsumsi sebuah pil beserta tiga jenis obat-obatan lain saat dia dinyatakan positif mengidap HIV.
Konsumsi obatan-obatan ini dilakukan pada tahap yang sangat dini saat sistem kekebalan tubuh mereka masih kuat.
Sejumlah negara seperti Algeria, Argentina dan Brasil telah menjalani pengobatan yang didasari atas panduan baru dari WHO.
Konsultasi panjang
Saat ini tidak semua orang yang membutuhkan bisa mendapatkan pengobatan secara dini meskipun sejumlah kebijakan untuk membantu para pasien telah dibuat dalam beberapa tahun terakhir agar mereka bisa memperoleh akses lebih luas dalam pengobatan HIV.
WHO menyebut panduan ini merupakan bentuk dari wujud perubahan besar dalam kebijakan mereka.
Mereka berharap dari perubahan kebijakan ini akan menghasilkan peningkatan akses pasien dengan HIV terhadap obat-obatan di negara berkembang.
Mereka memperkirakan jumlah pasien yang bisa mengakses obat-obatan dengan cara ini akan meningkat dari 16 juta orang menjadi 26 juta orang atau 80 persen dari total orang dengan HIV yang ada di dunia saat ini.
Diperkirakan panduan ini akan memunculkan tambahan anggaran sebesar 10 persen dari biaya keseluruhan dalam menangani HIV/AIDS di seluruh negara berkembang.
WHO merasa bahwa negera donor dan negara berkembang akan bisa diyakinkan bahwa usulan tentang pengobatan dini ini jauh lebih efektif secara biaya.
Kebijakan ini sendiri disetujui dalam konfrensi di Kuala Lumpur setelah melalui konsultasi selama satu tahun lebih dengan menunjukan adanya bukti-bukti yang telah dipertimbangkan bahwa pengobatan dini berperan dalam mengurangi penyebaran virus.
Sebuah panduan baru dalam perawatan HIV diperkirakan akan memberikan jutaan orang di negara berkembang berkesempatan mendapatkan obat yang bisa menyelamatkan hidup mereka.
Badan Kesehatan Dunia, WHO merekomendasikan kepada pasien untuk mulai melakukan perawatan pada tahap awal penyakit yang dideritanya itu.
WHO mengatakan panduan yang diluncurkan pada Konferensi Internasional AIDS di Kuala Lumpur ini akan mampu membantu menghindari jumlah tambahan kematian sebanyak 3 juta orang akibat AIDS pada 2025 mendatang.
Lembaga sosial bernama MSF menyambut baik langkah tersebut tapi mereka mengatakan langkah ini harus dibarengi dengan investasi lebih banyak.
Panduan pengobatan baru ini akan mengharuskan seorang pasien mengkonsumsi sebuah pil beserta tiga jenis obat-obatan lain saat dia dinyatakan positif mengidap HIV.
Konsumsi obatan-obatan ini dilakukan pada tahap yang sangat dini saat sistem kekebalan tubuh mereka masih kuat.
Sejumlah negara seperti Algeria, Argentina dan Brasil telah menjalani pengobatan yang didasari atas panduan baru dari WHO.
Konsultasi panjang
Saat ini tidak semua orang yang membutuhkan bisa mendapatkan pengobatan secara dini meskipun sejumlah kebijakan untuk membantu para pasien telah dibuat dalam beberapa tahun terakhir agar mereka bisa memperoleh akses lebih luas dalam pengobatan HIV.
WHO menyebut panduan ini merupakan bentuk dari wujud perubahan besar dalam kebijakan mereka.
Mereka berharap dari perubahan kebijakan ini akan menghasilkan peningkatan akses pasien dengan HIV terhadap obat-obatan di negara berkembang.
Mereka memperkirakan jumlah pasien yang bisa mengakses obat-obatan dengan cara ini akan meningkat dari 16 juta orang menjadi 26 juta orang atau 80 persen dari total orang dengan HIV yang ada di dunia saat ini.
Diperkirakan panduan ini akan memunculkan tambahan anggaran sebesar 10 persen dari biaya keseluruhan dalam menangani HIV/AIDS di seluruh negara berkembang.
WHO merasa bahwa negera donor dan negara berkembang akan bisa diyakinkan bahwa usulan tentang pengobatan dini ini jauh lebih efektif secara biaya.
Kebijakan ini sendiri disetujui dalam konfrensi di Kuala Lumpur setelah melalui konsultasi selama satu tahun lebih dengan menunjukan adanya bukti-bukti yang telah dipertimbangkan bahwa pengobatan dini berperan dalam mengurangi penyebaran virus.
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