Author: kenmay

What To Expect With Windows 9

snydeq writes: Two weeks before the its official unveiling, this article provides a roundup of what to expect and the open questions around Windows 9, given Build 9834 leaks and confirmations springing up all over the Web. The desktop’s Start Menu, Metro apps running in resizable windows on the desktop, virtual desktops, Notification Center, and Storage Sense, are among the presumed features in store for Windows 9. Chief among the open questions are the fates of Internet Explorer, Cortana, and the Metro Start Screen. Changes to Windows 9 will provide an inkling of where Nadella will lead Microsoft in the years ahead. What’s your litmus test on Windows 9? Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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What To Expect With Windows 9

This New Parking App Can Find Empty Spaces, No Sensors Required

Parking sucks, and that’s why there are plenty of apps to help your car find a vacant spot. Trouble is, those solutions tend to require expensive sensors to be installed in each and every one of those potentially open spots. A new app called PocketParker instead leverages the power of passive, portable sensors—the ones already installed your smartphone. Read more…

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This New Parking App Can Find Empty Spaces, No Sensors Required

Boeing and SpaceX getting NASA money for manned space launches [Updated]

SpaceX’s Dragon V2. Megan Geuss Today, NASA administrator Charles Bolden announced that there were two winners in the campaign to become the first company to launch astronauts to low-Earth orbit: Boeing and SpaceX. The two will receive contracts that total $6.8 billion dollars to have hardware ready for a 2017 certification—a process that will include one crewed flight to the International Space Station (ISS). In announcing the plan, Bolden quoted President Obama in saying, “The greatest nation on earth should not be dependent on any other nation to get to space.” And he promoted the commercial crew program as a clear way of ending a reliance on Russian launch vehicles to get to the ISS. But Bolden and others at the press conference were also looking beyond that; several speakers, including Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana and astronaut Mike Fincke, mentioned that the ultimate goal is Mars. To that end, Bolden emphasized that NASA is still doing its own vehicle and rocket development. The Orion crew capsule, intended to be suitable for missions deeper into the Solar System, recently underwent a splashdown test in the Pacific. Its first test flight aboard a Delta IV rocket is scheduled for this December. Work on the Space Launch System, a heavy lift vehicle that can transport the additional hardware needed for deep space missions, was also mentioned. Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Boeing and SpaceX getting NASA money for manned space launches [Updated]

Micron Releases 16nm-Process SSDs With Dynamic Flash Programming

Lucas123 writes: Micron’s newest client flash drive line, the M600, uses its first 16nm process technology and dynamic write acceleration firmware that allows the flash to be programmed as SLC or MLC instead of using overprovisioning or reserving a permanent pool of flash cache to accelerate writes. The ability to dynamically program the flash reduces power use and improves write performance as much as 2.8 times over models without the feature, according to Jon Tanguy, Micron’s senior technical marketing engineer. The new lithography process technology also allowed Micron to reduce the price of the flash drive to 45 cents a gigabyte. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Micron Releases 16nm-Process SSDs With Dynamic Flash Programming

Pictures of the World’s Biggest Cargo Ship Make You Feel Tiny

The Maersk Triple-E is the largest cargo ship in the world. Photographer Alastair Philip Wiper got the chance to visit Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering , the South Korean port where nine of these behemoths are currently being build. These are his amazing photos, originally published on Wired . Read more…

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Pictures of the World’s Biggest Cargo Ship Make You Feel Tiny

Watch out, California’s self-driving car permits take effect today

Audi On Tuesday, permits for self-driving cars issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) took effect for the first time. Applications for the permits began in May 2014. Only the Volkswagen Group (which includes Volkswagen and Audi cars among others), Mercedes Benz, and Google have been issued permits for their 29 total vehicles. Overall, that represents a miniscule fraction of all 32 million registered cars in the Golden State. Bernard Soriano, a DMV spokesman, told Ars that Tuesday also marked the first time those numbers had been disclosed outside of the agency. “There are a handful of different companies that are completing their application,” he added, noting that the DMV expected to issue more permits soon. “They’re all large automakers.” Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Watch out, California’s self-driving car permits take effect today

Lockheed’s New Laser Super Turret Could Change Air Combat Forever

Defense giant Lockheed Martin, Notre Dame University, DARPA and the Air Force Research Lab have begun flight testing a streamlined and greatly miniaturized airborne laser turret that has the potential to totally transform air combat as we understand it today. Read more…

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Lockheed’s New Laser Super Turret Could Change Air Combat Forever

Learn Some Local Slang for Major International Cities

We’ve mentioned before that knowing a few words in the native language can help improve your travel experience. Knowing some of the local slang can help, too—though it’s a bit tougher. Natalie Holmes at Conde Nast Traveler lays out local slang for a few major international cities. Read more…

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Learn Some Local Slang for Major International Cities

Qatar’s $45 Billion Plan to Build a Brand New City for the World Cup

Qatar, the 2022 host of the World Cup, is not a large country, with a population just over 2.1 million. So to prepare for the millions who’ll descend on the country eight years from now, it’s going to great lengths—including building an entire new city from scratch. Read more…

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Qatar’s $45 Billion Plan to Build a Brand New City for the World Cup

Making and sharing your own Google Map is getting easier thanks to the newly rebranded and relaunche

Making and sharing your own Google Map is getting easier thanks to the newly rebranded and relaunched ” My Maps ” tool. There’s also a new Android app so you can make and manage your maps on the go. Read more…

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Making and sharing your own Google Map is getting easier thanks to the newly rebranded and relaunche