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Microsoft Urges Businesses To Get Off XP

An anonymous reader writes “It’s approximately 11 years since Windows XP was unveiled, and this week Microsoft was still at it trying to convince users that it’s time to upgrade. A post on the Windows For Your Business Blog calls on businesses to start XP migrations now. Microsoft cites the main reason as being that support for XP ends in April 2014, and ‘most new hardware options will likely not support the Windows XP operating system.’ If you run Windows Vista, Microsoft argues that it’s time to ‘start planning’ the move to Windows 8. As this article points out, it’s not uncommon to hear about people still running XP at work.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Microsoft Urges Businesses To Get Off XP

Engineers create gasoline from air and water. Yes, really.

In what sounds more like alchemy than science, a small British company has figured out a way to create gasoline from air and water. To do so, engineers at Air Fuel Synthesis (AFS) produced five litres (1.3 gallons) of the fuel by extracting carbon dioxide from air, and hydrogen from water, which was then combined in a reactor with a catalyst to create methanol. This methanol was then converted into gasoline. More »

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Engineers create gasoline from air and water. Yes, really.

Caltech laser accelerometer research may bring fine-tuned position tracking, grocery ads

One way that sensors can track your position without using an array of satellites is by measuring your acceleration as you move around — but unless you’re piloting a jumbo jet, current devices aren’t very accurate. Researchers at Caltech hope to change all that with a new, ultra-sensitive accelerometer they developed, which uses laser light to detect motion changes. The scientists managed to shrink a so-called large-scale interferometer down to micro-scale sizes, creating a device “thousands of times faster than the most sensitive sensors used today.” That could allow a smartphone with such a micro-sensor to detect your exact position even while inside a grocery store, and flash “ads and coupons for hot dog buns” while you’re in the bread aisle, according to Caltech. All that sounds good, but we can perhaps think of more inspiring uses for the new tech. Filed under: Cellphones , Science , Alt Caltech laser accelerometer research may bring fine-tuned position tracking, grocery ads originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink Tech Eye | Caltech | Email this | Comments

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Caltech laser accelerometer research may bring fine-tuned position tracking, grocery ads

Could Magnetic Ties Be the Death Of the Tie Clip?

Unless you’re required to symbolically hang yourself every morning for work, you probably don’t have a collection of tie clips for the rare time you do dress up. But with a Magnetie around your neck, you can be assured that both ends won’t be flapping about thanks to the power of rare earth magnets. More »