Viking Landers Might Have Missed Martian Organics
Source: Slashdot.org
Publish date:Thursday, September 9th, 2010Sonny Yatsen writes "A new study suggests that the Viking Landers might have found organic compounds on Mars, but failed to recognize them because of the methodology used to detect organics. The findings may suggest specific strategies that would improve on the way organic compounds are detected on the red planet." 
Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
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Online Ads, Privacy Remain In FTC Crosshairs
Source: Slashdot.org
Publish date:Wednesday, September 8th, 2010AC95 writes "The FTC wants to give users a browser-based tool for opting out of online behavioral tracking, a proposal that has privacy advocates cheering and online advertisers up in arms. A key issue, says FTC attorney Loretta Garrison, is that while most consumers know they're tracked online, they don't fully appreciate how much information is collected. Tim O'Reilly, founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media, worries about knee-jerk legislation criminalizing mistakes that are an inherent part of applying any new technology." Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
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Anti-Product Placement For Negative Branding
Source: Slashdot.org
Publish date:Wednesday, September 8th, 2010An anonymous reader writes "Product placement to promote your brand just isn't enough any more. These days, apparently, some companies are resorting to anti-product placement in order to get competitors' products in the hands of 'anti-stars.' The key example being Snooki from Jersey Shore, who supposedly is being sent handbags by companies... but the bags being sent are of competitors' handbags as a way to avoid Snooki carrying their own handbag, and thus potentially damaging their brand." Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
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Solar Cells Made From Bioluminescent Jellyfish
Source: Slashdot.org
Publish date:Wednesday, September 8th, 2010An anonymous reader writes "Swedish researchers have devised a way to turn bioluminescent jellyfish into solar cells. It works like this: the green fluorescent protein (GFP) that makes the Aequorea victoria glow is simply dripped onto a silicon dioxide substrate between two electrodes. The protein works itself into strands between the electrodes. When ultraviolet light is shined on the circuit, voila, the GFP absorbs photons and emits electrons, generating a current. The GFP-powered cells work like dye-sensitized solar cells, but don't require expensive materials such as titanium dioxide." Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
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How 6 Memorable Tech Companies Got Their Names
Source: Slashdot.org
Publish date:Wednesday, September 8th, 2010itwbennett writes "If Larry Page and Sergey Brin had stuck with the first name for their search engine, we'd be 'BackRubbing' instead of Googling. But the fun doesn't stop there. The unforgettable Go Daddy was first saddled with the eminently Seussian moniker 'Jomax Technologies.' And as for Yahoo!... its original name just rolled off the tongue: 'Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web.'" Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
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School Swaps Math Textbooks For iPads
Source: Slashdot.org
Publish date:Wednesday, September 8th, 2010MexiCali59 writes "Four of California's largest school districts will be trying something new on eighth-grade algebra students this year: giving them iPads instead of textbooks. The devices come pre-loaded with a digital version of the text, allowing students to view teaching videos, receive homework assistance and input assignment all without picking up a pen or paper. If the students with iPads turn out to do improve at a faster pace than their peers as expected, the program could soon spread throughout the Golden State." Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
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Microsoft Suspends Gamer For Being From Fort Gay
Source: Slashdot.org
Publish date:Wednesday, September 8th, 2010maclizard writes "The town's name is real. But when Josh Moore tried to tell Seattle-based Microsoft and the enforcement team at Xbox Live that Fort gay was a real place, they wouldn't take his word for it. Or Google it. Or check the U.S. Postal Service website for a ZIP code. I personally feel for those of you from Big Bone Lick, KY" Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
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Lo-Fi Phones and the Future
Source: Slashdot.org
Publish date:Wednesday, September 8th, 2010bossanovalithium writes "Back in 1936 — 74 years ago — boffins accepted that about 3.3Khz was the accepted frequency that telephone calls are going to run on and it's been like that, generally, ever since. Call quality is reasonable but leaves a lot to be desired. Think calls from Skype to Skype where quality is often crystal clear." It's crazy to me that (for people with decent mics at least) Ventrillo sounds better than corporate conference calls. Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
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Cooking For Geeks
Source: Slashdot.org
Publish date:Wednesday, September 8th, 2010jsuda writes "You've got to have a lot of confidence and nerve to write and try to sell a nearly 400 page book on cooking to the take-out pizza and cola set. No cookbook is likely to turn many geeks into chefs or take them away from their computer screens. However, even though Cooking for Geeks contains a large number of recipes, it is not a conventional cookbook but a scientific explanation of the how and why of cooking which will certainly appeal to that group, as well as to cooking professionals and intellectually curious others." Read on for the rest of jsuda's review. Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
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Google Instant Announced
Source: Slashdot.org
Publish date:Wednesday, September 8th, 2010GCPSoft writes with this quote from a Google announcement: "Google Instant is a new search enhancement that shows results as you type. We are pushing the limits of our technology and infrastructure to help you get better search results, faster. Our key technical insight was that people type slowly, but read quickly, typically taking 300 milliseconds between keystrokes, but only 30 milliseconds (a tenth of the time!) to glance at another part of the page. This means that you can scan a results page while you type." Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
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