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Archive for the 'Technology Related' Category

F-22 Raptors’ systems crash mid-flight over Pacific

Lockheed’s shiny new F-22 Raptor stealth fighters may have owned a few war games, but crossing the International Date Line left them as helpless as a carrot in a rabbit trap, with multiple system crashes causing an emergency detour en route from Hawaii to Okinawa, Japan. Communication, fuel subsystems, and navigation systems were rendered useless and repeated "reboots" were of no help. Luckily, the fleet had clear skies and refueling tankers to guide them back to Hawaii. If they had separated from the tankers, "they would have turned around and probably could have found the Hawaiian Islands. But if the weather had been bad on approach, there could have been real trouble," states Retired Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. The voyage suffered a two-day delay on account of the system failures — "a computer glitch in the millions of lines of code, somebody made an error in a couple lines of the code and everything goes." What should have been a showy parade of $125+ million super fighters quickly turned to disaster for Lockheed who would’ve had a lot of explaining to do, had this happened during combat.

[Via Slashdot]

From Engadget

The self-sustaining iPod

Anyone with an iPod knows that being locked into your iTunes library can be a very annoying thing. And though there are a lot of solutions for working through this, I’ve never been entirely happy with the results.

What’s more, if you’re not a big fan of iTunes in the first place (or you’re just not a fan of firing up that memory hog just to sync your iPod), it can be that much more annoying when iTunes puts its stranglehold on your iPod.

Unfortunately you can’t really get that far with your iPod if you don’t use iTunes, right?

Wrong! By the end of this little tutorial, you’ll be able to rip a CD, sync the MP3s to your iPod, then play any music off your iPod from any computer without ever having to install anything on that computer - and not once will you have to open iTunes to do it.

That’s right - add MP3s from any computer. For example, if your SO insists on ripping MP3s on her laptop rather than straight to your shared library, you can still easily sync her MP3s to your iPod. Or maybe you’re on a public computer and you’re eager to rip and import the CD you just bought to your iPod. Without installing any software on that computer or ripping any MP3s to its hard drive, you can rip and sync your new CD to your iPod.

Read on: Hack Attack: The self-sustaining iPod - Lifehacker

TI-Nspire CAS

This is the future of Texas Instruments handheld calculators:

HW and SWWhat is the TI-Nspire CAS+ handheld?
The new TI-Nspire CAS+ math and science learning handheld, designed for pre-algebra through calculus and biology thru physics, allows students to see and edit multiple representations of a concept - all on one screen. This enables students to more effectively and easily explore relationships and make connections.

With TI-Nspire technology your students can electronically create, save and reflect on every step of their work. This gives them the ability to review, demonstrate and communicate their problem solving – and you to assess their progress, even toward meeting curriculum standards.

Carrying forward the core capabilities, including the Computer Algebra System (CAS) of TI-89 Titanium graphing calculators, the research-based TI-Nspire CAS+ also adds:

  • Interactive geometry software that integrates with algebra explorations
  • The ability to grab and manipulate graphs & geometric shapes to see real-time changes
  • Drop-down menus for easy, intuitive operation
  • Software version for computer lab use or for classroom demonstration

What is the TI-Nspire™ CAS software?
TI-Nspire CAS computer software is computer software that incorporates the exact same capabilities of the TI-Nspire CAS+ handheld on a computer. The computer software provides opportunities for students to access TI-Nspire technology in a computer lab environment. As a tool for teachers, TI-Nspire CAS computer software acts as an emulator for effective classroom demonstration.

Where and when will the TI-Nspire CAS+ be available?
The TI-Nspire CAS+ handheld and TI-Nspire CAS Software will be available in 2007 through select Canadian dealers. Please call 1-800-TI-CARES for updates on purchase information.

Read more: TI-Nspire CAS

GSM Phone Source

From what I hear, GSM Phone Source is a decent place to get your phone unlocked.